A Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Morgan Eilish is a solo journaling game inspired by a Canadian folk song about a perilous privateering journey. The player takes on the role of a seventeen year old who signed up to be a privateer on a decrepit sloop. To survive, the player has to repair the sloop, deal with the limited supplies, uplift the crew’s morale, and overcome enemy boats in naval combat. The mechanics is based on that of The Wretched, in which the player draws cards from a deck to see which problem they encounter, and pulls blocks from a Jenga tower to resolve them. The system suits very well to the perilous naval journey of the narrative, and I love the use of coins to represent the plundered American gold as a means to track progress. The writing is great and it really gives the reader/player a feeling of running a privateering boat that is falling apart. The layout design and use of public domain art are incredible. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to read/play a thematic solo journaling game.
Hell yes, more Stan Rogers RPGs! And Wretched & Alone nonetheless! Excited to check this out. I once made a smaller solo journaling game called God Damn Them All, it's here if you want to take a peek: https://lari-assmuth.itch.io/god-damn-them-all
It seemed the perfect system for a game that takes place on the Antelope given the state of the ship and what happened to it. I’ll defs check yours out.
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Delighted to see something like this inspired by the song!
Thanks! It was a lot of fun to make.
A Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Morgan Eilish is a solo journaling game inspired by a Canadian folk song about a perilous privateering journey. The player takes on the role of a seventeen year old who signed up to be a privateer on a decrepit sloop. To survive, the player has to repair the sloop, deal with the limited supplies, uplift the crew’s morale, and overcome enemy boats in naval combat. The mechanics is based on that of The Wretched, in which the player draws cards from a deck to see which problem they encounter, and pulls blocks from a Jenga tower to resolve them. The system suits very well to the perilous naval journey of the narrative, and I love the use of coins to represent the plundered American gold as a means to track progress. The writing is great and it really gives the reader/player a feeling of running a privateering boat that is falling apart. The layout design and use of public domain art are incredible. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to read/play a thematic solo journaling game.
Thank you for your kinds words! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
This a really great journalling game.
Great mechanics.
Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
Hell yes, more Stan Rogers RPGs! And Wretched & Alone nonetheless!
Excited to check this out. I once made a smaller solo journaling game called God Damn Them All, it's here if you want to take a peek:
https://lari-assmuth.itch.io/god-damn-them-all
It seemed the perfect system for a game that takes place on the Antelope given the state of the ship and what happened to it. I’ll defs check yours out.