Inspired by John Harper's Blades in the Dark, this bookmark-sized rpg is perfect for tales around the campfire or during a long roadtrip.
You will need:
Some dice (or a digital equivalent)
A way to keep track of your character's Wounds
A copy of this free game
Pals to play with
You could probably play this one solo, but I haven't tested it.
A tiny rpg perfect for telling stories around the campfire.
I was inspired by the bookmark micro jam happening over on Itch right now, but as this game does not match that jam's theme it is not an official entry.
Bez Reviews Independent Books #17 Appendix: Bookmark RPG (S[I]GNS)
Content Warning: In this game, I ended up writing a prose poem about the following topics: gender neutrality, fear of masculinity, and gender anxiety.
Hello everyone! It’s time for another bookmark RPG! If you’re not aware, when I review a physical copy of a book, I play a bookmark RPG with it, because it’s fun!
If you don’t know what a bookmark RPG is, here’s a simple explanation: it’s a roleplaying game that fits on a bookmark! The versions I play are ones that require a physical book (usually a narrative novel) in their rules. Some are more meditative and fit in the “lyric game” genre, while others have most strict rules and may require other materials, such as dice. The bookmark RPG genre is a whole spectrum of awesomeness!
Today, I’m playing SIGNS by The Bit Bet with the last book I reviewed, Like Blood On A Dog’s Teeth by Nivik! (The title of our game is stylized as “S[I]GNS”, but to make things easier for folks screen readers, I will call it “SIGNS” for this review.) SIGNS has two versions: a “classic” one that is “calm, reflective, literary: a quiet microgame of observation and introspection,” and a “horror” one that is “dark, unsettling, and ritualistic: a shadowed version. Perfect for an Halloween night.” I’ll be playing both!
The basic gist is this: you cut out a window in the bookmark that you use to highlight a word. Arrows on the bookmark show you notable elements on the left & right that influence play. From there, you follow the rules to see where you land.
Part 1: The Printing
Unlike other bookmark RPGs I’ve reviewed, which I owned physically, this is a print-and-play game. Each version is its own separate PDF. Since I wanted to play both, I ended up merging the two PDFs so I could print SIGNS as a double-sided bookmark with one version on each side).
Printing it out as-is resulted in a HUGE bookmark. Here’s a picture with me making a silly expression next to it so you can see my head for scale:
[Alt text: a photo of me holding up the Signs bookmark next to my head for scale. I’m making an exaggerated frown, like a “Hmmm…” kind of face. The bookmark is about 1/3rd taller than my head,]
I ended up printing it out again at 70% size instead of 100%, and that resulted in a much better size. The only downside is the text is harder to read. Here’s another picture of me with a silly face next to the bookmark, so you can see its size next to my head.
[picture caption: I was trying to make a silly happy scream face, but I ended up making an expression like that one nerd emoji. Do you know the one I’m talking about?]
Now that we have a successful bookmark, we can play the game! I think it would be interesting to move down the page with the Horror version, switching between it & the Classic one each time. So, that’s what we’re gonna do!
Part 2: Playing The Classic Version
Let’s start with the classic version!
I decided to play on page 59 of Like Blood On A Dog’s Teeth, this one:
Let’s do this!
1) Start at the top of the page and find the word in the window that speaks to you.
After a brief skim, I decided to put this word in the box:
2) Follow the row to the left arrow: here lies your obstacle.
3) Follow the row to the right arrow: here lies your guide.
The left arrow (The Obstacle) is pointing to “spare”, and the right arrow (The Guide) is pointing to “sharp” (underneath the bookmark).
4) To decide how the story unfolds, read a sentence and count the punctuation marks:
1-2 → Clarity
3–5 → Complication
6+ → Fracture
I know this was designed for fiction books, not poetry, so to keep things relatively fair, I’ll count the punctation marks in the stanza (underneath the number 14), not the singular line. The total is 5, so results in a Complication.
Then describe what happens or what you feel.
This part of the rules is a bit too vague for me, but my assumption is I am to make a story based on the words and the result of the punctuation marks (a Complication, in this case). As this is for Like Blood On A Dog’s Teeth, I find it fitting to write a nonfiction prose poem, so here goes!
I can’t stop hoarding genders. I keep them around like spare tires filling the trunk in case a sharp object pierces the ones I drive with. I declare neopronouns to my friends and save xenogender flags to my computer. I am guything. I am creature. I am static. I am, I am, I am.
Next step!
5) If you sense a step forward, move the bookmark down the page and begin again.
6) If you sense no progress, move up and begin again.
I’m not sure what “a step forward” exactly means, but my interpretation is whether the story I’ve written feels like it can be developed further? In that case, the answer is yes, so it’s time to keep moving!
Part 3: Playing The Horror Version
Now it’s time for the horror version! Ooooooo! (spooky ghost noises)
Instead of starting at the top of the page, we are going to move down, continuing from the Classic version. I decided on this word:
2) Follow the row to the left arrow: here lies the threat.
3) Follow the row to the right arrow: here lies the whisper.
The left arrow (The Threat) is pointing to “imagine” and the right one (The Whisper) is pointing to “much” (both underneath).
4) To decide how the story unfolds, read a sentence and count the punctuation marks:
1–2 → Clarity (calm)
3–5 → Complication (tension)
6+ → Fracture (chaos, rupture)
I’ll once again count the punctation marks in that stanza. This time, the total is 9 (yikes!) and that means the result is 6+: Fracture (Chaos, Rupture).
Then describe what happens or what you feel.
Let’s continue our prose poem from before:
I wonder if people think I’m tacky when I introduce myself with e/em/eir pronouns, wonder if I’m following some fad, chasing the impossibility of negative gender, null space. Imagining what they’re saying about me is my anxiety’s Achilles’ heel. Do they know I stole these pronouns from Maia Kobabe? Do they know even though most of my gender is nothingness, I also long for transmasculinity? That the HRT, with its facial hair and deepening voice, makes me scared of being seen as a man, a threat?
5) If you sense a step forward, move the bookmark down the page and begin again.
6) If no progress comes, move up and begin again.
7) At the end, read it all: it is your story… or theirs.
I think this is a good place to end it. It is my story, and maybe it’s yours too! Who knows?
Part 4: Conclusion
That just about wraps it up! If you would like to play SIGNS, please go download it at its itch.io page! I very much enjoyed playing it.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with a new book to cover. Until then!
Appendix to the Appendix: The Full Prose Poem
I can’t stop hoarding genders. I keep them around like spare tires filling the trunk in case a sharp object pierces the ones I drive with. I declare neopronouns to my friends and save xenogender flags to my computer. I am guything. I am creature. I am static. I am, I am, I am.
I wonder if people think I’m tacky when I introduce myself with e/em/eir pronouns, wonder if I’m following some fad, chasing the impossibility of negative gender, null space. Imagining what they’re saying about me is my anxiety’s Achilles’ heel. Do they know I stole these pronouns from Maia Kobabe? Do they know even though most of my gender is nothingness, I also long for transmasculinity? That the HRT, with its facial hair and deepening voice, makes me scared of being seen as a man, a threat?
