You Should Play… is an irregular series where I talk about analog and tabletop games I think you should play. From new indie games that have caught my eye to older games I’m currently revisiting. This series is a fun and informal spotlight on things you might have missed.
Note: This was originally a Twitter thread
This morning I finally got around to reading “If you’re lost you can look and you will find me — Time after time” by Logan! I got this game in the Summer Romance bundle, and I’ve been super-fascinated by it. Because I love time travel and romance + time travel seems like such a fun combo (that and its nice to see someone who shares my love of overly long titles)
So this is based on the Cata system by Peach Garden Games which is a really fantastic ttrpg system. It is a 2-player game where you play as lovers who are bouncing around the timeline. Basically, you get a deck of 19 cards and 1 Joker and lay them out face-down in a grid. Then each player puts a token down on one of the corners. Every turn, you move your token, reveal the card you’re on, and then consider the prompt. The aim is to find the Joker.
In a nutshell, it’s sort of like a cross between Checkers and Battleship? On top of this, you have to account for Time Sickness. Some cards increase it, and others reduce it. But if you end up at 5 Time Sickness, bad things happen.
The card prompts are the highlight of this game for me. Each one is a short scenario with a question to ask yourself, and one to ask the other player. They’re very creative and open up some fantastic conversation opportunities. Honestly, I can see certain players spending 5-10 minutes a turn riffing on these prompts. I think this game would work really well on a podcast, just because the prompts perfectly balance focus and openness. So they could lead to some amazing roleplay.
If you’re looking for a fun and romantic 2-player ttrpg, this game has to be on your radar! It perfectly nails the time-warped romance concept in a way that is thematic but easy to follow. It also doesn’t get tangled up in the minutia of time travel.
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Disclaimer: I did not receive anything in exchange for this article. However, I have interacted with the creator in the past and worked in similar circles. However, this article is still my personal opinion of the work.
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer who has written for CBR, Polygon, Nintendo Life, Gayley Dreadful, Enbylife, and many other publications. They have also published several popular and highly-praised tabletop roleplaying games including “You Have One Ability….The Ability To Fuck This Up,” “Macarons, Milkshakes, And Magic,” and “Wander Wizards.”
Jonathon has always been fascinated by media, from the big hitters to the small, obscure, and often overlooked titles that linger on the sidelines, capturing both the on and off-camera stories that make these shows so fascinating.
Jonathon is also a major anime fan, having been exposed to the medium through shows like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Since then, Jonathon has maintained a passion for anime, watching most new shows each season and hunting down overlooked gems from previous ones.