A Mending

You have been parted from a dear friend for a long time. Now, they have called for you. You are going to visit your friend, and the path is long and it will take many days. As you plan and trace your route on a cloth map(or paper), using needle and thread(or pen), you will use and answer story prompt cards to discover the stories and primary incidents behind your friendship, find strange and wonderful objects and people on your path, and build your own narrative of this particular journey and friendship.

A Mending is a keepsake game, a term that I use to describe the kind of game I make - games that produce beautiful, memorable physical artifacts through the gameplay process. These keepsakes are a collaboration between me, as a designer, and the players, who all create their own unique objects. This honors my lifetime love of tinkering and making, and reduces waste by producing something worth keeping. Jeeyon Shim and I began using this term while making our keepsake game, Field Guide to Memory, to describe the work we do. 

The original complete version of the game contains a cloth map; all digital files for printing or screenprinting a cloth map are included.

Above is an example of part of a map in progress. The orange running stitch here is the path taken to visit a friend. The beads and other stitches denote the times where an object was discovered, or where a story element important to the relationship was revealed. The finished gameplay artifact can be used as a decorative or functional object; I personally wear and use my test maps as bandanas, altar cloths, patches, and handkerchiefs.

The story-building elements of the game are in the long story-building tradition of indie RPG games, inspired by games such as For the Queen(Alex Roberts),  Dialect(Thorny Games), The Quiet Year(Avery Alder), and Field Guide to Memory(Jeeyon Shim and myself). The story itself is set up as a series of randomized prompt cards that take the player through a reflective and gentle journey of interesting characters, thoughtful questions about your friendship, and a few strange occurrences. 

 You will play the game by planning your route, marking the map, and building a story by answering prompt cards. The prompt cards will ask you to consider your relationship with your friend, mark your map with beads or written notes, introduce you to delightful characters(including at least one dog), and will sometimes affect the path you have chosen. The gameplay time can vary between one hour(solo, paper and pen only) to two hours or more(collaborative gameplay, with hand-sewing). The game is designed to be played solo, but the game booklet will also include suggestions on how to play this as a 2 person game(using a single game kit), or communally in a larger group. A Mending can be also played as a system-agnostic storytelling module for other roleplaying games.

Because of this game's card and map elements, it is recommended that you print and prepare a physical copy of this game. If you can prepare a cloth version of the map, and embroider your path on it, it will reflect the intended pacing of the game the best. Of course, you can also play the game in its entirety using paper and pen.

This download includes the printable files to make your own version of A Mending, and the instruction booklet as a .pdf. 

Please note that this is not a ready-to-play game from the moment you download the files. Because of this game's card and map elements, it is recommended that you print and prepare a physical copy of this game. Several people have made their own versions of the game - I think you'll have fun making a physical copy of the game!

This document has printing recommendations; I recommend reviewing it so you know your game prep options!

This is what is included in the download:

1. CARD FILES 
   1. 48 cards, as individual .jpg files, as well as the card back designs.
   2. 48 cards, as a 6 page .pdf. (a separate file from the main download) 
2. MAP FILES
   1. The cloth map, in color and B&W .jpg files. The map measures 18"x18", 300dpi.
   2. The paper map, as a .jpg file. 14"x15", 300 dpi.
   3. The separated cloth map lineart as two .jpg files, for screenprinting. 
3. THE BOOKLET
   1. The game booklet, as a .pdf.
4. TEMPLATES
   1. Blank templates for the cards, as well as the border for the map.

A Mending by Shing Yin Khor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.