Zine Month (or Zinetopia, or whatever name your platform of choice uses) is always a great time for indie games. As we near the end, I wanted to spotlight a few of my favorites. like Wanderer’s headquartersp, current solo title backer kit. To find out more about the game, we spoke with designer Laura Johnson.
What made you decide to use this theme in your game?
I read the book! I picked it up lost bookstore By Evie Woods Like all good books, this one changed me a little bit. It stuck in my head for a while, sparking a collection of yarns inspired by various speculative and apocalyptic fiction, and as I read more books and opened my eyes to the world, it eventually gave rise to the game of the same name. (https://johnson-ofair.itch.io/the-lost-bookshop) Released in September 2024. wanderer’s bookstore I’ve grown up around it.
How did you transform the act of curation into this, and how did you make it into a game?
The act of curation itself is like a game, with the focus on what you collect and the process of finding and acquiring items for your collection, the “hunt,” which is thrilling in itself. The Lost and Wanderer’s Bookshops borrows this idea and uses tarot cards to direct your focus. Using tarot cards and dice to build randomness and flow into the game is just another layer. how to do that wanderer’s bookstore Evolving, The Lost Bookshop specifically helps you engage with the collection you’re building by encouraging you to read, pick up and explore items, and fully interact with the little world you hold in your hands as you read, write, and draw.
What is the “Slow Life” game and what is the purpose of creating it?
Slow life games are about being intentional, having fun at your own pace, and especially not having to rush through them. Something that weave into our daily lives, giving us space to breathe and grow. Explore human experience and connection in a low-stress way. I created Wanderer’s Bookstore not only to encourage you to pause and spend some time playing a little escapism, but also to broaden your horizons. To return to evaluating and distilling the media we read and the mechanisms of the world we live in to better understand the mechanisms of that media. The acts of reading and creating are slow in nature and in our humanity, and we use them as acts of resistance in a world that demands we stop learning, stop taking time with ourselves, stop acting intentionally, stop connecting with people who don’t look like us.
Many people keep game diaries and campaign diaries as keepsakes; of wanderer’s bookstore Make it a clear goal. How did you incorporate that into your design?
road wanderer’s bookstore Most tasks require you to play or create in a way that not only incorporates other media and ephemera, but also creates a reference for your collection. Something that will help you not only look back on later to navigate your collection, but also to recommend something to others. After you pick up the book again in the future, you will have the opportunity to see if you agree with your previous assessment of the book. I think I learn something new every time I read a book.
When it comes to tasks that suggest drawing something or using ephemera, the diary becomes a collection in itself, reminding you of where you got something, its history, or the thought process in its creation.
Please tell us a little bit about the parallel play aspect and how it differs from regular solo journaling titles. What would actually happen?
The parallel play of the game is to foster connections through discussion and to engage with places in the community (such as libraries and bookstores) that serve to support it, weaving separate narratives whose threads occasionally intertwine with other threads. This is especially a parallel play. Because while you’ll be playing The Wanderer’s Bookstore solo for the most part, it has the added layer of being able to influence and enhance each other’s solo play by adding new dimensions to the mysteries you’re solving, or by cooperating with friends you’re playing with to discover new secrets you’ve created for them. You can exchange books and stories about people and places, discover them yourself, and use them in your play. Sure, you might discuss books or items, but basically the idea is to give each other small gifts to explore and experience, whether you’re working separately or sitting in the same room together. So you’re essentially playing together, but instead of telling the same story, you’re telling intersecting but different stories.
You’ve created some games that are mixed media, or an “alternative” way to play a TTRPG. What draws you to experimenting with forms like this?
At heart, I am a person who creates in a variety of mediums. Outside of TTRPG, my work involves dyeing yarn and designing knitting patterns. I recently started making stained glass, and in the past I have enjoyed making silver jewelry, ceramics, and woodwork. I dabbled in digital art, but have been returning to painting over the past few years. I have always believed that there are many ways to play. Because they are all expressions of intention and emotion in some way. Also, what you make or play with doesn’t really matter other than to you and how it allows you to experience the game. For example, a letter to Europe https://johnson-ofair.itch.io/letters-to-europa You don’t have to actually write the letter. Create something with thought and intention, and if it becomes something better, just let it go.
can go back wanderer’s bookstore above backer kit now!
Image courtesy of Laura Johnson
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