TL;DR Journal games provide an escape that brings you back to reality through reflection and creativity. Kids' journal games look very different from adult ones, but both can achieve similar goals.
When I started writing games (months before I was brave enough to hit "publish"), I stumbled across journaling RPGs.
I playtested a few games for other creators, and I realized that the process of journaling in character was perfect for me! A limited project with defined rules that helped guide my thinking to a conclusion.
As a writer, I've always struggled to bring things from the middle to an ending. It's the hardest part of the process for me.
Journaling games aid that process by forcing an end. You draw a certain card; you run out of a limited resource; if you're lucky, you achieve your goal. Suddenly, your adventure has come to an end.
The game gives you the scenes along the way, but it's your job to put them in character and connect the dots. The ending exists, but how do you get there?
After playing a few journaling games, I was intrigued. I wanted to write my own!
That first experiment gave me the rough draft of Dolorine. It wasn't anything special, at first. I had some growing to do before my deity of affliction would reach her full potential.
I tried my hand at some other types of narrative TTRPGs, and I've enjoyed each project. But that journaling game just kept brewing in the back of my mind.
Still not ready to go back and face the (possible) mess of Dolorine, I shifted my focus to a kid-friendly journaling game.
That's a whole different experiment!
Kids don't have the stamina or hand strength to write long, extensive passages. They don't do well with dense text explaining complicated rules.
I knew I'd need to have simple rules and a journal template for Lil Gremlins to have a chance.
So I set to work, creating a game about your friend/pet monster, who gets into mischief quite a bit.
The great thing about journaling games is that they give you the opportunity to reflect on yourself and your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The tough thing about making that a game for kids is that kids don't have much practice with that. And their brains aren't fully developed yet. They've got a lot to learn!
Cover art by Mary Bransom
I intentionally wrote Lil Gremlins to be customizable and to grow with kids who play it. I designed it to handle big social-emotional learning topics in manageable chunks.
This game was for kids to take some power back. For them to wield the word NO! in a safe context. For them to be in control of what was allowed. For them to reflect on why certain things might be considered troublesome.
Lil Gremlins is a journaling game, but it's not meant to be played solo. It can be, of course, but it's written to encourage you to share your story! A younger player might want some help writing; a bigger kid might ask for their completed journal to be displayed.
And in doing all of that work, I created a game that helped me learn to write journaling RPGs for other audiences.
With that first experience under my belt, I was ready to tackle the mess of Dolorine again.
A game that is very much not for children, Dolorine comes with a host of content warnings and a much darker theme.
After all, when the character you're playing is a deity who chooses to accept suffering for the purposes of transforming that suffering into power, things can get pretty grim.
During the months that passed between Dolorine's first draft and editing, I discovered the wonder of SRDs. I didn't have to build my game from the ground up. I didn't need to struggle to convert my Lil Gremlins skills to an entirely different context.
I used the Aspire SRD and the Caltrop Core SRD to give my dark fantasy vibe some structure.
With those building blocks, the game settled into its final form.
Dolorine is a solo journey through what it means to be afflicted. But it gives the player power, though in a very different way than in Lil Gremlins.
When I started my first draft, I wanted a game that gave pain purpose.
In a world so full of suffering, we can easily be overwhelmed by the senselessness of it all.
But for the Dolorine, deity of affliction, all pain has a purpose. She lives in a world where her suffering is never lost in the void.
There's a fantasy to that. A chance to use our pain for something worthwhile.
There's a danger in that. An opportunity to become the cruelty we seek to eliminate.
Either way, Dolorine has you reflecting on some tough themes as you channel affliction into the ability to rid others of their power to harm the vulnerable.
Very different game from Lil Gremlins, to be sure.
Lil Gremlins is set in a world of peace and lightheartedness. There is no trouble so large that it can't be solved with a hug or a good book.
Dolorine wanders through a realm of agony. Nowhere can she turn that she doesn't find trouble.
But both games offer the player some hope against the powerlessness that we all feel at times.
And both give you the opportunity to reflect on your own role. You may be the responsible one in Lil Gremlins but the mischief-maker in your life. You might feel powerless in Dolorine but discover that you can change things even without deific abilities.
You might learn some uncomfortable things about yourself. Or you might just tell a good story. Either way, journaling games are an excellent way to grow as a writer, creative, and person.
If you're interested in either of the journaling games I mentioned above, be sure to check them out at the links below!
Lil Gremlins is on sale for another week. Don't miss your chance to pick it up at a discount!
Dolorine is PWYW for a limited time! Try it out, and consider leaving a rating so I know how you like it!
