Wayfarer 1 is now live!
My two-player letter-writing game is now live. Here's what inspired it.
Hey, friends. I told ya I’d tell ya when Wayfarer 1, my two-player letter-writing game, went live. So here I am telling you.
Wayfarer 1 was inspired by this heartbreaking piece on the gradual decay of Voyager 1 and the increasing desperation of its dwindling Mission Control. I posted the article in the Gem Room Games Discord and got to talking about the very precise vibe it struck - the unique lonesomeness of Voyager 1, the slowly dimming light of Mission Control, the grinding triage to keep a mission afloat long past its original parameters. Those increasingly corrupted transmissions blipping back and forth through space in search of reception and understanding really captured my imagination - no surprise - and eventually the discussion got to The Problem With Epistolary Games.
The Problem With Epistolary Games (or letter-writing games, play-by-post games, or whatever term you prefer for asynchronous play) is that they almost always dwindle out without resolving. But there is no resolution to Voyager 1; or rather, its resolution came a long time ago, and now it’s just… out there. Still going when it can, while it can.
So what if writing until your inertia dies is a feature, instead of a bug? What if the gradual decay of communication until silence - silence without closure or easy resolution - finally takes over? What if that was the point?
So here we are. Give it a look, let me know what you think. I’ve also created a playlist (of course I have) to get you in the mood. And if it would help facilitate play (or find players), the game includes a link to a bespoke Discord for finding others to play with, posting your communications and browsing the mission logs of others.
It’s short, sweet, and $5. I hope you like it. Consider rating it and/or leaving a review and/or comment if you do.
See you in the stars, friends.
