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Thank you so much for saying that :') That's exactly the kind of feeling I wanted to evoke when I made the game. I hope you and some loved ones find time to make that magic at some point. Everyone deserves to make "special, bizarre, beautiful" things!

My rating: Five stars

"Ephemeral, terrifying, beautiful."

Thank you!! It needs much playtesting still, so I hope to update it soon with that newfound knowledge. Plus art!

As I said in my rating: "Elegant, intuitive, useful, and perfectly fits in with the graphic design principles of the core rulebook. Thank you!"

This is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your words. I can't really encapsulate what's so compelling about your piece here; it's ephemeral, well-crafted, and vibrant. But even these adjectives are not enough. My favorite part: "Between all the bodies and the heat and the evaporation making watercolor of everything..."

Wow, thank you so much for sharing these thoughts! I'm especially glad that you found the game accessible. It was really kind of you to leave this comment :)

Excellent, I will think on this.

Thank you for reading/commenting and for creating the incredible HARDCASE in the first place!

Wow, thank you so much for your feedback! I'm elated to hear these thoughts -- especially that I got the Online vibe and the fact that Academic opens up some compelling possibilities for the world. Plus, thank goodness you approve of the way Insomniac functions! I've dealt with some insomnia before, but it's mostly my partner who struggles with it, so I'm glad the Label seems to do insomnia justice.

Defector is indeed supposed to garner the HC all three Label Perks; I figured starting with a Threat and a perpetual Condition (since only three Conditions means death) was a big enough nerf to offset the wealth of Perks. But perhaps not! Also, it's not at all too rude to point out the mechanical dissonance between what I've created and the intended function of Labels! I'm unsure how to address this -- maybe tweak the Perks? I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, since I think the Servers I've made for each new "Label" work well.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts! Makes me smile.

That's a good point about a shared victory and the possibility for a "neutral lack of success." I was referring to a win/lose in terms of someone wins and someone else loses, but you bring up something super valuable with this idea of risk within a liminal space. Plus, I absolutely agree that mistakes often offer more insight than success, especially (in my opinion) when it comes to collaborative improv. I will mention that a lot of Neo-Futurist plays have scripts, but many involve both a script and room for improv, and some are wholly improvised. Regardless of whether the text of the play is set beforehand, performance is itself a daring act enabled by that liminal space you're discussing. I think some researchers refer to it as "the magic circle?" Anyway, I think you've thought just deeply enough about this, because selfishly, I appreciate your thoughts :)

Thank you so much for these thoughts! I love that you're adding ideas to each submission. You're right in identifying that the "game" aspect is a bit lost in this manifesto; my primary goal was to put forth some ideas specifically for players, although I hope designers can find value here, too. I think you're also right about risk being the connective tissue between Neo-Futurism and the "game" part of TTRPGs. Hopefully it's not controversial to say that a game doesn't require a win/lose condition to function as a game. But roleplaying games, to me, always require risk, because simply playing as yourself or in a role necessitates vulnerability. "Lead with vulnerability / Make a fool of yourself."

If you're anywhere near Chicago, New York, or London, there are Neo-Futurist ensembles in each of those cities that you could go see. The London ensemble performs as "Degenerate Fox," if I recall correctly. I've been kicking around the idea of trying to form one (officially or unofficially) in Philly, too.

"Attic Games... 10. Are aware that every work is a language." Fuck yes. I'm pondering the title -- why Attic Games? Much to chew on. This is so, so good.

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you feel that way! I mentioned to a friend of mine earlier today that the goal was to make people smile; it's lovely to hear the game is working.

Thank you!! I made it because I was having such a good time writing my own vows.

Thank you! I'm glad you think so :)

That means so much coming from you! Thank you.

This is really compelling. I love how this setting focuses on scent; I don't encounter that often. And the depth and volume of mysteries you've managed to pack into this little zine! Fantastic.

Thank you! I agree -- it would be best for a one shot, probably. I highly recommend Piranesi!

I'm so glad you got that much out of the game. I was smiling from ear to ear for the whole runtime of your video, especially because I enjoy your other work. I feel honored to have Last Train analyzed like this. Thank you for playing and sharing your experience!

Melancholy Island is one of the most affecting pieces of media I've ever read. My partner feels the same way; he cried several times while reading. (I have his permission to say that.) I feel very lucky to have backed this project at the diary tier. Reading/playing with Wall's diary as context was a singular experience. I'm a writer, but the words I need to describe Melancholy Island aren't flowing. To me, that's a testament to the work you've done here. You've created something devastating and truthful through this semi-fictionalized collection.

When it came time to create my island, I hesitated. The book was asking something of me I didn't want to do. I think that's the point, so I went ahead and did it. There's this wonderful friction between what the book was doing... and I wanted for Wall as the writer and myself as a reader. This was heightened by knowing what becomes of Wall from the beginning. Now my copy is a potent object, something created in the space between writer and reader. I think that's a powerful way to physicalize a process which takes place in great writing: the creation of something new when the reader/player is introduced.

And of course, having read the physical version, I only just now found the link on "I'm sorry" in the digital version. This truly is an expansive project that only grows as I explore it. 

"Well done" feels insufficient.

This made my entire week. I'm so happy it worked for you and that it affected you that way. Not to celebrate dread lol

Your comment is incredibly thoughtful; I very much appreciate the ramble. You clearly get what I was trying to do, and that's such a gift to me. Thank you!

I'm so glad this game poem / experience helped you feel better! That's a huge compliment. Thank you for playing it.

Thank you for playing it. It means the world, truly. This was an intense game to make, too, so anytime someone connects with it, I feel really seen.

That's wonderful to hear!!! Thank YOU for taking the time to engage with this work.

Thank you so much for saying that! I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you felt cared for (despite what the game claims at the start).

Thank you! Yes, game of ouch

Wow, your thoughts on this really made my day. Thank you for engaging with Excavation One in such a generous way. It means a lot.

To hear that my work helped you reflect on your own -- that's great! Thank you for commenting.

Holy crap, thank you so much! It was not easy to make, so I'm glad it's doing what it's meant to do.

The way this piece plays with control and impossible instructions is so incredibly effective. I also particularly love the use of tautologies. Lends this sense of inevitability and dread to the whole thing. Seriously, I feel like I'm learning so much by reading this -- about how to use the language of TTRPGs to deliver gut punches, about characterization, about ambient worldbuilding. I can't accurately describe the emotion I felt when reaching the end, and that's really good.

Also, thank you for including a dyslexia friendly version! This prompted me to start doing that with my stuff from now on.

What a stellar submission to the jam.

What a great entry to the jam! Captures something really cool -- dark yet scrappy in its hope. I think that's hope I'm feeling? Favorite lines: "they'll break before they understand" and the last line, of course.

This is fantastic design. I LOVE how succeeding with a flourish affects your next roll, and the fact that shocks don't level up, but Para does. And scoops are such a succinct and effective tool for the editor to structure a session around.

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! Made me smile.

You're welcome and thank YOU!! I think I owe it to myself to play my own darn game.

I'm excited to try this out! (Fittingly, I'll need to visit the library to print it.) "On A Sunbeam" seems like a fantastic book to use for this exercise/LARP. As a Rook myself, I'm happy to see some good rook art. 

We called it "Celebrity Fit Check" at the treatment place I went to post-psych ward. The secret word/words were always the name of a celebrity or historical figure, and each incorrect guess meant the person would draw one more part of celebrity's outfit. Imo, better game, more fun. I had no idea this was such a common experience for those who have been inpatient.

I will purchase this when I get paid in about eight days.

That makes sense! Thank you :)

Hey! I'm working on a setting too, and there's something I'm getting stuck on. In her Songbirds style guide, snow mentions some suggested elements that make up a Songbirds setting. One of these is to have 10 Classes (for worldbuilding purposes), but try as I might, I cannot find what "Class" might refer to in the corebook. There's a mention of "class abilities" in a table somewhere, but no section detailing specific Classes or a description of what that term means in Songbirds.

Notably, Freelancers are distinct from Classes, since the style guide also mentions that you should have 10 Freelancers for a setting.

I wish I could afford Chevalier to reference right now lol. How are you interpreting that "10 Classes" suggestion? My current best guess is like, roles which songbirds can step into, specific the setting I'm building. I've got some stuff written out narratively -- ex: a class for pseudoscientific reverse-necromancy, a class for 'that guy everyone knows,' a class called 'The Vestigial Worker' -- but I have no idea how to approach making mechanics for each of these. Should I? Should they each have pre-chosen Skill proficiencies? Gifts and Curses? And what is this about "class abilities?"

Maybe the answer is 'whatever you want,' and I'm overthinking this.

Thank you! I'm not super familiar with the term "unfiction," and I'm excited to look into it. Feels apt. My original plan for this piece did actually include "screenshots" of Sitzprobe Assemblage, but I had to pivot and lean into that ambiguity in order to submit to the jam on time. Mr. Candle and his favorite forum are probably going to recur in my work, though, so maybe I'll end up making Sitzprobe screenshots sometime.

Thank you for saying so! I do aim to make things that resonate with people :)

Glad to hear it! I appreciate your comment, however vague. I was definitely very intentional about what information I included and where, so vagueness is appropriate.