one-page ttrpg

The concept of my game, "Little Big Problems," is for Samuel, with the help of his friends, to return to his original body, that is being taken over by a full-grown adult. The aim of the game as mentioned before, is for the players, specifically Sam, to return to his everyday life. The players work collectively through a series of games located in the house they are in in order to get their friend back. The win, is a collective win rather than a individual win. In terms of tone, the game is witty, unserious, dramatic at times, and all based on teamwork. Players of the game are meant to tap into their inner child; what kind of decisions would they make as a 10-year-old when faced with these outrageous unrealistic circumstances? In terms of subject matter, the ideas meant to be explored are re-collection of your younger self, vulnerability at times, and collective agreeance. 

I made this game because honestly, I wanted to challenge myself, and feel the thrill of the bearing weight of responsibility when curating fun, which is an element that is required in a game. Responsibility to me, is very thrilling (good and bad). Though the pressure can be overwhelming at times, the thought of creating a game based on mystical elements that I get to pull out of thin air and not get judged or penalized for it, is extremely enticing. 

I used the element of friendship, the keys, my job that I referenced in the 'environments you exist in' assignment, and the bedroom/home concept that is used to inhabit the game. I chose these elements because they were the most cohesive when put in close proximity to each other in terms of my game. I felt as if they flowed very naturally together and shaped the layout of the game. 

I explored the themes of collaboration (spatial, creative, as well as narrative) in my game. In terms of visual, I added a house layout as part of my game in order to immerse players in the game more efficiently; personally, I'm a visual learner and so this incorporation was to help individuals feel as if they were part of the game rather than just simply reading words and instructions. In terms of the mechanics of the game, I was heavily inspired by my job. I work as a children's program leader and the thought of being 10 years old again always crosses my mind. And so, I wanted this to be the premise of the game; a wacky, non-realistic, subversive, mystical scenario that could never happen in real life but experienced as true and real in only this game. 

What I hope players will get out of this game is a sense of teamwork, collaboration, and sustenance of friendship. As mentioned in my magpie book numerous times, friendship is highly important to me, and so I wanted to make the narrative as well as gameplay of my single-paged ttrpg based around these concepts. I also hope that players gain a new love for creative narrative building as certain points of the game are left to the players. I believe these aspects make games more enjoyable, especially when being played with family or friends.