Yesterday I submitted a game to the 2023 one-page RPG jam.  My contribution is a free solo journalling game called Space Jellyfish Overhead. Here is the introductory text.

This is an ancient place, known only as Land. The people of Land seek to live in harmony with the sea and the sky.

Once a generation, a bloom of giant jellyfish fills the skies above. The Visitors descend, stay a few days, and then leave for many years. Nobody knows why they come or where they go, but the Elders teach that they are messengers from the stars.

A select few possess an innate ability to communicate with the jellyfish.  Known as Jelly Watchers, these individuals journey through wild places in search of signs heralding the Visitors’ impending arrival. They listen to the jellyfish songs, learn their secrets, and share their wisdom with the people of Land.

Space Jellyfish Overhead started life in late 2022. The first version involved a playing a modern-day journalist who wakes up to reports of giant jellyfish filling the skies. The game involved observing the visitors, interviewing eyewitnesses and filing newspaper stories about the visitation. I still like this idea, but I could never quite get it to work properly and put the idea aside. 

Here is a table from the abandoned game.

The newly published version shares tonal similarities with the original prototype, but it differs strongly in both approach and setting. The setting is now an implied post-civilization world. The player pieces together what happens through dream encounters with the jellyfish.

I left a lot of stuff out of the final game due the space constraints of a one-page rpg. Even using both sides of the page, there were whole mechanics and endgame elements that I cut in the final hours. For example, I had a fatigue system based on card draws where the player would push their luck to turn more cards. Pressed for page space, I replaced this with the much simpler "draw four cards and your done" system. I also cut a lot of text about the interactions between player and jellyfish, including some tables about gestural communication.

If people are interested in the game, I may create an expanded edition, similar to what happened with Last Tea Shop. Please let me know if you would like to see a more complete realisation of the world of the Jelly Watchers. I certainly have a lot more ideas!

Thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy this new game. I will leave you with an extract from one of the game's random tables. The options below are possible truths about the past that the jellyfish might try to impart on you. If these sound interest to explore, consider downloading the game and playing a session.

Be well, my friends.