The Quiet Year - Solo with 3 “players”

Recently, I finished a solo playthrough of the indie game, “The Quiet Year”, a table top RPG, and a game of map drawing, creative inspiration, and improv. I journaled the session in my sketchbook. Here is a transcription, with corrections and edits as needed for clarity.

Game Setup

Players:

• Player 1: Alice
• Player 2: Bob
• Player 3: Carol

Community:

• Many lucid dreamers experiencing a shared dream

Starting Resources:

• Nightmare Blades - to fight nightmares
  • 1x - rare
  • fuses to face when wielded
  • cannot be unequipped
• Reality Checks
  • 3x - rare
  • one time call to someone outside the dream
• Non-sequitur pills
  • abundant
  • to cause a sudden change to the dream

The Playthrough

Week 1 - Alice

• 4 of Hearts - Food is stored in a giant human mouth with lush lips. It’s a terrible place to store food because it eats most of it as well as many of the people who try to take food out.

• Discovered - A fissure into space blocks the path to the west.

Week 2 - Bob

• 6 of Hearts - There are children in the community. They are all young versions of the community members. That is, there are often two of a person. Child self and Grown self. Some don’t have their counterparts though. Some Child-Selves are without their Grown self and vice versa. Their counterparts died in the lucid dream. The counterparts perceive all sensations together. They are on person but with two physical bodies.

• Discovered - A long tunnel extends out of the back of the mouth. It has many branching paths.

Week 3 - Carol

• 7 of Hearts - Natural predators are nightmares borne of trauma, loss, fear, anxiety, hate. They arrive with little warning. They are personal. They try to attack the Child-Selves and the Grown-Selves must protect them. They can cause permanent psychosis with the non-dream host.

• Discussed - Carol, “We should get the Nightmare Blade to protect the children.” Alice, “Agreed” Bob, “But it possesses whoever wields it.”

Week 4 - Alice

• K of Hearts - A boy digs into the ground and a child’s playground comes out of it. It has children playing on it, no adults. Its arrival dries and cracks the land all around it. It is by the fissure (see Week 1).

• Project 1 (start) - Kill off each of the creepy playground children one by one so they don’t notice each other dying. It will take 2 weeks.

Week 5 - Bob

• 3 of Hearts - Two of the younger Grown Selves get into a fight about whether or not they really should kill the playground children. One of them storms off and eats a Non-Sequitur pill. The bears are walking around the hospital annoying everyone by eating the food off their plates while they try to watch the fireworks.

• Discussed - Bob, “We should get access to the Reality Checks so that we can know what is really happening to our non-dream hosts.” Carol, “I think the Nightmare Blade is more important. We don’t know when they will come.” Alice, “Lets get the Nightmare Blade first, then go for the Reality Checks.”

• Project 1 (continue) - Kill the Playground Children: 1 week remains. The playground children are being murdered one by one.

Week 6 - Carol

• 2 of Hearts - A tunnel path through the mouth leads out to a big sea. A giant mysterious vortex swirls above it sucking up the water into the sky.

• Discovered - A massive blot of ink lands and blocks the community’s access to the mouth. The hospital bears begin to eat it.

• Project 1 (complete) - Kill the Playground Children: completed. All the Playground Children are dead. Their bodies are laying everywhere and won’t decompose. The community’s Child-Selves are agitated. They are afraid the non-dream hosts are in danger.

Week 7 - Alice

• A of Hearts - The Child-Selves have the highest status in the community. They are revered. The only way to join this group is to dream that you are in it. Names and faces of who is and is not in the group change as the dream progresses. Non-Sequitur Pills can change membership.

• Discovered - A first attempt to acquire the Nightmare Blade fails. It is lost somewhere in an infinite house with unending connected rooms. The rooms have infinite families in them, going about their days. The families know the community is there and will interact with them when present, but they mostly don’t care.

Week 8 - Bob

• Q of Hearts - The most hideous thing in the area is the Bile Sea. It is worse than raw sewage. It is conceptual. It is jealousy, anger, sadism, disgust, insanity, sociopathy. Thinking about it makes you want to puke. Seeing it debilitates you. Smell, taste, and touch are much much worse.

• Discussed - Bob, “We need a map through the infinite house. I propose we kill two birds with one stone - go get the Reality Checks, and on the way look for a Map.” Carol, “Ok, fine.” Alice, “Ok.”

Week 9 - Carol

• 6 of Hearts - More Dreamers arrive. They don’t speak. They only observe and take notes. The community hates them and tries to kill them but they move too quickly.

• Project 2 (start) - Build a bridge across the fissure to access the Reality Checks. It will take 2 weeks.

Week 10 - Alice

• 9 of Diamonds - Project 2 - Build a bridge, fails. Cosmic winds blowing up out of the fissure make construction nearly impossible.

• Project 3 (start) - Build a tunnel under space, behind the stars to get to the other side. It will take 5 weeks.

Week 11 - Bob

• A of Diamonds - A contingent within the community demands a ban on the use of Non-Sequitur Pills. They cause as many problems as they solve. The bears from the last time are eating everything.

• Discovered - Time slows. People talk but cannot hear their own voices. The telltale signs of a nightmare! The faces of the observers contort grotesquely. They are evil. In a panic, someone eats a Non-Sequitur Pill. Nobody can get concessions because the race cars keep zooming by, and they can’t cross the tracks. They are stuck in the middle oval lawn area, the community’s new home.

• Project 3 (continue) - Build a tunnel under space, behind the stars: 4 weeks remain.

Week 12 - Carol

• 7 of Diamonds - The bodies of the dead playground children never decomposed. The bears finish eating the inkblot and have begun to eat the still fresh bodies. They take on the faces of the children, turning into bears with human child faces. They begin to roam the area looking for more to eat.

• Discovered - A large tire bridge lets people leave the center of the racetrack. It was always there. Everyone feels dumb for not noticing it way earlier.

• Project 3 (continue) - Build a tunnel under space, behind the stars: 3 weeks remain.

Week 13 - Alice

• 5 of Diamonds - Project 3 - Build a tunnel, finishes early. The urgency made it so that the entire community helped build it. The Dreamers can now cross the fissure.

• Discovered - Some Dreamers go to the basements in search of a map to the infinite house. They find it, but not surprisingly, it is infinitely long. They take it back to the community, now at the race track, and redraw it in the dirt in the center oval, so that everyone can see it from the stands.

Week 14 - Bob

• 4 of Diamonds - The Bear-Children begin chasing the Dreamers. The eldest is unable to keep running, and falls with exhaustion. The Bear-Children eat him.

• Project 4 (start) - Build a rope: Even though they have a map, they are still afraid of getting forever lost in the infinite house. So they build a rope that they can use to tether themselves to the outside. It will take 1 week.

Week 15 - Carol

• J of Diamonds - The Dreamers notice that the observers have started taking notes at a feverish pace. They believe this to be a bad open, and with the eldest dreamer now dead, all the Dreamers and their Child-Selves are afraid. They believe the non-dream hosts are dying. Everyone agrees it is best to forget the Nightmare Blade for now. They must get a Reality Check fast.

• Discovered - Coffins have appeared at the Bile Sea Beach. 100s of them.

• Project 4 (continue) - Build a rope: Makes no progress, per the card. 1 week remains.

Week 16 - Alice

• 10 of Clubs - The Bear-Children suddenly stop. They leave, seemingly afraid of something. The Dreamers believe more nightmares are coming.

• Project 5 (start) - Get to and use the Reality Checks. It will take 1 week.

• Project 4 (complete) - Build a rope: Finishes. They now have a rope.

Week 17 - Bob

• J of Clubs - Project 5 - Get to and use the Reality Checks, finishes early because somehow they knew exactly where the Reality Checks were.

• Discussed - Bob, “What should we ask or say with the Reality Checks?” Carol, “Ask if the non-dream hosts are dying.” Alice, “Ask if the observers are other hosts or are they part of our dream.” Bob, “Ask if the people in the infinite house represent something from real life and if so, what?”

Week 18 - Carol

• 9 of Clubs - A group goes back to where the community used to stay (with the beds), and discovers it is surrounded by serene forests. Through the forest is a path to the edge of the fissure, where a floating couch sits and overlooks the most beautiful view. It is inspiring and encouraging, and all who see it know that everything is going to be okay. The forest, path, couch, and view have been here all this time. They just needed to look.

• Discovered - They use 1 of the 3 Reality Checks to call the non-dream world. “Are the hosts dying?” “Yes.” The Reality Check disappears.

Week 19 - Alice

• 3 of Clubs - Someone issues a dire warning. We must build a monument to ourselves, to strength, forgiveness, contentment, love. It will take many weeks, but it is the only way to save the non-dream hosts. Many think it is a bad idea, but the group decides in favor.

• Project 6 (start) - Build the Monument: It must be done in 2 stages at 4 weeks each.

Week 20 - Bob

• 7 of Clubs - A number of the Child-Selves collapse and die for no good reason. A sudden sense of hopelessness pervades. The Monument is no longer seen as a way to save the non-dream hosts. It is a way to give them an honorable and peaceful death.

• Discovered - Hate Nightmares are killing the Child-Selves. Hate threatens to consume everyone.

• Project 6 (continue) - Build the Monument: 3 weeks remain for stage 1.

Week 21 - Carol

• 6 of Clubs - Everyone is wondering how the Hate Nightmares have become so prevalent, so active, and so dangerous. They suspect there is a traitor among them.

• Project 7 (start) - Acquire the Nightmare Blade: It will take 3 weeks.

• Project 6 (continue) - Build the Monument: 2 weeks remain for stage 1.

Week 22 - Alice

• K of Clubs - An earthquake strikes! The monument begins to fall apart, but the Dreamers hold it together. Many of the Grown-Selves dies in the effort.

• Discovered - The earthquake agitated the Bile Sea, and now bile waves have pushed into the esophagul tunnels, causing bile lakes to form at the open ends. Travel through the tunnels is blocked.

• Project 6 (continue) - Build the Monument: 1 weeks remain for stage 1.

• Project 7 (continue) - Acquire the Nightmare Blade: 2 weeks remain.

Week 23 - Bob

• 4 of Clubs - The strongest Dreamer attempted to clean out the esophagul tunnels, but failed and drowned in acid bile. Not even the bones remained.

• Discussed - Bob, “Without access to the tunnels, we cannot reach most of the dream. We must try to clear it.” Carol, “I disagree. We must focus on the Nightmare Blade!” Alice, “The Monument is the highest priority.”

• Project 6 (continue) - Build the Monument: stage 1 is completed. Now stage 2 can begin. It will take 4 weeks.

• Project 7 (continue) - Acquire the Nightmare Blade: 1 week remains.

Week 24 - Carol

• J of Spades - An infected outsider arrives seeking amnesty. They have with them a Nightmare Blade! But it is too little too late. The project to acquire one from the infinite house is almost done. The outsider is denied entry to the community.

• Discovered - The esophagul tunnels have a drain valve and can be cleared that way.

• Project 6 (continue) - Build the Monument: 3 weeks remain for stage 2.

• Project 7 (complete) - Acquire the Nightmare Blade: A Nightmare Blade is acquired. The most capable Grown-Self equips it. It fuses to their face, never to be removed.

Week 25 - Alice

• A of Spades - Stage 2 of the Monument project (Project 6) fails, and must be restarted. But now with a Champion among them, determination is in abundance.

• Project 8 (start) - Monument Project Stage 2, second attempt: 4 weeks remain.

Week 26 - Bob

• Q of Spades - The families inside the infinite house gather to watch the monument being built. Their interest in it feels right and good. It seems to mean something.

• Project 9 (start) - Drain the tunnels with the valve. It will take 1 week.

• Project 8 (continue) - Monument Project Stage 2, second attempt: 3 weeks remain.

Week 27 - Carol

• 3 of Spades - Part 2 of the Monument project (Project 8) has completed early! Someone realized that moving the monument into the infinite house would duplicate it infinitely. And so they did that. The monument is complete. Everyone is happy.

• Discussed - Carol, “I believe the giant vortex at the Bile Sea is where the Nightmares come from. We should take the Champion there.” Alice, “Agreed.” Bob, “Agreed.”

• Project 9 (complete) - Drain the tunnels with the valve: the tunnels are drained.

Week 28 - Alice

• 8 of Spades - The community declares war on the Vortex.

• Project 10 (start) - Bring the Champion to the Vortex. It will take 2 weeks, as he must be prepared and well presented, with much pomp and circumstance.

Week 29 - Bob

• 4 of Spades - All of the Child-Selves begin crying and won’t stop.

• Discussed - Bob, “Why are they crying?” Carol, “The end of the dream is coming and the non-dream hosts are about to die.” Alice, “We never found the traitor among us, but he or she real.” Bob, “They fear the Champion cannot be made ready in time.”

• Project 11 (start) - Acquire the floating couch to use as transport for the Champion. It will take 1 week.

• Project 10 (continue) - Bring the Champion to the Vortex: 1 week remains.

Week 30 - Carol

• 5 of Spades - A winter comes and plunges the dream into a forever cold and darkness. Courage and determination are at an all time low. The dream world hardly exists anymore. Even in fear, they have no choice but to act.

• Discovered - The Vortex has grown larger, many times its original size. The pile of coffins has also grown. Now there must be millions of them.

• Project 11 (complete) - Acquire the floating couch: The floating couch is acquired and made ready for the Champion.

• Project 10 (complete) - Bring the Champion to the Vortex: The Champion is taken to the Vortex

Week 31

• K of Spades - The Frost Shepherds Arrive. The game is over.