wandering souls solo rpg

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A downloadable game

**Preorder your printed copy today!**

The lands of Obron are dying.  You are a necromancer, striding between the lands of the living and the dead.  Wander this broken world. Seek Horrors, and reap their souls.

REAP is a solo tabletop RPG of a wandering necromancer, slaying the horrors of the living and the dead, and reaping their souls.

REAP uses a modified version of the rules system created for  RUNE , another solo TTRPG inspired by the soulslike genre, and games like Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls.

REAP combines narrative exploration with tactical combat. While you wander the world, discovering its secrets, you will be thrown into dangerous combat. Call upon your mastery of necromancy and let none stand in your way.

What's Included

With this digital version of the game you get the 100 page, full color PDF of the REAP rulebook. In addition, you get the Soul Atlas, a collaborative collection of realms for your Reaper to explore. These realms were written by incredible designers from the indie TTRPG community!

How It's Played

REAP is designed using a modified version of the rules originally created for the  RUNE TTRPG by Gila RPGs .  If you're familiar with RUNE, check out the What's New section down below to see some of the changes REAP brings!

You play as a Reaper, a necromancer of considerable power, pushed to hunt the horrors that haunt the dead world of Obron. To do so, you will switch between two modes of play: Exploration and Combat.

In Exploration, your Reaper will wander the realm they have chosen to explore. Each realm is full of important locations, represented as points on a world map. Players move between these points, searching for valuable items, learning lost lore of the world, delving into dangerous players for greater rewards. 

During exploration, a Realm Clock ticks, marking increases in dangers and transformations to the land beneath your Reaper's feet. Racing the clock, you seek to attune your soul Vessel, a powerful artifact that will allow you to reap the soul of the Horror that stalks these lands. Players will need to make difficult decisions on what to prioritize, as the Realm Clock and Vessel seek your attention.

The dead lands of Obron are full of all sorts of monsters and terrors that would see your Reaper torn to shreds. When you face them, you enter the Combat mode of play. Fights in REAP take place on a 5x5 grid, filled with enemies and terrain for you to navigate. Enemies will telegraph their intentions based on dice you roll at the start of each round. You roll your own set of dice, and assign them to your various weapons and spells, anticipating your enemy's actions and striking them down.

As enemies fall, you can reap their corpses for valuable components. The blood, bones, and bodies of enemies can be used to fuel and enhance your spells, giving you even more flexibility in combat. 

What's New?

If you're familiar with the  RUNE TTRPG , you might be wondering what's new in REAP. Here's a quick rundown of some of the big changes! If you're not familiar with RUNE, check out the  How It's Played  section to learn how the game is played.

• Vessel : A new tool for exploration, each uniquely designed for the realm. Fulfill its requirements and you can reap the soul of the Horror.
• Advancement : In addition to finding new equipment, weapons and spells can be enhanced by imbuing them with the souls of the Horrors you reap.
• Components : Collect Blood, Bone, and Body from the corpses of enemies you kill in combat. Feed these components into your spells and relic for devastating effects.
• Relic : A new piece of equipment that is the core of your Reaper's build. Spend your components for quick bonuses in line with your play style.
• Larger Grid : The combat grid is now 5x5, providing space for more interesting terrain set ups, as well as promoting ranged combat with your powerful spells.
• New Combat Order : Your Reaper gets to activate all of their weapons and spells before the enemies, allowing you to be a terrifying force in combat, and able to plan the perfect combos.

These are just some of the big and exciting changes that REAP brings!

Print copies of the game will soon be available. The books are currently getting fulfilled to Kickstarter backers, and as soon as that is done, new orders will start shipping out. In the meantime, you can place a preorder here.

REAP would not be possible without the incredible support of the backers that supported it on Kickstarter, and the talented team that made the game.

Spencer   Campbell   (he/him) :  Writer   & Designer,   @GilaRPGs

Mike Rieman (he/him) :  Layout,    @TheTwoPancakes

Edward Yorke   (he/him) :  Cover Artist,   http://eyorke.com

Charlie Ferguson-Avery (he/him) :  Interior   Artist,    Feral Indie Studio

Will Jobst (they/them) :  Editor,    @will_jobst

Kienna Shaw (she/they) :  Soul Atlas Writer,   kiennas.com

Aaron Jolliffe (he/him) :  Soul Atlas Writer,    jolliffe.itch.io

A Couple of Drakes :  Soul Atlas Writer,  acoupleofdrakes.itch.io

Chris Bissette   (they/them):   Soul   Atlas Writer,    loottheroom.uk

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $20 USD. You will get access to the following files:

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Afterlife–Wandering Souls Review

Death often defines the RPGs that we play, even when we don’t realize it. The style of gameplay of many games is determined by the frequency of character death, but even in games where that isn’t a consideration, the absence of character death is often a consideration in reinforcing the tone and themes of a game.

Instead of death being an aspect of the wider game, the game I’m reviewing today is entirely about death, and what comes after. Today, we’re looking at Afterlife–Wandering Souls, a game about finding out who you were in life, now that you are dead.

The Book of the Dead

This review is based on the PDF for the game, which is 153 pages long. This includes a two-page character sheet and a single page index at the back of the book. The book itself has clear headers and table entries, but saying that feels like I’m definitely underselling this book.

When I say this book has full-color art, I mean there are gorgeous borders on each page, as well as full-page chapter illustrations, and various half-page illustrations for various entries in the book. Vibrant flowers contrast with grey skulls and characters that encompass both extremes in appearance throughout the book.

Traveling the Dark

The book begins with an explanation of the setting of the game. The Tenebris is shadowy real that isn’t the afterlife that you should have reached. It’s kind of a strange world between worlds, where the player characters aren’t natives.

Player characters are Wanderers, trying to collect Resonance to unlock memories that lead to Death Marks, which appear on their skin once they have had a Break that allows them to reintegrate a memory. Enough Death Marks, and the character can find their way out of the Tenebris and into their intended afterlife.

If they gain too much Stagnation, they become Unrequited, characters that have lost their will to move out of the Tenebris and find their intended afterlife. Characters remember very little about their past lives, and are attempting to find out who they were, before moving Beyond. There is more on Mirages, Limbos, and the people native to the Tenebris later on in the book.

By this point in the book, I was already greatly intrigued at what this kind of surreal journey through the spaces between life and death would look like, and this is a great, evocative chapter to bait the hook.

Characters have a stat for Body, Mind, and Soul. They have Attributes linked to each of these core stats, that represent a specialization in applying that core stat.

In addition to attributes, characters have pools derived from adding a core stat to an attribute. One pool is Concept, and the other is Vitality. Concept can be spent to gain special results when that pool is relevant to what is being done, such as spending points to generate a success on your roll, or to add a success to an allies check. The Vitality pool represents how well you resist stress to the relevant area–for example, Health represents physical well-being, Hunger represents want (more on this later), and Will represents your ability to carry on.

Health and Will function as you might expect–zero out your pool and you may need to accept a consequence or you die (again, and permanently this time) or you start gaining Stagnation and eventually become an NPC that doesn’t have the motivation to find out who you are or your final afterlife any longer. You can save yourself from permanent death by giving up Will, and if you zero out Health or Will, you suffer a memory.

Hunger is interesting, because it can track you having your basic needs met, but you can also spend from this pool to buy things, representing you giving up your potential to sustain yourself to secure an item. This is what you do instead of tracking any kind of wealth. If you zero out your Hunger, you start taking Health damage until you aren’t quite so destitute anymore.

When characters fill up their Resonance track, they gain Death Marks, and Death Marks allow characters to pick up abilities like Tricks, which can lower the difficulty of certain tasks. Characters also have an Approach, which is a manifestation of the character’s self. This manifestation is either a Bow, a Shield, or a Sword, and each one gives benefits to checks in different situations. Characters can also have Talents, which are very much like Feats or Stunts from other games–a discreet ability that modifies the game rules in specific circumstances.

While Death Marks and Approaches are manifestations of who the Wanderers are, Wanderers can also obtain Curiosa, items that have a level from 1 to 3 that can increase damage or reduce difficulty when used in an appropriate circumstance.

Making checks involves rolling a pool of d6s derived from adding a Core Stat to an Attribute (with potential bonuses from other aspects of the character), and counting certain numbers as successes. The GM sets difficulties, and when the PCs fail, Things Get Worse, which means that the action in the scene escalates, or the PCs take damage to one of their Vitality pools. The GM never rolls dice.

Two things in particular jump out at me in this design. I am interested to see how the flow of Hunger works as both a substitute for tracking currency and for measuring the “needs” of a character. I’m an easy mark for anything that tracks wealth or resources in a new way. I also like that failure isn’t just failure, it is always escalation. I feel like this is a long term legacy of games derived from Apocalypse World, and a key component to game design that doesn’t involve the GM rolling dice or using the rules that work in a parallel manner to the player facing mechanics.

Playing Afterlife

This chapter details the assumed course of play in a game session. Characters are traveling across the Tenebris and interact with the inhabitants. They find Limbos, which are special “pocket dimensions” where they can gain Resonance. When they gain enough Resonance, they can suffer a Break, which allows them to unlock a Death Mark, which moves them closer to their Requiem, their final trip to their intended afterlife.

Characters can mark XP for each Things Get Worse result that comes up, and these can be used to advance attributes. XP can also be marked by answering questions at the end of a session. Death Marks and their associated abilities are only unlocked through interacting with Limbos and gaining Resonance.

In each Limbo, a character can claim something in that Limbo as a Fragment, a powerful link to a memory that immediately triggers a Break and creates a Death Mark for them. This can only happen once per Limbo, and the same character can’t claim a Fragment in a Limbo until everyone else in the group has done so.

I like the idea of characters being able to name their own fragments and have the agency to say when they will experience a Break and what about that memory helps them to remember who they are. It is a nice interaction between the surreal nature of the setting and player agency to allow this kind of declaration, and I like that the built-in mechanics address who can claim a fragment and when, to keep people from dominating a trip into a Limbo.

World, Mirages, and Limbos

The next three chapters detail the settings and give examples of existing people and places in the Tenebris. Mirages are established settlements in the Tenebris, usually populated by people that are native to the Tenebris itself, rather than wandering souls that are either looking to travel Beyond, or have given up that quest.

Limbos are strange pocket dimensions that hold Resonance that the Wanderers need to unlock their memories and gain Death Marks. Limbos tend to be even stranger and more thematic than the Mirage settlements in the Tenebris.

These chapters introduce some of the hazy mythology of the setting, including the giant serpents that live under the sands of the Tenebris and that were present at the dawn of creation.

There are native people of the Tenebris, such as:

• The Kiin (human appearing, but born to this world)
• The Nagiin (serpentine natives of the Tenebris that see themselves as heirs of the giant serpents)
• Venefolk (multi-armed near humans with a talent for Magick)
• Usurii (small, spiritual bearfolk)
• Ungkiin (hooved humanoids subdivided between satyrs and centaurs)

There are also the other Wanderers as well as the Unrequited

The Wanderers have philosophical factions based on their view of the true nature of the afterlife Beyond, and there are factions of Unrequited as well. Individual Mirages have political aspirations that might reach across the Tenebris and hinder or harm the efforts of PC Wanderers on their journeys.

Example Mirages include a city built on the back of a giant dinosaur, the towering city of Babel with its 77 circles, a city built on the edge of a chasm, and what appears to be a crashed starship. There are frozen wastes, cities built inside of an enormous skeleton (with districts in the various body parts), a city composed of reflections, and a mirage based on M.C. Escher architecture.

Example Limbos include a region that exists in the flame of an enormous candle, an ever-expanding version of Atlantis, an ever dark jungle, and a giant garden. Other examples are a living steampunk land, a maze of broken glass, a giant void, and a world based on truths established by ancient science and alchemy. Because the Limbos are both highly conceptual and the area where the heart of adventuring is assumed to be taking place, the entries have a section for what themes the Limbo has, as well as various plot hooks listed at the end of the Limbo’s entry.

I don’t always enjoy surrealist fantasy. I may be no fun, as I can’t always enjoy a world that aggressively doesn’t make sense for the sake of reveling in the chaos. That said, there is something very charming and engaging about the Tenebris and its details. Something about the framing device of the setting existing between and outside of the real world and the afterlives that “should be” makes my brain embrace all of the weirdness and want to engage with it, especially with the meta-conceit of essentially seizing the dreamlike qualities of the Limbos in order to regain memories and remember who your character really is.

Running Afterlife

This section summarizes and expands on the mechanics presented in previous sections. It also defines the modes of play and switching between them (in this case, what it is like to travel the Tenebris, versus encountering a Limbo, versus having a Break or suffering a Memory).

It gives advice on setting difficulty and defining what happens when Things Get Worse. There are some guidelines for creating your own Limbos, and charts to help generate inhabitants that the PCs may encounter.

There is also a section on the various factions in the Tenebris, their motivations, and their goals. There is also a section on tracking the activity level of the various powers in the setting, to determine how ascendant and important they are in your version of the Tenebris.

Character Creation

Character creation is situated at the end of the book, most likely because creating characters is essentially a very active “session zero” for the game, where you don’t determine anything about your character until everyone is together on The Boatman’s ship, arriving in the Tenebris together.

Each character gets three dice of Clarity, which allows them the potential to reroll the results they get as they begin to remember details about themselves. If characters have Clarity left at the end of character creation, they can spend it to move points from one attribute to another.

Characters roll on the following charts, which give you base level numbers for your Core stats and Attributes depending on the entries:

• My Life Was . . .
• What I Learned . . .
• What I Know Now . . .

Even once you come up with all of this, you don’t have a huge amount of details on your characters, but you have a framework to start building on, and your memories (which you have more control over defining), will let you add context. Even at that, some of the facts of your life (you murdered someone, you were a liar, etc.) may not be what you want to build on, so you can roll a Clarity die to see if you can reroll on the chart.

This isn’t framed as “that last roll never happened,” but “you started to remember something, but that wasn’t exactly how it was.” I like that this contributes to the fuzzy nature of trying to rebuild your identity in the Tenebris, and how fragmentary memories can be misleading.

That said, I’m not sure that I’m thrilled with the idea that spending your Clarity dice only allows you a random chance to roll a new memory from the charts. While the game is very much about playing to the story, and not manipulating the rules, this mechanic rewards saving your Clarity dice to customize your character at the end more than just having a chance to play with different established details in your past life.

The appendix includes the Death Marks, listed in alphabetical order, as well as providing alternate lists for all of the steps of character creation, which could be useful for long-term play, as well as varying results when players end up with similar results within the same group.

Resonance  It strikes a wonderful balance between the surreal and the structured, with a set of mythological conceits that provide a container for the chaos within. 

There are so many imaginative elements to this setting, and fun details to play with. I love the concept of the Limbos, and the agency that players have in claiming fragments and regaining memories. It is such a strong, fun theme to play with, and the details of the people and the Mirages in the Tenebris act as a really well-defined pacing mechanism so that the players have more to do then just racing to the next Limbo.

I’m not a huge fan of spending a resource for only the chance at rerolling a result, especially when Clarity is the only real input that a player has on their character in character creation driven by random rolls. While players have more agency “on the back end,” first impressions can be strong, and this mechanic feels like its rewarding arranging numbers more than controlling narrative elements. There is discussion in many places in the book about player input and getting the permission of the table for elements of the story, but with some of the themes of the game, I would have liked a more concentrated and direct treatment of table safety. It’s not missing, it’s just not a single reference point that can be accessed.

Recommended– If the product fits in your broad area of gaming interests, you are likely to be happy with this purchase.

This is an imaginative setting, with fun and accessible mechanics, and lots of tools for adding creative content into games. There is space for player agency and contribution to the story, but lots of room for the GM to have fun adding the fantastical to the game. It strikes a wonderful balance between the surreal and the structured, with a set of mythological conceits that provide a container for the chaos within.

Do you love surreal fantasy, and if so, what games have captured the feel that you want the best? How much does a setting need to make sense for you to enjoy it? What other games have you played that dealt with the disposition of souls after death, and what are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

About The Author

Jared Rascher has been gaming since 1985, when he stole his sister’s D&D Basic Set to rescue it from disuse. In the past, he has written several articles for the Forgotten Realms fan site Candlekeep, was present for ground zero as a GM for Pathfinder Society Season Zero at Gen Con 2008, and helped provide feedback on the original documents for that organized play program. He has been a moderator for several online gaming communities, and these days, he likes to write RPG reviews to justify all of those games he can’t keep himself from buying.

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Wandering Souls

Series: Wandering Souls

Dark Souls and Lord of the Rings were key inspirations for this solo roleplaying game

Wandering Souls.

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KR Wandering Souls Asylum Tileset for RPGs

A downloadable asset pack

Check Our Terms of Use for This Tileset

Available for multiple game engines!

Flash back to a troubled past or explore in the present with this asylum tileset for RPG Maker and more .  Tell a tragic tale of an unfortunate institution or give your urban explorers a place to unearth secrets of history.

This dual tileset gives you both a clean and aged copy, so you can even switch back and forth in time.

The Wandering Souls Asylum Tileset Includes (in two color palettes and textures):

Ground Tiles:

• Grass, dirt and concrete
• Overgrowth tiles
• Wood panels
• Tiled Floors – new patterns
• Dirt and grunge
• White walls, stacked stone, dark stone, several types of tiled walls in several colors, wall panels in several colors, adjustable width windows

Also includes:

• Lots of window styles, in both lit and unlit versions
• Fancy stairs
• Decorative alcoves
• Wall elements – stamp on any wall to create a slightly raised effect
• Several stained glass windows
• Chapel accessories – pews, candles, crosses
• Greenhouse/garden – lots of potted plants, plus garden plants, row-making tiles, wheelbarrow, shovels, and baskets for harvesting
• Utility supplies (mostly not shown in screenshots) – shelves, cleaning supplies
• Laundry area – washing machines, ironing boards, industrial laundry hampers, hanging laundry lines
• Office supplies – desk, old-fashioned phones, paperwork, shelves, filing cabinets of several sizes, lockers, chalkboard
• A few salon supplies
• Kitchen – ovens, range hood, griddle and grill, pots, cutting boards, cabinet set, mixer and more
• Ward room/bedroom – several beds in various stages of being made, suitcases and luggage, toys
• Bath – sinks, tub, shower, pipes, water heater/boiler, toilet, medicine cabinet
• Medical exam – bottled medicines, exam beds (one set with restraints), scalpels, wheelchair
• New roof system – overlay pieces to make many possible styles of roof.
• Trees and plants
• Large security fence system with animated gate
• Graffiti, cracks and other grunge tiles

Sample Maps (RPG Maker MV/MZ format)

Check out our samples if you need a little inspiration!

Events and Animations (RPG Maker format, may work with your engine)

• Several styles of doors, lit and unlit

The Asylum Tileset:

Comes in 48 and 32px

All our tilesets are now available in two tile sizes if applicable - and you get both for one price! Choose what works best for you!

Has High Compatibility

If your engine supports tilesets of different sizes, it will almost certainly work!   Download our compatibility kit  to be sure! (We also have a list of engines we've already tested.)  

It also includes an RPG Maker ready format! (MV/MZ/VX/Ace)

Has Commercial Use Rights

Yes! You can use these tilesets in your game, even if you intend to sell it...and even if the games contain mature themes.

In order to download this asset pack you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $16.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Wishing this one is on steam...

This tileset looks great!

Hah and I thought I gave you the idea.  You were already working on it!  Great Job.

No actually you did, we just thought it would be the perfect addition to the seasonal tilesets!  :D Thank you!

I'm still wondering if you are going to do a great big Sorcerers Tower.  I know there is a wizards hide-out so you might not want to do that.

Yes, for sure.  :)  

I have a real request again.  Sorry to bother you, but could you make a Rock pack similar to how you did the foliage pack?

Sounds interesting, do you have any kind of rocks in mind specifically?

Amazing! Wonderful work!

Thank you!  :)

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Touhou - Wandering Souls

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Latest Blog

The full game is done.

• 06/08/2013 05:50 AM

• Developer Estheone

• Genre Action
• Date Added 01/22/2013 08:12 PM
• Date Updated 04/22/2020 04:13 PM
• Date Completed 06/08/2013
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• Total Downloads 22874

author=Avee Il se pourrait que je sois intéressé à utiliser et/ou modifier ce script de combat éventuellement

author=Estheone Yes I like it! ;) Thank you very much, It's the first time I saw a video that covers the most interesting features of the game.

One thing that I was surprised wasn't included though was a Grazing mechanic. I keep thinking I can graze and go dashing straight into enemy fire.

I don't understand what you're supposed to do at Netherworld's secret stage.

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Afterlife: Wandering Souls

• Familiars of Terra
• Witch: Fated Souls Second Edition

CAN YOU REDISCOVER WHO YOU ARE?

…a macbre fantasy game set in a surreal plane  known as the tenebris..

You take on the role of a Wanderer —someone who died, but didn’t end up in Heaven, Hell, or any other traditional afterlife. Devoid of any memories of your life on earth, you find yourself in an endless desert filled with gateways. Search different planes of existence for clues of your former life – or a semblance of one. Along the way you’ll encounter strange inhabitants, alien cultures, and other humans who’ve lost all hope and are bent on destroying you. Afterlife is Alice in Wonderland meets What Dreams May Come set in a world inspired by the works of Guillermo del Torro, Hayao Miyazaki, and surrealist artists.

Download the quickstart on DTRPG!

Want to ge a taste of what it’s like to wander the Tenebris and regain your memories? Download our quickstart through DriveThruRPG today!

To wander at a glance…

Your muscles stiff, your neck sore, your body’s been pulled through a whirlwind and spat upon the damp boards of a longboat. You know you’ve died, though you can’t remember how, desperately you grab at inky memories which slip and fall into the dark waters stretching all around you.

A Wanderer’s ultimate goal is to regain their memories and find their Requiem—a true end in the place known as the Beyond. In order to do this, a Wanderer must do what their title implies and travel. By travelling into different limbos—different gateways to the Beyond—a Wanderer can find fragments. Fragments are glimpses of memories summoned forth by their unconscious. Finding a fragment gives a Wanderer Resonance and when a Wanderer gains enough Resonance they have a Break. During a Break they plunge into a full blown memory of their past life and learn something about themselves, bringing them one step closer to their Requiem. Each Break means healing, a striving to remember, a fight for personality and soul.

Character Creation

Character creation in Afterlife is done in game. All you need is a blank character sheet, a set of six-sided dice, and a pencil to start playing. During character creation, your Wanderer rides the boat taking them from their mortal life to the Tenebris. Based on a variety of dice rolls you make, your GM will ask you a series of questions, and how you answer gives your Wanderer different stats.

The mechanics of Afterlife centre around making checks, which means rolling a pool of six-sided dice (d6s) based on your character’s stats. In Afterlife only the players roll dice. GMs describe what the characters experience and the challenges they face, and controls the NPCs in the game. Players describe how they want to interact with the world, talking to an NPC for example, and make checks to see if their action succeeds. The GM continues to narrate the scene, and based on how well the player rolls, declares their action a success, deals them damage, or amps up the drama in the scene. There is no initiative order, though in high-action scenes, it’s normal for every player to get a turn before starting a new round of checks.

© 2024 Angry Hamster Publishing.

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Wandering Dreams

A downloadable game

Wandering Dreams is an adventure RPG zine about exploring a Soulsborne and Lovecraft inspired world full of strange and unique locations, beings, and things that are waiting for discovery by the player. It is designed for solo play and uses custom rules for combat and encounters. Using a deck of standard playing cards and a 6 sided die (d6) the player sets off on a story telling experience into the world of the dream.

During your adventure you can observe, approach, fight, and run from the denizens of this world by your choice. Explore the world using the card pulls and dice for prompts as well as information on what you are dealing with. A journal is highly recommended to track where you have been, what you have seen, and how your character is doing.

The player explores the world using the zine, a deck of standard cards (jokers removed), their favourite d6 (6-sided die), a journal (or paper), plus a writing instrument (pen, pencil, quill and ink, etc.). The deck is separated into suits to represent different elements in the story that will be drawn as you progress. 

♠ SPADES ♠: Locations (here, there, anywhere)

♥ HEARTS ♥: Events (happens location to location or in a location)

♦ DIAMONDS ♦: Things (weapons, attire, tools, antiquities, etc.)

♣ CLUBS ♣: Beings (bad, neutral, people, beasts, the unknown)

After drawing a card  the player will roll their D6 and find the card suit, value, and rolled result in the tables provided inside the zine. The zine provides alternative play styles for players who want to challenge themselves further with story writing and character development.

Character creation has been streamlined to a die roll before starting the adventure. Each character will have predetermined stats, starting equipment, and a small backstory prompt for the player to work with. 

A total of 6 character archetypes will be included in the zine to start with templates for additional custom characters as the player sees fit.

Characters can be built in the game and transferred over to other game engines. Wandering Dreams can provide you a template for backstory creation and character development.

Combat is designed to use as few cards as possible and your trusty D6. The player always attacks first and can vanquish many small Beings of the world in one round to keep the story moving forward and remove the need for constant die rolls to get through an encounter.

Alternatively the Player can choose to Escape and avoid the fight all together if looking for more of a exploration style to play or if you encounter a Being that is far beyond your abilities or causes too much fear.

Encounters can be lucrative to find new Things of interest inside the world of Wandering Dreams but can also be deadly and ultimately lead to...

The game ends when the player chooses to awaken from the dream world by death, achieving their end purpose, or choosing to awaken from the dream. 

Finding a suitable end point can be difficult and so the zine will include a small list of ideas to get you started with objectives that reflect the world being explored. These can be expanded on with your own ideas and empty templates will be included for listing your concepts.

As you explore the dream more and learn about what is possible the options will continue to expand until perhaps the Beings and Things encountered become too much to handle. The game can be packed away and picked up again at another time as the player chooses.

A large part of zines is the ease of access for everyone. Perhaps you want a new 'uber' table of items to pick from... modify the provided Things tables in the provided blank templates to create something new or just move around what is provided!

Instructions for hacking the zine will be included at the back of it for all designers looking to explore their favourite worlds or original creations using the deck of cards and d6 system. The hacking process is something I believe in greatly for everyone interested in game design and I wouldn't have started this project without doing it myself. Some of my favourites include;   Tunnel Goons ,   Alone Among The Stars , and   Take Root. Interested in Wandering Dreams but not the price? A permanent 50% off coupon is available for those who need it:  https://sleepysasquatch.itch.io/pebx98s7rw

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3.24 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Exclusive Content

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Community Copy Bundle

Purchase a copy of the game for yourself, plus 10 community copies for the pool.

Community Copies

Claim a pay-what-you-want community copy. Great for trying the game out before you buy, or an alternative for those in financial hardship. 

Please remember to rate Wandering Dreams if you make use of a community copy! Ratings help a lot and your feedback is invaluable to making new games the best they can be.

Download demo

Development log.

• ePub Version Added Jan 06, 2023
• Version 2.0 Released Aug 10, 2021
• Additional Community Copies Now Available! Jan 08, 2021

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I started this off with no clue about my character, and ended with a full story world with lore in the back of my head that has infinite replay potential. The prompts where very intriguing though it wasn't all too clear to me at first you had to roll the d6 multiple times for some cards  because of the way it was worded (like first for figuring out which table to use, and then for how hard the encounter is to overcome, or for the demeanor of a Being). I noticed the further I got the more liberties I started to take and stuck less to the rules of the game, and trusted more on my own writing. As someone who struggles a lot with creative writing and starting on stories, games like these are incredible to get going and just trust the process and being surprised by twists and turns before running off with all the inspiration offered to create a story!

Glad to hear your experience with the game wasn't a bust! I find myself always starting the same way with solo-journal games; unsure of what my character is doing. There are a lot of other journal games on itch that I'm sure you will enjoy, many much better written than Wandering Dreams!

All the best in your future writing endeavours.

there will be more community copies?

I can add more now. Enjoy!

If you add more please lmk :)

I've added a few copies earned through reviews.

Enjoying the game so far but would love to have an epub or plaintext version to help me play on my phone!

Thanks for the request! I will try to do a epub version export over the next day for you. I'll post an update at that time, so watch your email for anything popping up about Wandering Dreams. 

Ah, this game makes me happy on a fundamental level in a way very few things can. I am, at heart, a writer with an adoration for gothic fantasy and lovecraftian fantasy in equal measure. Hell, my own personal setting is called Torpor, and it is a realm of dreams. All I can say is that since I bought it last year, this game has been a delightful way to explore my own dreamy world through the lense of the prompts and places provided in this twenty four page wonder. It has done its duty in sparking inspiration, joy, and helping me explore the fundamental realm of my own little world. Though I have not yet ‘completed’ a run, I have started several, and each one has helped breathe life and legend (and usually over 10k words each time) into my little imaginary place. It makes me happy, and I’m starting yet another run tonight. Thanks for making it.  

Thank you for the review! I'm elated to hear that my little game has brought you so much delight through worldbuilding to you. It is always amazing to hear feedback from players on how the game worked for them, and even if it didn't! I hope you continue to enjoy wandering through the dreams of your world.

All the best,

What is the difference between the demo and the full version, i mean what include the full version?

Demo version is the old 1.0  copy of the game. The full version has updated art, layout, and fixes a few of the rules wording.

There are a Spanish version??

There is not that I know of. I can provide the original texts to you, if that helps with translating?

Don't worry, I need to improve my English anyway. Thanks for you reply 

This game rules. I've never really played a tabletop game that felt so strongly like a narrative rogue-like, and I absolutely loved the legacy mechanic, which again, is something I haven't seen in other TTRPGs. I talked about playing it on a podcast , since I have one of those now, but this is a really interesting piece of design and a fun game.

Thank you for the kind words. I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the game so much!

Thanks for making a really interesting game!

Hi, I made a review and an example of story created while playing your wonderful game. On Twitch here , while I edit it to upload it to YouTube and maybe my podcast. In Spanish.

Thank you for taking the time to play and review it! I don't know any Spanish, sorry, but I appreciate it nonetheless. 

Hi there! Just wanted to let you know that the "Ending the Game" section of the PDF has the same contents as the "Setup" section! I don't know if this is a mistake or not

Thanks for letting me know, that was a big error on my part. I will remove the "Setup" section one and republish the PDF today. You can just ignore it on your current version! :)

Hey there! Is there a preview available? I really like solo games, and I love Soulsborne stuff, but I'd like to know if this would be good for Campaign-style play (multiple sessions using the same character) or is more of a one-shot thing before investing on it.

Anyway, congrats for making such a cool sounding game, and for being able to materialize ideas into a product, that's a talent in and of itself :)

Hey Aldath, I have been meaning to upload a few preview images for people to see what's inside. Give me a day to get that done! The game is designed to encourage multiple playthroughs with character customization and legacy rules that are easy to expand on. Thank you for reaching out. If you want to grab a community copy (free) as well there will be a few going up today! - Cody

No problem, I was like "ehhh I can do this!", went ahead and grabbed it. I really like it, but I would appreciate the previews anyways, for future consumers.

Again, good job and thanks for giving us this game! :D

If Bleak Spirit is Dark Souls, this is Bloodborne.

The layout is clean, the illustrations are nice, and it packs a lot of flavor into its 18 pages, so if you like storytelling games, and you like the lovecraftian gothic macabre of Bloodborne, this may be your jam. It *is* a solo game, and it works well as a writing prompt, but it could probably also be played with a team, with everyone making decisions for the central character.

There's combat (although it's optional,) and there's a lot of potential interactions with your encounters, so the game should be both exciting and stay pretty fresh throughout. That said, it does use a d6 random roll to determine a lot of narrative results, so whether things go well or ill for your character may depend a lot on luck.

There are typos in the current version, and I've documented the ones I found below in case it's helpful, but they're not super disruptive and don't mess with the meaning of any game content.

There's also a lot of things that are said in the rules, and then immediately re-stated, sometimes in the same sentence. This can be a little disruptive, but it's only really an issue when you're reading the encounter guidelines. Also, the game does have a quick reference for the rules on page 3 (and then repeated on page 17,) and it's very useful, so flip back to it if you ever get turned around.

On the very plus side, Wandering Spirit includes a legacy mode where you permanently change the game book each time you complete a character, and this is extremely cool. Honestly, the system is worth it for that alone.

Overall, I think I'd recommend this first and foremost to folks who like to write and who like gothic macabre in general or Bloodborne in specific. For folks who are not comfortable with their own writing, this game is a great way to tell a story without any pressure and with a cool atmosphere and maybe get past that block.

Wandering Spirit is also pretty well-suited for the solo ttrpg crowd. It's got just enough crunch via its dice rolls and mechanics to avoid being a purely just-tell-a-story game, but it's much more about flavor and atmosphere than it is about rolling. If you like branching path gamebooks, you'll probably also like this for similar reasons.

Minor Issues:

-Page 2, para 1, "adven ture" adventure

-Page 2, para 2 "anything make you uncomfortable" makes

-Page 2, para 3 "characters story" character's

-Page 2, para 3 "and even location to" locations

-Page 2, para 2 "pull our the full length" pull out

-Page 2, The Cards, para 1 "looking u p" up

-Page 4, para 1, "reach you inevitable awaken" reach your inevitable awakening

-Page 4, para 2 "find answers the answers they seek" find the answers they seek

-Page 4, Huntsman of Beasts, "torn an bloodied attire" torn and bloodied attire

-Page 6, para 1, "use the cards value" card's

-Page 6, para 1, "page #" page number is missing

-Page 7, para 1, "rolls the d6 again" roll

-Page 7, last para, "I was the meal. ." extra .

-Page 9, para 2, "to use an Thing" a Thing

-Page 10, para 1, "choose an option from the below" from below

Thank you for the review and feedback! The issues you mentioned are on my list to be checked again and will be fixed in the next digital version release if they haven't already been found (I had an editor look it over). I do have an issue with run-on sentences and repetition in my writing and appreciate you catching it and listing the issues.

No worries! It's a super cool game.

I got this as part of the racial equality bundle, and I just wanted to say that this looks AMAZING. I have always wanted to get into TTRPGs and a single-player experience like this might just be what I needed. Thanks and Godspeed to you 

As someone who greatly struggles lately with inspiration and creative spark, this has been amazing! I def recommend this to anyone who is just wanting to sit back and see how a story plays out through rolls and draws!

Happy you found some creative juice from the game. That was a huge push for me to complete the project and it's great hearing others can get the same from the game.

I received this with the racial equality bundle and just wanted to say that I loved this experience. It's structured enough so that someone new to single player ttrpgs like me can figure it out, but it leaves lots up to the player, allowing you to change the experience to your liking. I greatly enjoyed this game and wanted to say thank you for it. :)

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Ghosts of the Lantern Path - Solo Adventure Module

Doppelgänger publishing, ghosts of the lantern path, a solo adventure module for the wandering knight solo rpg.

The souls have awakened and threaten to bring chaos to the region! Already, the slaves assigned to the construction of the great observatory are refusing to work. 

Ghosts of the Lantern Path is an adventure background. Specially designed for The Wandering Knight SOLO RPG , this module is compatible with any fantasy game.

Ghosts of the Lantern Path is designed as an Open&Play.

What will you find in the box?

Background booklet (8 pages). A minimalist module that describes 4 interconnected locations. No endless descriptions, just what is necessary to stimulate the imagination. Random tables, rumors, monsters, secrets... provide the inspiration to create your own locations.

Character booklet (8 pages) This booklet is specially designed for the solo player. You will find a character ready to play, pre-drawn oracle tables, items, monsters, a dungeon generator... and a scenario in the form of 4 questions to solve.

If you want to get a clear idea, have a look at the preview. No trick, the preview is complete. And if you don't want to pay to play this module, no problem! Just download the preview.

If you decide to support me, the product contains the bonus version of both booklets in pocketmod form. You only need to fold it to form a mini 8-page booklet that you can carry in your pocket!  folding instruction here

If you liked this volume, you might be interested by these other books:

If you liked this volume, you might be interested in the other books:

In the fantasy series

• Any system / system-agnostic