Mint Condition Jam is a non-ranked tabletop roleplay jam in which the objective is to design a game that fits into a tin! The end product can be used to set up a game with your friends anytime, anywhere. This jam was inspired by Poketto, a games company that specializes in TTRPGs that fit neatly into altoid-sized tins. Check them out!

Any small tin is fair game: a used altoid mint tin (or a similarly sized plain tin, luckily very common in the tech world), a round pastille tin, a cigarette-shaped tin, uniquely shaped novelty tins, tea tins, or any other similar tin you may have on hand. In case you aren’t able to procure a tin for any reason, that’s fine! You are welcome to create a game that could fit into a tin in theory. For reference, the interior dimensions of the tin used by Poketto are 3.6in x 2.2in x 0.8in (9.1cm x 5.6cm x 2cm).

The jam will formally begin on February 13th and end on March 27th, although you are welcome to start working earlier.

🍬 Hard and fast rules:

1. Write an analog game--you can go as traditional or as abstract as you’d like. Options include: tabletop games, LARPs, hacks of another game, supplements or playbooks, fortune-telling kits, recipes with game mechanics, etc! You are welcome to finish a project that was already in progress, submit a game that was already in a tin for one reason or another, or re-adapt an existing game to fit into a tin.
2. Your entire game, instructions included, must be able to fit into a small tin--there are no exact size requirements, but the tin must be hand or pocket-sized. You may fold items to make them fit, as long as the tin can still close.
3. Dealing respectfully with graphic/sensitive/18+ content is fine, but please include a list of content warnings on your game’s page. Any games that intentionally spread hate towards a marginalized group will be removed.
4. If you have a late submission, no worries! Contact Lee on twitter and we will be happy to send you a submission link.

🍬 Loose guidelines:

1. If dealing with serious subject matter, you are encouraged to include safety tools in your game! Here is a helpful TTRPG safety tool starter kit (by @KiennaS and @jl_nicegirl) that includes many options. 
2. Consider the accessibility of your game: include plain-text versions of your game materials if possible, add alt text and image descriptions, and ensure your font is easily readable. Here is an online screen reader you can drop your files into to make sure that your formatting won’t interfere with screen readers, and here is a guide to tweaking your text documents to make them more accessible.
3. You are encouraged to charge for your game! Your labour is valuable and you deserve to be compensated for your time. You can always add community copies to make your game accessible to players with financial barriers.

🍬 Optional challenges:

1. Add physical components to your game, eg. dice, coins, cards, figurines, rocks, twigs, ribbons, magazine cutouts, stickers, buttons, tea lights, actual tea, polaroids, snacks, those little IKEA pencils, mysterious keys, cursed jewelry etc.
2. Decorate your tin or choose a tin that fits thematically with your game.
3. Incorporate the tin in your game somehow!

🍬 Game Share Day

On March 31st, there will be a community game swap day in which people are encouraged to make tins of each other’s games and share pictures on social media under #mintgamejamshare! Anyone is welcome to participate, including those who didn’t submit a game.

Submissions are due on March 27th. Have fun!

This games jam is organized by Charlie Knight (@chawleeknight / chawleeknight.itch.io) and Lee Wilkinson (@automaticlee / leemaybe.itch.io). If you have any questions, feel free to make a community post or contact Lee on twitter!