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no smoke
2021, live action roleplaying game
Designed in collaboration with Beau McGhee
exhibited at Wonderville, 2022; Willoughby Walks, 2022
my roles: design, writing, layout, illustration
tools used: MS Office, InDesign

no smoke is a very, very short live action roleplaying game about Icarus, the sun, & (not) kissing. Originally made as 200 word TTRPG, the game found a new home in a trifold zine when we were invited to exhibit it at a few venues in the spring of 2022. Beau & I split the design, each covering roughly half of the content, & I was additionally responsible for layout & illustration.

Lessons learned:

  • There's something to be said for making something small & simple. You can take the time to really just take the time to do the hell out of it.
  • Sometimes a suggestion is all you need. During blind playtests, we started by asking players to honestly say whether or not they'd be comfortable playing. Many said they weren't, & therefore didn't, but engaged in lively conversation about the game anyways.