SPINE

A Solo TTRPG About Losing Yourself in a Book

SPINE is a solo tabletop RPG that looks like a book. In SPINE, you play as a researcher who has inherited this strange book from an estranged relative. What’s inside the book is equally peculiar, a collection of excerpts about immortality and several magicians who sought it. These excerpts include texts of diverse genres — an essay, biography, diary, and collection of poetry — all by different authors and sewn together at the spine by a self-important scholar.

You soon discover a catch. You are enthralled by the book, and you realize you are becoming completely absorbed by it. The only way to lessen its power is by defacing the text.

You play by reading. For each page, you must pick one of its endnotes and follow its prompts. Some prompts instruct you to advance your clock at the back of the book, which represents the degree to which you are absorbed in the book. Your goal is to piece together the story without losing yourself in it.

What do you need to play?

The book. A pencil. Your curiosity. A spine…

SPINE is easy to learn. It has only one page of rules. The book takes care of the rest. 

Print Copies Available (Mixam)

SPINE is meant to be played with a physical copy.  You can purchase a printed copy via this Mixam printlink for only $9.99. If you purchase a print copy, you may email me a proof of purchase to receive a free digital copy on itch io.

Print-and-Play Available (Itch)

This itch page includes a digital version and a printable booklet version. In lieu of a print copy, I recommend printing the booklet version, which is approximately 37 sheets of paper. I provide SPINE Print Instructions to make this process easier. 

Content Warnings

Inside, you may encounter possession, loss of bodily control, and child abuse (verbal, manipulative). If you experience unexpectedly strong emotions that are painful or that surface past trauma, stop playing immediately and connect with someone you trust.

“SPINE is a captivating, tactile experience, compelling the reader to unravel layer after hidden layer. One of the most unique and memorable solo RPGs I’ve ever played.”
— Sam Leigh (Anamnesis, Outliers, Death of the Author)

FAQ

Q: How long does it take to play SPINE?
A: SPINE takes  about 4 hours to play. It can take more or less, depending on how much time you want to dedicate to prompts. 

Q: Is SPINE replayable?
A: SPINE is replayable. Each book can be played three times. Although the broader plot remains the same, each playthrough has different experiences, and there are many secrets inside this book that you will not uncover in just one or two playthroughs. Some secrets exist outside of play, meant to be discovered only by the most astute readers. And the book’s defacement is designed in such a way that it will survive multiple playthroughs. 

Q: Can I read SPINE instead of playing it?
A: SPINE can be enjoyed without engaging with the prompts; however, the prompts are a central part of the play and contribute to future playthroughs and reading.

Q: Is SPINE a journaling game?
A: SPINE's prompts are very diverse and can involve note-taking, drawing, ripping, burning, and more. SPINE has writing prompts too. Many are short notes in the margins from your character's perspective. Some involve long notes and journaling.

Q: This game is a full text with complete art. So, why is this game labeled as in-development? 

A: I plan to crowdfund a version with some final touches at a later date. For that reason, I still consider SPINE to be in-development, despite the fact that it is a full text with complete art.

“A thoroughly chilling yet engrossing experience. I found myself enthralled by the interconnected mysteries lurking within the pages, until I simply couldn’t put it down. Horror enthusiasts & linguistic puzzlers must explore!”
— S. Kaiya J. (Her Odyssey, Galatea, Untitled Moth Game)

Why this game?

In SPINE, you physically embody your character as you uncover their memories, decode the book’s secrets, and manipulate the physical prop that is the book. That is what is so unique about this book: The book is the game, and the game is the book. The book is a prop. It’s a keepsake too. And it’s also your anchor to the fictional world. 

At the same time, this game seeks to emulate the experience of books like Nabokov’s Pale Fire, books that make you work and play in such a way that blur the lines between fiction and reality, books that force to work and play with language.

And finally, the game is beautiful. It has block print art by Holly Freiberg, artist of the gorgeous cover of Hellwhalers: Leviathan, and prop creation by the multi-talented Nala J. Wu.

"I’m partial to art about the transformative threat of art – and doubly enamored of SPINE, which equips you to transform the art right back. Whatever happens, neither you nor the game are walking away from the experience unchanged."
— Ken Lowery (VOID 1680 AM, No-Tell Motel)

Essays and interviews in this series

SPINE’s release will be accompanied by a series of essays about the significance that TTRPGs are textual and bookish in nature, how we play with those books, the terminology that we use for them, and a defense of reading as a form of play. 

• Essay: On Bookplay in TTRPGs
• Interview: Jay Dragon on Bookplay
• Essay: How Do We Talk about TTRPG Books?
• Interview: Clayton Notestine on Book Design
• Essay: A Defense of Reading TTRPGs
• Interview: Liz Little on Games and Ergodic Literature

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