Thread by @VafeR

Hi, TTRPG friends. Help me think through this:

What would be required, both mechanically and in terms of expectation-setting, to create a truly fun/engaging “walking simulator” style one-shot?

I (finally) just played through @GoneHomeGame, so it’s v much in mind.

Or is this just a bad idea, poorly suited for the medium?

My first thought is that @MonteCookGames’ “instant adventure” format would be supremely useful.

Not “this particular filing cabinet contains x thing,” but “when it’s time to advance the story, players will find x thing in their most creative moment of searching.”

A one-on-one game might be best suited. Unsure how to make multiple people walking around examining things very interesting... :/

... but with the right group, it could be wonderful fun to compare notes and piece together a mystery.

I’m out of my league here. Game-design friends... haaaallpp!

I kind of just want to print all the artifacts from Gone Home (and make a huge map of the manor) and then it into a dinner party game, for friends.

I think I would learn a lot from that exercise.

Ha! I’m probably the last of my friends to play it tho, so...

There are really two types of games forming in the suggestions & comments:

1) a generated game, where no one knows what the house will be like or the mystery will be, using e.g., card draws to evoke story. This could even be a platform that could support multiple environments

2) A means to tell a specific story (like the story from Gone Home), with room for flexibility, but a predetermined map and discoverable elements

Excited! I’m working my way down the list of recommendations in this thread. More to come as I’m able, but today...

I picked up copies of "Your Dead Friend” by @jeeyonshim, “Alone in the Ancient City” by @takuma_okada_, and “Baba Zubi’s Missing Pet” by @JacksonTegu.

Thanks all!

Hi @threadreaderapp — please unroll!