Cool aesthetic, and I like the use of tarot and the way you've applied the cards and themes to the premise. I find the choice of font a bit hard to read, but not in a way that interferes with my ability to appreciate the content. Art choices are good, too, and set the mood; reading/playing this feels like stepping into a painting, or an early 20th-century novel.
Bonus points for having some actual mechanics to aid the journaling, as well; I find that including things like narrative-focused dice and resource values really helps to drive the fiction and push the player when they're stuck, and I don't see enough of it!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback! This was my first time doing print layout and I definitely learned a lot, particularly with how the choice of font and the size of the text affect the reading experience. I'm glad the vibe I was going for came through, I've actually been working on a much larger game that centers on tarot so it was a very obvious choice for me.
I totally agree about not seeing enough of that stuff in the solo journaling game space. I've read/played a good number of them and too many of them feel less like games to me and more like an engine for generating writing prompts, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I always find myself getting stuck on what to write if my choices aren't being informed by anything in the game.
For a first delve into layout I think this is more than sufficient! Especially given how common it is to get completely illegible zines from inexperienced designers. And we're of the same mind — writing prompts are all well and good, but if I specifically want to play a journaling game, I feel like I want to have a bit more constraint and specificity behind me, rather than spinning off from one thing. Of course, it all has its place and reason to be, and personal preferences only go so far.
I look forward to more tarot games in the future :)
Comments
Cool aesthetic, and I like the use of tarot and the way you've applied the cards and themes to the premise. I find the choice of font a bit hard to read, but not in a way that interferes with my ability to appreciate the content. Art choices are good, too, and set the mood; reading/playing this feels like stepping into a painting, or an early 20th-century novel.
Bonus points for having some actual mechanics to aid the journaling, as well; I find that including things like narrative-focused dice and resource values really helps to drive the fiction and push the player when they're stuck, and I don't see enough of it!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback! This was my first time doing print layout and I definitely learned a lot, particularly with how the choice of font and the size of the text affect the reading experience. I'm glad the vibe I was going for came through, I've actually been working on a much larger game that centers on tarot so it was a very obvious choice for me.
I totally agree about not seeing enough of that stuff in the solo journaling game space. I've read/played a good number of them and too many of them feel less like games to me and more like an engine for generating writing prompts, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I always find myself getting stuck on what to write if my choices aren't being informed by anything in the game.
For a first delve into layout I think this is more than sufficient! Especially given how common it is to get completely illegible zines from inexperienced designers. And we're of the same mind — writing prompts are all well and good, but if I specifically want to play a journaling game, I feel like I want to have a bit more constraint and specificity behind me, rather than spinning off from one thing. Of course, it all has its place and reason to be, and personal preferences only go so far.
I look forward to more tarot games in the future :)