Why One-Page RPGs (or the argument in favor of micro-game jams)

Two of us (Jess & Jono) often ride together and engage in '5 minute game jams'. We set some parameters, give each other a prompt, and then stay quiet for 5 minutes as we come up with a quick pitch- usually a neat little game mechanic or 'nugget'- to use for our respective prompts. We then discuss them, and likely rinse-and-repeat two or three more times until our brains stop wanting to do it.

While Strange Lads does not come from one of these fantastic sessions, they underline the best part of jamming out micro-games and following through on making them- practice. We have prototyped over thirty micro-games of different genres in the past few months and have actually made and played them. They often only take an hour or two to actually make, you know, if the distractions are put away and focus is applied. Then we can print it out or pull it up and give it a shot. A ton of them, in a sense, die there, but that is the point. Micro-games are low-stakes, but have a high value in how they develop your sense of design.

Because of these discussions (and the love for Grant Howitt's F***ed Up Little Man), all of us are now buzzing about one-page RPGs. One angle is to remember a particularly nice moment or element of a specific RPG experience, like above, and use that as the restriction. So, since I fondly recall a particular session of Dialect by Thorny Games (and its backdrop Worcester School by Graham Walmsly), trying to recreate the moments in it was the center of the process.

And, because of practice doing micro-jams, it was easy to get out multiple drafts to play. Which is neat, and also cool. We hope you enjoy the game.