From this… to this. A Distant Starting Point Years ago, I started getting into gamebooks like Fabled Lands and solo RPGs like Ironsworn. I really wanted to make one of my own but wasn’t sure where to start or how it’s done. When I learned of Draw.io (the tool I still use), it was exactlyContinue reading “The Unseen World: Designer Diary”
Tag Archives: horror
The Unseen World Release!
Just in time for Halloween, The Unseen World releases! In The Unseen World, you play a paranormal investigator traveling across Japan, visiting various towns, researching haunted locations, and trying to collect evidence of the supernatural. You’ll have to properly manage your resources and time while also trying not to succumb to fear during your investigations.Continue reading “The Unseen World Release!”
The Unseen World Playtest Report
Here’s a look at The Unseen World, a solitaire gamebook of paranormal investigation and horror set in modern-day Japan. Full system overview here. The gist of it is you travel from town to town, research haunted locations, then investigate those locations, resolving a series of encounters. Almost everything in the game is randomly generated usingContinue reading “The Unseen World Playtest Report”
The Unseen World Preview
Halloween soon approaches, and like last year, I’ve been working on a special holiday project! The Unseen World is a solitaire gamebook of paranormal investigation and horror set in modern-day Japan. You play as a paranormal investigator traveling to many towns across Japan, investigating haunted locations in order to collect evidence. You’ll spend evidence toContinue reading “The Unseen World Preview”
Book Review: The Ritual by Adam Nevill
6/10 Early promise let down by the last third A group of friends tries to reconnect by going on a hike through the Swedish wilderness. But after becoming lost, they are stalked by an unknown creature. Story I normally avoid spoilers, but the last paragraph of this section discusses spoilers for the novel. Skip theContinue reading “Book Review: The Ritual by Adam Nevill”
Book Review: The October Country by Ray Bradbury
8/10 A few lows hold back this series of otherwise masterful short stories The October Country collects morbid and dark short stories set around many of life’s mysteries from creepy neighbors to the creeping dead. Story The stories in The October Country are mostly horror and fantastical, though a couple of them are a bitContinue reading “Book Review: The October Country by Ray Bradbury”
Book Review: Revenge by Yoko Ogawa
10/10 A bleak, morbid, and fascinating web of short stories Revenge is a series of short stories examining a strange cast of characters living in modern-day Japan; their unusual circumstances, how they got there, and what is often their gruesome fate. Story The short stories in Revenge each center on different characters, but there areContinue reading “Book Review: Revenge by Yoko Ogawa”
Book Review: The Terror by Dan Simmons
9/10 An immersive historical horror In 1845, the Franklin Expedition, the most prepared and modernized expedition to sail in search of the Northwest Passage, finds itself trapped in the ice and stalked by a mysterious beast. Story The Terror is an imaginative history of the famous Franklin Expedition that was lost on a mission toContinue reading “Book Review: The Terror by Dan Simmons”
New Release!
While playtesting for Winds of the North continues (and ends Nov. 15th!), I worked on a special project for Halloween. The Abigail Woods Spook is a FREE interactive horror short story. I also wrote a couple of pieces of music for it. It was a bit of an experiment to put this together, so ifContinue reading “New Release!”
Board Game First Impressions: AuZstralia
I was interested when this was first released, but the more I play Wallace games, the more interested I am in trying his other titles. The Cthulhu theme has been hit or miss for me. But the way AuZtralia handles it feels very different. The Game Martin Wallace certainly seems to have some hallmarks. TheContinue reading “Board Game First Impressions: AuZstralia”
Thomas P. King, author and game designer 