This is an amazing setting. I was really excited while reading it, but playing it was even way better than I could imagine. Was so much fun to write and research and get the letters ... Love it.

This is cute! To picture the setting, just see Foster & Digby talking trash in Stranger in a Strange Land. I will say that it's a little difficult to maintain the positive outlook this calls for in this year of our lord 2020, but hey.

One tweak I'd make is that the Executive makes a resume of their greatest accomplishments/disappointments, then notes a few things about their reactions to same. You're meant to share that with the Spirit so they can steer towards them, but I think if I were to do it again I'd keep the reactions to myself, and only inform them of the events, so the reactions can come out in play. Otherwise a nice simple game.

I'm afraid that for me, Atlas just doesn't provide enough scaffolding. It essentially lays out a set of rules for collaborative map-building, but the rules essentially boil down to: (1) discuss what kind of map you want, and (2) take turns adding to the map. The guidelines are open-ended and friendly, but lack any tools to help facilitate discussion and decision-making, or useful guidelines for implementing these tools. In my experience, if a group were able to collaborate at that level of teamwork, they wouldn't need these guidelines to begin with.

It's a generous, warm, and creative effort -- it just doesn't offer what my groups, and in my estimation, many other groups, need to facilitate a fun and productive session. I would recommend buying The Quiet Year; Beak, Bone + Feather; or a similar title to see what a (somewhat) more scaffolded structure looks like, and then decide if your group wants more freedom and very simple rules -- in which case, Atlas might just be for you.

This game was amazing to play! While the game could be played in a forum or e-mail format, I recommend trying out the letter-writing option. I have never felt so excited to receive a piece of mail -- or agonized when a letter didn't arrive promptly.

The characters were delightful to portray (and see portrayed), and the story prompts were fantastic thanks to their open-ended nature. What really makes this game sing, however, is the element of secrecy while playing: you are not allowed to discuss this game with anyone -- especially not the person with whom you're playing! This is what makes hearing from the other player so special!

I highly recommend this game if you like emotional story games that can either break your heart or make you fall in love.

A loosely structured storygame designed to explore a single topic and possibly build empathy. This is a game that asks you to entertain the idea that your own experience is not the Only Experience All People Have. Approach the game with an open mind and a willingness to explore new experiences. If you do, you will likely hear something of value from your own lips or the lips of your friends.

I'll start with the caveat that I am not the target demographic for this game; I am a 46 year old cis-het male. I saw this game on DTRPG and there were some negative comments, so I wanted to see it for myself.

First, this game is not like D&D or Pathfinder or Vampire: The Masquerade. It's a diceless storytelling game designed to explore characters through a very specific lens: their relationship with their own breasts. Some comments implied that the game isn't fun (the comment was: 'Feminists Forget Why People Play Games'!). But if the commenter was referring to 'fun', then I would argue that it's an emergent property of games not an end-goal in itself. Some games are very challenging and reward players who take the time and effort to learn them, with system mastery, and they find this 'fun'. Other games are social storytelling exercises and that's what those players find 'fun'. There is also a tradition of LARP's, including Nordic LARPS, that often focus on a single, intensely emotional scene of conflict. What I'm saying here, is that there are many different aims for what experience a game is trying to elicit, and players that work together to follow the game's structure are rewarded with that experience.

So, what is the point of "Support"? It's clearly stated: "Whoever you are, and whatever your relationship is to breasts, we hope this can be a game that can capture your experience." Therefore, if the players approach the game with that in mind and they achieve that experience, then the game was successful in it's aim.

Second, who is the game for? My first thought, naively, was that it was a game for women and girls. But, the text specifies: "please keep in mind that there are many different people who have breasts, and not all of them are women." It then goes on to include trans women, men, and any other sexuality / gendered person who wants to explore their relationship with their breasts. The game describes persons who bind their breasts to hide them, or who pad their bras to accentuate them, or who have lost a breast due to cancer, or who have had breast implants, etc.

I supposed there may be a tendency for some to snicker at the topic and imagine the game playing out like some softcore lesbian fantasy - but the game does not have that tone at all. It specifically states, "This game is meant to explore boobs outside of the sexual context in which the media typically portrays them, while examining the implications of living in a world that is obsessed with viewing them in this context." And this is supported in the scene prompt questions, such as, "Day you found a lump", and "Day of your mastectomy". I found nothing prurient in the text.

OK, I've covered what the game is about and who it's for, but the next question is: How does it play? The game uses no dice and no game master. The materials needed are some pencils, a stack of sticky notes in two different colors, and a large area to post the sticky notes. They recommend a clear wall, or a large table. Character creation involves answering a set of questions from a list (with only two required, the rest optional) and writing these down on sticky notes, and then posting them in a unique area on the chosen surface. Then players agree on a turn order, and each player chooses one of two scene formats: monologue or group. After choosing a format, the focus player chooses a question that describes an important moment in their character's life. There is a list of suggested questions, but the players are free to add more as they feel appropriate. A monologue scene has the focus player describe the setting and situation, including their internal monologue, and the other players listen. The group scene is similar, except that the other players are recruited to play the parts of NPC's in the focus players scene. For example, if a focus player wanted to have a scene with their mother, they could recruit one of the other players to play the part of the mother. Each scene lasts as long as it needs to, then the focus player calls, "Cut!" to indicate the scene is over.

Afte the scene, the focus player summarizes the scene on a sticky note of one color and posts it on the surface. The other players write "support" cards, using the other sticky note color, and post them around the focus players summary. The focus player is allowed to reject support cards outright or ask them to be rewritten. There are some good examples of support cards in the game text. The entire game proceeds like this, until every player has had a turn in that round. The game ends after three to five rounds. Again, the duration is decided on by mutual consent.

Finally, the game calls for a debrief, where the players discuss their characters experience and how it made them feel. "Since Support may be an emotional experience for many players, it may be helpful to spend a little while talking about the game with your fellow players after the game is over."

My impression of the game, is that it is closer to a therapeutic group activity then a session of D&D. It asks the players to explore their characters relationship with their breasts, which may be a very emotional experience, especially as it may be informed by the players own experiences, hopes, and fears. From a mechanical view, I would be concerned that there is no facilitator and no built-in limit to scene length or number of turns. Perhaps in play, these will just naturally work out to some mutually agreed limits, but that would be my only concern. I can also see this game as a learning tool that can be used with a mother and her daughters, so that a touchy subject can become a shared experience. It could also be used for trans women to explore their complicated relationship with their breasts, before and after surgery. I'm sure there are many other cases where this could be used by a group to explore their own, or an imagined set of body / body-image / social constraint experiences.

I'd also like to point out that the only thing inherently breast focused are the scene prompt questions. It would be pretty easy to use the structure described in this game and change the questions to explore other experiential themes. Perhaps menstruation or sexuality, or gender identity, or life before and after a disabling event (like a grave injury or illness). In any event, the game as written has a specific goal, to elicit a specific experience in the players and allows them to experience this together in a safe way with a trusted group. At least from my read-through, I feel it is capable of doing that.

It's not your typical "Friday night, weekly game session with Fritos and Mountain Dew" type of game, and most gamers will have little interest in "Support". But, there is still room for it at DTRPG and an audience that may find it a useful and rewarding experience.

We really need more things like that in order to improve our LARP and RPG and make it more mature. Original, well structured, clear and concise. Brilliant job :)

I had a thoroughly good time with this game, though we modified it to a panel discussion instead. The flexibility of having abstract instructions allowed the group to create a unique space for the setting of spirits and bureaucracy. It felt very whimsical, but also had moments of tension as the spirits and the executive try to navigate around the fears of the executive. Overall, it was a fun experience, and I had a good time. Though as a further suggestion, maybe a template CV and some examples of play would help to guide everyone in the experience.

If you like games such as The Quiet Year and Microscope, you'd like this game. At its core, this is a map drawing game about designing a place. As a group you determine the scope and scale of what you're doing.

I had the opportunity to play Atlas a while ago. It came highly recommended to me from a friend who was playtesting it with the designer. This was a 3 player game and we played online using Roll20.net.

The playlist can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ0snHDJGuC2C-eDNvjIAB6tvpFxuIieg

I always thought that Atlas would make a fantastic collaborative game for worldbuilding prep. Build a world using Atlas and then explore it in the game system of your choice.