I Come From A Land Down Under: A solo journaling game of desperate survival in a post-apocalyptic Australia.
Wow, isn’t this exciting! Welcome to I Come From a Land Down Under, a Solo Journaling game set in post-apocalyptic Australia.
What makes this game exciting? It’s mine! I wrote it, designed it, edited it, and did the layout myself. I got some great help, play testing, and proofreading from some excellent people, so thank you to everyone who helped or gave me any advice as I worked to finish this game.
So what is I Come From A Land Down Under? It is a solo journaling game. A player will create a character and then roll prompts that the player is encouraged to write about, (or record thoughts, or however you want to record things).
In this game, there is a happy ending and a bad ending. You get closer to each by flipping coins and tallying how much progress you have made to the good or bad ending.
I encourage you to check it out! The game is Pay What You Want on Itch here!
---
Let’s get started with Who Are You questions. These will give you a good feeling for who your character will be and their history.
Your Family has been living in the shelter for generations. Do they still tell tales of living under the Southern Sky, or have they forgotten everything about the stars?
I’ll say my family still dreams of the great open sky, where their ancestors could see millions and millions of stars. Stars without numbers that could not be counted. Living Down Under, they can only dream of them.
You are out of place in the shelter for some reason, but some people consider it a gift. What is it?
I’d say I was always curious and kept asking questions. Did we have to live under the ground? Was it safe to go up? Why can’t we help those who were stuck above ground? The Men at Work, the ruling council, do not appreciate my questions. Even as a kid.
Others feel my curiosity is important and what we need more of in the shelter
You got into trouble as a child for doing something that was destructive to the shelter, what did you do and how were you punished?
As a child, I hacked into the mainframe of the shelter to find out the answers to what I was curious about. I was caught and punished by being put on latrine duty for a whole month. It wasn’t pretty work.
Why did the Men at Work select you to go walk to Hippie trail over the others in the shelter?
The Men at Work never trusted me after the hacking incident and kept a close eye on me. They kept looking for excuses to send me to the Hippie Trail until they found one that stuck. It was a kangaroo court but it didn’t matter. I was off on the trail.
The Hippie Trail
Now that we know who we are playing, let’s start walking the Hippie Trail. You start by rolling a D20 and then flipping a coin. Heads and you are closer to the Where Beer Flows and Men Chunder. The prompt will be positive. And tails you are closer to the tribe Where Women Glow and Men Plunder, the hostile tribe! The prompt is negative.
A 7 and Tails - Where women glow and men plunder (Negative, one progress) You see signs of a hostile tribe laying waste to the surrounding area. What signs are there?
I walk out of the shelter into the blinding light of a red landscape. There is nothing around but bushes and a few sad trees. But trees! I’ve only ever read about them and haven’t seen one in my life! I walk up to the first tree to admire it closer. There is a figure nailed to it. As I get closer I see I see it is a person nailed to a tree with a sign that says “This is our land!”
I hurry on at speed along the trail I see. There are hills in the distance.
A 17 and Heads - Lying in a den in Bombay (Positive, one progress) You come to a trading town called Bombay. The locals feed you a herb that saps your strength and will to continue along the trail. How do you escape the town?
This town is alright! They took me in and fed me. If all towns out on the Hippie Trail are so nice, we should all move out of Down Under. I think I’ll just stay here for a few weeks. Maybe a few more. Why not, so long as they keep feeding me this tea, I’d be happy to lay down some roots.
A few weeks later - I’ve moved on. The whole town was a lie. They take the herb to forget their pain and sadness. I’d prefer to be depressed and sad so long as I have free will to make this world a better place. I’ve jumped back on the Hippie Trail. I will miss that town.
An 18 and Trails - With a slack jaw, and not much to say (Negative, two progress) Something you ate leaves you without the ability to speak for a week. How do you communicate with other travelers on the Hippie Trail?
The people of Bombay told me not to eat any unusual plants on the side of the road but I was so hungry. I ate what I thought was an edible plant. But it wasn’t. I don’t feel too sick but my tongue has swelled and I can’t speak at all. It's been a week now and I hope it goes down.
I’ve been trying to communicate with the few travelers I walk past but it doesn’t work. They don’t understand my simple signs or anything. They stay away from me.
A 9 and Tails! - You better run, you better take cover! (Negative, three progress) Danger is close. Something on the Hippie Trail is trying to harm you. What is it and how do you escape?
Dingos! Or some type of wild dog is out hunting in packs. They chased me all night and I ran as hard as I could. It’s a wonder I didn’t break my neck at any point. Those dogs wouldn’t stop until I threw my pack with the remainder of my food at them. That seemed to distract them for the time I needed and I got away.
Now I’m yet again hungry and lost. I found the Hippie trail again but I have no idea where I’m going. I just have to hope for some good luck.
A 9 again! Since this is the second time I’ve rolled a 9 the coin flip counts as two progress. A Heads! Good luck. You better run, you better take cover! (Positive, three progress)
Danger is close. Something on the Hippie Trail is trying to harm you. What is it and how do you escape?
The chase from the dogs has me exhausted. I can barely take a step and the part of the Hippie Trail I’m on is tricky. I slip and slide down a hill until I bang into something that sounds metal. Metal! I clear it off and see it is a hatch. I find the handle and open it.
Inside is a fully stocked shelter with all the food I could eat! I eat my fill and sleep the night in safety. I take a closer look at the shelter in the morning and see there is a map that points to a location called “The Land of Plenty”. I must find it!
A 1 and Heads - Traveling in a fried-out Kombi (Positive, four progress)
Your travels bring you across a small group towing a Kombi van behind two mutant cows. How do they help or hinder your travels to the land of plenty?
With newfound hope, I walk the Hippie trail with my head held high. I come across a small group of traders, using an old vehicle of some sort and mutant cows to pull it along the trail. I stop and barter with them. I happily trade some food I have taken from the shelter for any news of the Land of Plenty. They give me information, saying there is a rumor that there is a valley deep in the Hippie Trail, where the grass is still green and where the beer does flow.
I thank them and head deeper into the less traveled parts of the Hippie trail. Maybe I can find the land of Plenty? Or maybe this new tribe will stop me? I’ll have to find out.
---
Well, that’s it for the play-through for I Came From A Land Down Under, my solo Journaling game of desperate survival in post-apocalyptic Australia. Be sure to check it out on Itch and share the word.
Thank you for reading and for everyone who helped or encouraged me to finish the game. Great soloing everyone!
Support the Blog
You can support the blog all the normal ways, OR download my game and tell me what you think!
Are you on Twitter? Follow me at @croakersrpg. I talk about the blog, chat with other TTRPG creators, and have interesting conversations.
Comments
Post a Comment