The Missive is a new roleplaying game by Loreshaper games, now available on itch.io!
In a post-cataclysmic setting where the players are given the chance to rebuild the world by defining the contents of reality, they must explore to build a new home for their people.
From Itch.io:
The Missive is a post-apocalyptic game of hope and rebuilding tempered by the limits of humanity and their best intentions.
The Chamber of Dreams will give humanity the opportunity to create a new world, a paradise that can provide the living space and natural resources that a recovering post-cataclysmic population desperately needs.
However, not everyone agrees that the chamber offers a way to a better life. The first explorers will need to create the Missive, a shared explanation of the simulacrum-world that will provide stability and order.
Intended as a beginner-friendly game that blends simple roleplaying game mechanics with many of the conceits of a storytelling game like Mafia/Werewolf. Intrigue is optional, but even with intrigue the general goal is still to create an interesting world rather than competing with other players.
The game will be free for the extent of the Coronavirus outbreak, then be adjusted to a $1 price, and was created for the Quarantine Game Jam.
As a 24-hour game, I think that The Missive is a tremendous success. At around 5000 words, it's a good chunk of work to get done in a day, and I used the experience to get set up with Affinity Publisher, a "new" (to me) piece of software that I think will greatly improve my workflow in the future.
Mechanically, The Missive is simple: a d10 roll-under system with an emphasis on fast resolution with potential complications.
However, I think that the game will be most interesting when played as a predominantly social experience: each player contributes elements to the world the characters explore, establishing the content of the Missive. Eventually, the world will be finished, and the contents of the Missive will be enshrined as the cornerstone of that reality.
However, each person brings in a character with personal goals and flaws, as well as membership in a faction with their own interests.
I think this gives lots of room for creativity and flexibility in shared storytelling, even with a relatively short page count.
Artistically, I don't think I'd necessarily aim to make more games that have the same style of photo-heavy setup as The Missive has; I was taking advantage of Affinity Publisher's ability to bring in images from Pixabay and do some simple adjustments in the system, but in the future I think I'll go back to more minimalism (unless people really love this).
Anyhow, that's it for now. Go check The Missive out!
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