Untitled Moth Game
A downloadable game
Once upon a time, there was a maiden who dwelt with her true love
in a little cottage just outside a sleepy village,
in the shadow of a imposing castle upon a cliff.
Until the tyrant within the castle, seeing their happiness,
spitefully placed a curse upon them both.
The maiden was ensorcelled to become a small fluttering moth
under the light of the moon, returning to her true form only at dawn.
And her true love’s spirit was torn out and whisked away,
a specter held captive in the castle upon the cliff.
But the moth-maiden was clever and determined,
and vowed to seek help and regain her love.
It is a lovely evening in the village, and you are a beautiful moth.
Untitled Moth Game is a solo journaling RPG based on the Breathless and Carta SRDs, with heavy themes of hope, determination, fairy tales and impossible tasks. Play as a cursed moth-maiden. Let the cards deal your fate. Gather moonlight on your wings as a moth. Uncover the history of the land and of the Tyrant in the Castle. Start fairy tales. Finish them. Make promises, and try not to break them all.
And whatever you do, don't forget your very first vow.
- A tarokka deck (or a tarot deck or a deck of playing cards, with jokers)
- A set of polyhedral dice
- A coin (to be used as a d2)
- Glass beads or other tokens, to represent Moonlight
- A figurine to mark your position on the cardmap
- A large, flat surface to play on
- A notebook or similar place to record your story
- A candle (optional)
Live happily ever after.
If you enjoy Untitled Moth Game, consider checking out these games as well:
- Her Odyssey, also by me, is a slow and contemplative solo journaling RPG about a wanderer trying to make her way home - or find a new home.
Download
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Comments
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The quality and scope of files up on itchio varies dramatically, but the fact is people love making games. The current “industry” of tabletop games is a mess, but the thing that endears me so deeply to indie games is that they are, by and large, labors of love.
Untitled Moth Game is certainly no exception.
Thank you for the wonderful in-depth review. Each of your video essays is itself a labor of love.
I played this game tonight and really enjoyed it! I'm a fan of Kaiya's work from Twice Bitten, a Curse of Strahd actual play podcast.
I loved how much structure and guidance there was in the game, which made it an easy entry point for me, as someone new to solo journaling RPGs. The two-phase approach really upped the stakes: I felt a real sense of urgency to gather as much moonlight as I could in the Village so that I wouldn't be confined to one shape in the Castle. The mechanics of my skills also changed my narrative in the game. Although I got stronger by finding weapons, by the end of my game I found my Maiden blindly swinging at any obstacle with her Scythe, irregardless of her Promises and other skills, simply because it offered the best chance of survival. I didn't find that limiting, though--actually, the opposite! It shaped a really tragic narrative for my Moth Maiden, and though she ended up cast out of the castle in defeat, separated forever from her love, the story I made was better than "winning." A great game, and I can't wait to try Her Odyssey and Kaiya's future games!
I’m delighted that you enjoyed the game - either despite or because of the tragic narrative that awaited your moth-maiden! Out of curiosity, how did you find your way here from Twice Bitten?
I followed you on Twitter! I really like your takes on character building and parlor LARPs. I think I probably found Cassi Mothwin and a bunch of other small TTRPG creators from your Twitter too!
Oh, wonderful! There’s a continuation of Lilissen’s story that I’m releasing soon, that I announced on Twitter but nowhere else yet.
Found this game on tiktok and had to give it a try as I'm always looking for good solo games. This game was lovely, easy to learn and engaging. I already had everything I needed to play on hand!
Beyond the ease of mechanics and a captivating concept this game is lovely. It is 100% what you put into it and in that regard is expansive and stunning and heartbreaking/heartwarming. Lessons in the Village phase fit so effortlessly into the Castle phase you would have thought the story was pre-written, which speaks less to my journaling and significantly more to the prompts and mechanics of the game.
A serious thank you for creating this obvious labor of love, I will be replaying and when I do, I can't wait to meet the next story of the Maiden & the Moth.
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! I’m so glad you enjoyed playing!
What a wonderful game. Thank you so much for making it! I made a quick Untitled Moth Game in one minute video because I liked it so much.
I didn't expect the promises I created to be so difficult to break, and I think that's part of the genius at work in the text. The prompts provided just enough to build from so the player can fill in the rest with hopes and dreams, making vows on which they hope to make good. I also love moth.
Oh gosh, thank you so much Cassi! I’m thrilled you liked it!