The Cloister
A downloadable game
A two player storytelling game about the last hour of a long journey home.
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The Cloister is a short, one-session storytelling game for two players.
One person plays The Pilot, who is finally in orbit around their home planet after a very long time away.
The other person plays The Operator, a stranger on the ground who is trying to help the pilot get home.
The story takes place between the two of you in conversation as you navigate atmospheric reentry and fill the dead air of your radio with stories.
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Playbook is 20 pages, printable, with a plaintext option.
There is also a risograph zine, with a goldenrod cover and black ink on light blue paper. The physical zine is available at the bottom of this page.
To play the game you will need one 6 sided die. Games should take between half an hour and an hour to complete (about the length of a real atmospheric reentry).
Artwork in the gamebook is half original work, and half illustrations from the public domain.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $2 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
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I just played this with a friend—it was an absolutely beautiful experience. I played the Pilot (Casey) and they played the Operator (Lara). I loved the way the dice rolls built on each other as the game progressed, and the companionship our two characters found felt earned and genuine. Thank you for this game!
just got done playing this with my partner and ohhhh my godddd it was incredible! the system was near tailor made for our tastes and it was so fun. the system is beautifully written and is honestly a moving work on its own, but when played it leads so naturally to heartfelt storytelling. there are moments in which you have to pause and read the instructions, but those moments of dead air are baked into the heart of the game and so never feel like theyre awkward or hurting the story.
i played the operator (Senior Communications Officer Tenzin Lau)and set up a little control panel with a piece of paper and some sticky notes and it really added to the atmosphere (pun intended). We used an online walkie talkie website with push to talk and it really had impeccable vibe. It took us 30 minutes to complete and it felt neither rushed nor drawn out, the system let us take just as much time as we needed.
I would *highly* recommend this system for those that love storytelling that has just such a *vibe* and who want that lovely feeling of learning about another character in a ttrpg but in a short amount of time. For a single dollar, this is a *steal*. I'm already thinking about replaying it.
this is INCREDIBLY good. i loved playing it and the playbook works as a piece of fiction in it's own right! very very glad i came across this game, i enjoyed it and the characters that spawned from it immensely
I love the update you've done! It's beautiful.
My pal and I just finished telling our story of Captain Juno Rogers and Operator Moss Speck and had a great time. Thank you for the lovely 2-player game :)
This looks great! Looking forward to trying it 😄