Hi r/Playtesters !
I am introducing some new post guidelines. The purpose of these changes are to make the subreddit cleaner and easier to use.
Moving forward the only approved post type will be text posts. If you want to include game footage/images, please embed them in the post.
Post flairs:
Paid Playtest:
A post from a developer to search for play-testers. Only use this flair if you’re offering payment for completion of a play-test or for finding a bug. Cash or Crypto only, no other form of reward counts as a paid playtest. Include the amount you're offering, a short description of the game, and how you would like to receive feedback (through a google form, Reddit comments, etc)
Unpaid Playtest:
Another form of post from a developer to search for play-testers. Use this flair if you are not able to offer money for play-testers. You may offer other rewards, such as credits or in game currency, but that would still fall under this category. Include a short description of the game, and how you would like to receive feedback (through a google form, Reddit comments, etc)
Playtester:
To make a post searching for games to play-test, use this flair. Feel free to specify what types of games you would like to play, and if you’re looking for compensation.
Discussion:
Use this flair for general discussion posts about play-testing.
Please be aware of the risks before accepting paid play-test offers. Moderators cannot ensure that promised payment will be sent.
Please leave a comment or send a mod-mail if you have feedback on these changes, we would love to hear from you.
Be careful who you playtest for, they might make you lose your time.
By the way, here's the original post in case it gets deleted:
[[THX to everyone - got loads of testers.
[Hiring] PC Playtesters for Survival-Racing-Crafting game ($5–$10 via PayPal)
Hey r/playtesters! Looking for ~10–15 paid testers for a physics-based survival-racing-crafting game on PC. Paid spots are strictly limited — first come, first served!
Choose your option:
Option A ($10 USD): ~60 mins gameplay. Screen recording + mic (live reactions). Basic/broken English is totally fine! Upload to unlisted YouTube or Google Drive.
Option B ($5 USD): ~45–60 mins played. No recording needed. Detailed written feedback form + Steam playtime screenshot (constructive answers only, no 1-word spam).
Option C (Free / Just want to play): No deadlines, no pressure. Just want to try the game? I'll gladly send you a free key. Leaving feedback is completely up to you — this game is a genuine passion project made with heart, so even checking it out means the world to me.
Rules:
Platform: Windows PC (Steam key provided).
Deadline (for A & B): Submit within 72 hours of receiving your key.
Payment: Sent via PayPal promptly after reviewing your video link or form submission.
Edit: I can't insert images in the post, I'll try inserting them in the comments.
Edit 2: He saw the Reddit post and my complaints in the public Discord, chickened out and decided to pay me. Still, do NOT trust this dev at all. More people in the Discord server have also spoken up about not getting their payment or it taking days, even weeks.
I’m building Playtest Platform — a marketplace connecting developers with real people who test their games, apps, and websites.
Getting useful feedback is hard. Friends might be too polite, and finding people who represent your actual users can take time and money.
Playtest Platform is designed to make that process easier. For developers:
Post a test for free.
Get written reports, screen recordings with testers thinking aloud, or live calls.
Set your own requirements, prices, and acceptance criteria.
Pay only for work you accept.
See recurring problems and themes across testers. For testers:
Get paid to try real products and explain your experience.
Keep 80% of payments for accepted work, plus 100% of tips.
Choose between written reports, recorded sessions, and live calls.
Build a public track record as you complete tests.
Recordings are transcribed on our own servers using open-source AI models rather than being sent to outside AI companies.
I’m preparing to launch and looking for people interested in either side of the marketplace. If you’re a developer, what would make you want to use a service like this? If you’re a tester, what would make a test worth your time?
You can check it out and join the waitlist here: https://playtestplatform.com
Developers, testers, or both are welcome.
I'm an independent developer working on Capture Pals: The Jade Plains, a retro-inspired 2D monster-catching RPG for Android.
The game features original collectible creatures called Cappals, turn-based battles, exploration, evolutions, and team building. It's still early in development, but there's already a playable demo!
What I'm looking for:
I'm trying to meet Google Play's closed testing requirements and need volunteers willing to join the testing program for 14 consecutive days.
I'm not asking anyone to grind for hours or write detailed reports. Just join the test, stay opted in for the two weeks, and hopefully spend a little time exploring what I've built.
If you encounter bugs, have suggestions, or simply want to share your thoughts, I'd genuinely appreciate the feedback. It's completely optional.
A few things to know:
\- Android devices only.
\- You'll need a Google Play account.
\- Testing is completely free.
\- No payment or rewards are available at this time.
\- This is an early build, so expect some rough edges!
If you're interested, comment below or send me a Reddit DM. I'll need the email associated with your Google Play account privately so I can add you to the tester list and provide access instructions.
Thank you to anyone willing to give a small indie developer a chance. Every tester helps bring Capture Pals one step closer to release!
About the game: A 10-player social deduction + 2D action game hybrid. Think Among Us, but players make paths through caves with TNT and swing by grappling hook while they kill creepy critters by torchlight, collect buried treasure, and try to sus out the cursed players, taking them out by crossbow or meeting vote. Uses open mic proximity chat in the world, and group voice chat in meetings.
Server hosting is currently Central US, so you'll probably want less than 150 ping to that area. You are also welcome to host your own server in your area. The game is currently free to download.
Hi! I have over 50 games playtesting experience and I would be happy to playtest your game for 10-30 minutes in exchange for registering in our small tournament for our Steam Demo game for free.
I can provide honest feedback on these areas
- Overall Experience
- Onboarding/Tutorial
- UI/UX
- Game balance/pacing
Let me know if you are interested! Comment or DM me. Thank you 😁
Hello all - looking for Testflight testers for my new game called Dugout Dice. The game is English, but has compatibility with Spanish, German, French, Korean, Japanese. If anyone could test in those languages I would like it but all welcome.
I made the game myself from scratch and have tested extensively, but my pre-orders are skyrocketing because my game is being featured on "Upcoming Games We Love" which I am incredibly grateful, but not super prepared for, this is something I am building on the side for fun.
Any chance I can find 5 testers for $10 (Venmo) to run through it and look for weird looks, bad UI, confusing verbiage, just general wtf is this? I am doing this 100% solo and I am likely overlooking blatant mistakes. I def DO NOT need like a full breakdown or recording of you playing, that's insane. But maybe run through a season or two, do a daily diamond, check out the pro version (free on IOS) and let me know what seems off?
Hey everyone! I’m the solo developer of PokeHiLo, and I’m looking for people to test the first 10–15 minutes and tell me where things feel confusing or frustrating.
It’s a free Pokemon browser game with two main modes:
Higher or Lower: compare two Pokemon across different stats and categories, trying to keep your streak going.
Trivia: answer timed Pokemon questions with lifelines.
There’s also persistent progression with collectible Mini Companions, egg hatching, evolution, trading, expeditions, daily puzzles, and achievements.
What I’d like tested:
Is it clear how to start playing and what each mode involves?
How does the difficulty feel during your first few runs?
Is the progression easy to understand, or are there too many systems introduced at once?
Do you encounter layout problems, lag, audio issues, or other bugs?
You can try the main gameplay as a guest. Creating an account is optional for this test, but necessary if you want to test saved progression and the collection features.
Platform: Desktop or mobile browser. No download required. Compensation: Unpaid. Play:https://pokehilo.com
Please leave feedback in the Reddit comments, along with your device and browser. Even a few sentences about where you got stuck or why you stopped would help.
Hey Crumpaloo here, this will be the 4th playtest for this game, but seeing as some of you may only be hearing about it for the first time, heres a general premise of the game:
Mine and Climb your way through the cotton candy clouds in search of your lost balloons, Drillgirl features fast-paced, addictive runs in a cute and colorful art style, taking inspiration from arcade action games from the 2010's like Burrito Bison, Downwell, as well as the mother of all mining games, Motherload, to create a experience that blends the endless runner/climbing games of yester year with modern approaches to game design and satisfying progression.
Playtesters needed: About 3, although it may change depending on whats found in the playtest.
Requirements: Must be able to provide a portfolio
Payment Method: Paypal / 10$
Requested Playtime: From Start to Finish ( Roughly 30~ minutes )
Whats expected: Currently in the polishing stages, so pointing out any visual inconsistencies or perceived balancing issues with game mechanics inside of the game.
Hi all! We’re looking for playtesters for Mission to the Lost Galaxy, a sci-fi city builder where your space station travels with you across the galaxy.
What's it about?
Build your space station in this 1960s sci-fi city builder, where a galaxy of strange new worlds awaits! Manage an intrepid crew, meet bizarre alien species, and uncover the secrets of the lost galaxy.
Features
Build and optimize your station to keep your crew healthy and happy
Explore over 50+ unique star systems and expand infrastructure across the galaxy
Survey planets, collect resources, manage supply chains and automate production
Uncover ancient mysteries, meet wacky aliens, and possibly end up saving the galaxy
The game is made by a solo dev with the rest of our tiny team spanning the US to France and New Zealand. We're all extremely passionate about the project and excited for more players to join us on our journey. :)
We are looking for playtesters with elaborate experience in Balatro-likes.
Compensation:
$10 USD via PayPal once your survey and written report are accepted
A Steam beta key for the full version of Eightfold
At least 3 hours of play in total, starting with a first session of about 2 hours in one sitting. Take notes as you go
Fill out our feedback survey (about 20minutes)
Write a report in your own words: where you got lost, where you froze on a decision, what clicked, which mechanics you liked and disliked and what might be missing.
Survey and report within 7 days of receiving your key
Streaming, recording and screenshots are allowed. Video is not required, but appreciated
**Game:** Kith Moot, a fantasy role-playing game in your browser (phone or computer). Solo, or up to four players at one table.
**What it is:** you type what your character does, an AI narrator tells the story, and the game engine rolls the dice and runs the rules on the fifth edition SRD. The narrator can't overrule the dice.
**What I need tested:**
**The first 30 minutes.** Sign-up, making a character, and the starter dungeon. Where did you get confused or bored?
**Combat.** Does it feel fair? Did the story ever describe something the dice didn't back up?
**Coming back.** After your first session, would you play a second? Why or why not?
**Time needed:** one 30–60 minute session, play as much as you'd like if you enjoy it.
**How to report:** the "Report a bug" button in the game, a reply here, or the Discord linked in the game. I read and answer everything, and most bugs get fixed the same day.
I'm James from Fairlady Media. We're looking for iPhone and iPad players to test the opening of Bust A Marble: Encore, a marble-chaining puzzle game where the soundtrack builds as you score.
Platform: iPhone or iPad, through Apple's TestFlight app.
Time: About 5–10 minutes, whenever convenient.
Compensation: Unpaid. The public beta is free.
What to test:
Start a new game and try the first two levels. Getting stuck is useful feedback too.
Try a short chain and then a longer one.
Listen to how the song changes as your score grows.
What we'd like to know:
Did you understand how to connect marbles and release the chain?
Did anything about the touch controls feel awkward or unresponsive?
How did the music progression feel, and where did you get confused or stuck?
Feedback method: Reply to this thread or use Send Beta Feedback in TestFlight. For a bug, please include your device, iOS/iPadOS version, level number and what happened. A few sentences are enough; no recording or call is required.
Music was created using Suno and arranged into layers for the game. Thank you for taking a look!
Description: We're working on Gravfront, a browser-based 2D top-down shooter featuring casual and competitive game modes with BOTS! No downloads needed — just open it in your browser and jump straight into the action!
We're looking for people to test the game and share their thoughts on the gameplay, combat, and overall experience. Any feedback or bug reports would be greatly appreciated!
Join the lobby and get gaming! 🔥🎯
Free to Play Status:
[x] Free to play
[ ] Demo/Key available
[ ] Paid (Allowed only on Tuesdays with [TT] in the title)
Involvement: I am the lead Admin and Co-Developer.
Anyone want to try a VR fishing game I'm making? It's called Open Water.
It's fishing the way it actually feels: cast, watch the line, set the hook, play the fish on the drag, and earn cash for better gear. You've got your own cabin, a lake, a surf beach, and you can fish with friends and talk while you do it.
Heads up, it's early and buggy. That's kind of the point. I'm looking for people who'll play it and then tell me what's good, what's broken and what feels off in the group. It's free and runs on Quest 2, 3 and 3S.
Interested? Comment or DM me and I'll add you to the private testers group.
Have experience with past Indie titles such as Hazumi for the 3DS. I did play testing and coverage for that and know how to give positive, yet helpful advice on how to polish a title and elevate it slightly.
Please do NOT offer monetary incentive. I do this for my love of Indie games, and games in-general.
I'm the owner of Raise a Fruit Pet!, a Roblox game published by me. You plant and water seeds that hatch into fruit-themed pets, then grow your orchard and collection.
I'm looking for volunteers to try the opening and tell me where it becomes confusing or frustrating. Phone and PC feedback are both useful.
Roblox currently limits this game's access to age-checked 16+ users and trusted friends. Use your existing Roblox account; there is no separate application or identity information to send me.
I'd especially appreciate answers to these:
Was it clear how to get, plant and water your first seed?
Did the plant visibly grow and hatch correctly? Was the pet centered in the reveal window?
What made you want to continue—or stop playing?
Please leave feedback in the comments with your device type (phone or PC). If you cannot join, the exact error text is useful too. This is voluntary and unpaid; there is no required play duration or rating. If you stop before the first hatch, knowing where and why is valuable feedback.
What it is:
Gloria is a small persistent text-world that already turns (Year 30, Day 124, tick 2123). Not a classic RPG where you create a char and the world starts. You open a window on a world that already lives. Playable entirely via WhatsApp.
What I need tested (5 min):
- Can you understand what to do with just .aide and bonjour? No voice tutorial.
- Is the tick system (.état) readable? Do you get that NPCs are doing PATROL / WATCH / DRILL without you?
- Does the atmospheric description (JO SEUIL) + character sheet (J3 FICHE FIEF) make you want to come back tomorrow?
How to join:
1. DM me, I send WhatsApp bot link
2. Send `bonjour`
3. Play how you want (.entrer <nom>,.fiche,.mj <action>)
4. Come back or not tomorrow - I observe what you really do
Platform: WhatsApp (mobile), French-first but commands work in EN, 15 min
Build:Live already, not a prototype
Slots:5 for this round to keep feedback sharp
Feedback focus: first 2 minutes confusion + would you return D+1?
TradeWays is a transport management game on a real world map: you pick a home base among 1,000+ real cities and move goods by road, rail, sea and air. It's a solo project, in open testing on Google Play (free). For now the test is open only in Italy, the UK and the US.
What I need help with:
- Does the economy feel fair — too generous, too slow, contracts that never pay off?
- Is the first hour clear, or do you get stuck?
- Anything that crashes or looks wrong.
How long: about 30–60 minutes is enough for useful feedback. Android only.
About money, so there are no surprises: there's an ad every 7 minutes and optional gem packs from €1.99. Gems buy shortcuts (in-game cash, instant arrivals), not locked content. I'd also like to know if that feels fair.
I'm the creator of Apokerlypse, a Texas Hold'em browser game currently in beta. I'm looking for an unpaid interface playtest on phone, tablet or desktop. You don't need to finish a match: a few hands and notes on confusing moments would help.
No account or download. Free to play, with virtual chips only.
Suggested test (about 5–10 minutes):
From the homepage, choose "Practice against bots", select Standard and start with 3 opponents.
Play a few hands. Check whether you can identify the acting player, the amount to call, each player's bet and the hand winner without searching around the screen.
Open hand history. If you're on a phone/tablet, also rotate the device and check whether the table and action buttons remain usable.
Please leave feedback in the comments with your device/browser, what confused you, and any steps that reproduce a problem. Screenshots of overlap or cut-off controls would be especially useful.
If you want to test another state, Extraction mode uses rising blinds, elimination and a progressively damaged floating table. I'd like to know whether the effects obscure useful information, but testing that mode is optional.
Disclosure: this project uses AI-assisted coding and generated visual assets. This is an unpaid test; there is no purchase required or compensation offered.
I've been working on a game called VocaBound where you move to Taiwan with almost nothing and have to learn Mandarin to build a life there.
Instead of going through traditional lessons, you explore the world, talk to people, find work, and learn the language through everyday situations.
We're still developing the game and looking for people who would be interested in testing early builds and giving us feedback.
You don't need to know any Mandarin! We're especially interested in complete beginners, but we'd also love to have people who already know some Chinese.
Beta testing is completely free. We're starting with Windows PC, and we'll email people when their testing group is ready.
I'm an indie developer working on my first game that I'll release on Google Play. It's an Android arcade horror game made with Godot, and I'm looking for people willing to give it a try and share some honest feedback.
The game features procedural dungeon generation for keeping dungeon layouts varied.
I'm looking for feedback on:
Gameplay, controls, and difficulty
Dungeon generation and environment design
Bugs, glitches, or anything that feels confusing
Since I'm an indie developer working on a budget, I can't offer money yet. However, I'd love to help other indie developers in return!
What I can offer:
Credit in my game as a tester.
Reciprocal playtesting: if you're developing a game yourself, I'll gladly test your game and provide feedback whenever you need it down the line.
You don't need to be a developer yourself. If you enjoy games and are willing to share your honest thoughts, I'd really appreciate your help.
If you're interested, leave a comment or send me a DM, and I'll share the details.
I'm making Dreadmark on my own, a hard gothic top-down ARPG, and its free demo opens in Steam Next Fest on Monday 19 October. Before it goes public I'm looking for a few people who like to dig into a game and write up what they find.
You get a Steam key for the demo, and an hour or two is plenty. What helps me most is commentary videos, but any feedback/review is greatly valued. There is a Feedback button in the game that sends me a report with a screenshot, so you can write it down right where it happens.
It's unpaid, so play as much or as little as you like. Comment or DM me and I'll send you a key.
I finished the first version of my new solo-journaling, romance dungeon crawler game, “Love in a Place Like This?”!
It’s still in the very early stages, but I’d really appreciate it if someone could try to play it!
It’s based on he/she loves me, he/she loves me not. That’s the simple game where you take a flower and alternate he loves me, he loves me not, as you rip of petals, the phrase you say as you rip the last petal off telling you the result.
If you prefer you can skip right to how to play, but here’s an overview:
To play, you make a journal from a note book or folded stack of papers.
Write prompts with options telling you to “pull” a specific number of petals on the early pages, along with a few visual aids like a mood tracker.
Next prepare the latter pages so they are partially cut into strips to blindly tear or fold over by touch, representing the petals.
Once the notebook is prepared, you can take it and a pencil anywhere, and play anytime you want with ease!
You encounter prompts as you turn the pages, make choices, and “pull petals” accordingly.
If you end on they love me the relationship improves, and if you end on they love me not it worsens.
Whether a number to pull is even or odd can tell you what the result of a choice will be, but the option to tailor your response to what will improve a relationship is an important part of romance games!
Plus with randomly ordered prompts with options that limit whether you can improve a relationship or at what cost, and the end of pages or pre-folded page breaks stopping pulls early making them an apparent 50/50, things aren’t always predictable or safe.
Theres some more nuance to it, but we’ll get into it later.
I hope that sounds interesting to some of you! Heres step by step set of instructions on how to play.
How to play.
Preparing the notebook:
1. Create 2 characters and a scenario.
I made a bold, inexperienced cadet fresh out of the academy in some sort of military as my player character, and their experienced but uptight and slightly snarky superior officer as their love interest.
Its good to make characters that can be at odds at first, starting with a bit of tension. Feel free to consider yourself the narrator instead of focusing on one of the two characters’ perspectives.
For the scenario what type of “dungeon” the characters are forced to escape or explore and why they are there is important.
Mine were on a mission to scout an abandoned space station when the ship they were crew of suddenly left without them.
Because the prompts I wrote are designed around the idea of scifi exploration, if you come up with your own scenario it should fit with that. It should also be an isolated environment with escape and survival being uncertain, but the rest is up to you. You could have the two characters wake up from cryostasis to find everyone else on the ship dead, or the ship they came in on destroyed, the stars are the limit!
2. Create the mood trackers.
Draw five expressions on the front page of the notebook or booklet made out of a folded stack of papers, from angry to blushing/in love.
Add two dots next the each face.
If you want, add a phrase or two based on how you think the love interest would react to situations and choices based on the relationship/mood level.
Circle the lower dot next to whichever face represents their relationship starting out. I selected the second lowest face.
Also write down whatever version of the phrase they love me, they love me not, applies to your characters so you can mark which phrase to start with next.
(Something like this!)
3. Create or select prompts
For now use the provided prompts. You can decide to use all 15, or only 10 or 5 and pick the ones you like.
Write the ones you select into the next pages of the journal, or at least their title and the corresponding options. You can find the example prompts after the preparing the journal section is finished.
Alternatively, if you plan to have a device open while you play, you can use the prompts on the provided list without writing them down in the journal. This step is just for if you want a fully portable experience.
4. Number pages with prompts
Now that you know what prompts you are going to use, you need a way to randomly encounter them. If you are using a phone or computer alongside the journal rather than writing in prompts, you can just use a random number generator each time you turn a page/finish an entry to see what number prompt to use.
But, if you are using only pencil and paper the way I suggest handling randomization is randomly numbering both the pages of the journal and the prompts. That way when you turn a page a new number presents itself and it corresponds to a prompt. This can be a bit hard to keep track of or do in a way you don’t remember, so heres some tips.
a. Write down a list of numbers somewhere, one by one, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… untill you reach the number of prompts you are going to use.
b. Next write x down on whatever page you intend to start journaling, the one after the prompt list ends. This is where you will write the inro.
c. Turn the page or the next page so that you can no longer see the x you wrote down, then randomly write one of the numbers from your list. Cross it off on the list.
d. Repeat this till all of the numbers have been used, then randomly number the prompts you wrote down with the same set of numbers, or use the order they are in already as numbers when journaling.
(Here the number four is visible on the left page, but there is none visible on the right, if you turn the right page you will se another random number, not 5)
5. Transcribe banes and boons.
Sometimes a prompt will provide an additional benefit or consequence for a they love me or they love me not result. These are called banes and boons.
Write them in the journal on the last page. (Again, this step is unnecessary if you plan to use this document as a reference while journaling).
6. Create petals.
Starting with the second to last page of the journal, make cuts along the right edge of the page so that foldable paper strips appear. They can be short cuts, its fine if the majority of the page is still connected.
Don’t track how many cuts you are making, but about ten provides a good set. There will hopefully be pages with an even number of cuts as well as odd but not a fully equal amount of each, leave it up to fate as much as you can.
Finally, at a few pages randomly rip out or pre fold over a petal, making a page break before the page ends.
(It should look something like this. In this cases pages with pre-folded petals are next to each other, try to avoid doing that all the time. On the right page you can see a particularly thick petal near the end, varying size can make where the page ends a biiiiiit harder to tell)
I’m not totally sure how many pages should be cut per number of prompt, but I did 15 prompts and cut 6, which was a bit generous. Try 5 for 15, 3 for 10, 2 for 5 maybe. Whether you select prompts that have a benefit for hitting a page end effects things as well.
With that you have fully prepared the journal and can begin play, or wait and begin at a later time. The next section will cover actually playing the game, first…
Here are the example prompts and boons.
Prompts: prompts feature choices, each with a number of petals to pull. Even ones keep the mood going, generally resulting in whatever result the last one did, positive or negative, while odd ones switch up the vibe and often yield the opposite. The higher the number, the more risky or draining in term of resources, mental and physical state, or just luck the choice will be.
Sometimes prompts will have special rewards or conditions, especially if you hit a page break. In general though, you move the mood tracker one up or down one circle if you do not hit a page break, and two circles, thus a full face, if you do. More on that later.
The Flood: As you reach about halfway across the seamless walled room, it begins to rapidly flood with liquid.
Try to run or float across it before it floods completely5 petals. If page break hit they love you not does not decrease relationship.
Find a safe place to wait it out, huddled together for warmth 4 petals. It might be a raised platform or air pocket in a full flood. If page break hit relationship goes up a single dot in addition to any other change.
The Feeble: You encounter a lone, weak creature or robot. It doesn’t seeeeeem threatening.
Move past it, sneaking by or killing it 2 petals.
Try to tame it, 5 petals. If you hit a page break, it is tamed successfully on they love me, gain a boon. On they love me not taming fails and it is hostile. If you do not hit a page break you can decide taming success or base it on the result as you wish, it has no mechanical effect.
The observatory: you enter a room with strange and captivating apparatus, a giant telescope, vast windows with touch screen displays, or powerful radar that you can almost feel.
Move on 0 petals. Nothing occurs.
Spend time observing or investigating3 petals. If you hit a page break, you gain knowledge that brings hope or despair, enlightenment or insanity, bane or boon in line with result.
The nightmare: The two of you take a chance to rest, finding safety or simply overwhelming exhaustion. In your dreams, it finds you.
Let terror overtake you 0 petals. Decrease the relationship by a single dot.
Search for yourself within, or be swept up by, a deeper darkness. Pull petals till you hit a page break and gain a bain if they love you not. Results are otherwise normal for a full stop.
The chasm: A great gash of rended mettle and sparking wires, void peaking through, lies between you and the path forward. Weightless, you must use tethers to cross.
You pass over the chasm 1 at a time 5 petals. If you hit a page break, and they love you not, instead of moving relationship down: Pull petals till the next full stop, spending a page. If they love you not again, the love interest is lost in space. They can communicate through coms for the rest of the dungeon, as they drift further and further out into space, doomed. If the relationship is full and you complete all prompts, there may be a way to save them… up to you.
Walk together, tethered to each other 3 petals. If you hit a page break, and they love you not, instead of moving relationship down: Pull petals till the next full stop spending a page, if they love you not again, you are both lost in space. See ending, all petals used.
The garden: you find yourselves in a lucious garden, strange fruits and creatures you’ve never seen or the familiar, nostalgic sight of the flora of your home world(s).
Enjoy and move on, 0 petals. The relationship goes up one circle.
Spend time foraging, pull petals till a page break. If he loves me gain a boon as well as usual result, if they love you not, the relationship remains the same.
The escape pods: the pods are functional, but there is no navigation system to aid their path, they will simply travel in a straight line in space till they run out of fuel. life support fades.
Move on, pull two petals. Your hopes are dashed. For now.
Use them, all the remaining petals in the journal, ending your journey. Each time you reach a page break, record the result and continue. If two thirds are they love me, you both reach safety or are discovered before life support runs out, otherwise you both meet your end. Can pick this option after this room has been encountered, but if there are not at least 3 page breaks when it is used, it auto fails, your luck has already been spent.
The crew: The room is filled with barely functional suspended animation units, some of them have occupants, injured or on the edge of life and death some… just not right.
Try and save them 6 petals. If page break hit boon or bane accordingly. Some may be so changed from the experience they attack, no one can be saved for long either way, (it is always just you and your love interest against the world) but you may be able to give some of them closure or learn something valuable.
Move on, or shut of life support and let them end, 1 petal pulled.
The dragon, how!? Scales gleaming, eyes burning, talons rending at metal and air, breath hot and foul enough to turn flesh fetid, what should not be is.
Your only chance is to run 2 petals. If page break hit, pull another page. If you get they love me twice, you are stopped but you miraculously slay the beast, gain two boons. If the result is mixed you barely escape with your lives. If you get they love me not twice it overcomes you, see end all petals spent.
Genetic alterations lab: a room full of glowing displays and blinking buttons, and two tubes of pulsing liquid, quivering almost in time with the beating of your heart.
Run last programmed experiment 5 petals. What monstrosity or miracle is created? What was this lab, maybe even this station, for? Boon or bane according to result.
Try to program a new experiment 3 petals. On they love you, you may choose to do The feeble prompt as well, even if you have done it before.
Move on 0 petals. Nothing happens, after a look around the area you leave it, learning and gaining little.
Robo tea party: you encounter a group of robots, gathered around a table, raising delicate cups to face plates and trickling, tea? In and over themselves. A gesture or word of invitation.
Join 3 petals. Decide whether it goes well or poorly, the petals tell you how that impacts the relationship.
Decline 2 petals. If this results in they love you not, even due to a full stop, a fight breaks out, pull two additional petals after the result.
Leviathan song: Creatures resembling whales pass by, swimming through space, creating a beautiful song where there should be no sound.
Stay a while and listen 0 petals. Relationship improves one dot.
Hunt them for their power 5 petals. Perhaps out of foreknowledge of their usefulness, or legends, or out of fear or desperation to use anything you can to save yourselves, you find a way to hunt the peaceful beasts. Whether you get they love you or they love you not, gain a boon, any one you like, even ones that you normally couldn’t. Relationship is effect as normal.
Message in a bottle: drifting through space, something catches your eye. A glass jar with a paper in it?
Move on, 0 petals. Do not decide what is in the bottle, you will never know.
Try to obtain and open it 5 petals. Decide/discover what is in the bottle perhaps based on the result from the petals. Does it bring a message of good tidings or ill? Perhaps something more than just a message, something dangerous.
Dopplegangers: you encounter two figures, indistinguishable from you and your partner. They are not friendly. This prompt is a mess, but was quite fun to use.
Face yourself, 4 petals. By mind, tongue, or arms you prevail. A result of they love you functions as normal. On they love you not however, you lose track of what happens to your partner. On a result of they love you not, circle the current mood before you decrease it. Continue play as normal. If you would get a bain, instead it is revealed that your partner was replaced! Reset mood to where it was circled and lose a page (of petals) dealing with the doppleganger/finding your partner. If you would get a boon first, instead you find proof your partner is the real one, move relationship up a full level. If you encounter neither, and reach the end of the game with full romance, the doppleganger is revealed, reset the mood to where it was circled and either reunite with your partner… or decide to escape with the doppleganger, having learned to rely on them and giving your relationship with it a chance. If you reach the end without full romance… you may never know the truth… or perhaps your character learns in the future far, far too late to stop what is coming.
Face your partner, 4 petals. Gain two banes on he loves you not. (Yeah… figured the other one was so complicated I wouldn’t work to hard on this one, it sort of incentives risking the doppleganger though. That’s neat).
Boons and banes: some prompts provide additional benefits and consequences, most you can only select once. There is one of each however, that can be selected as often as you get a boon or bane, but only once you’ve used all other options. You can also get a boon by increasing your relationship when it is maxed or a bane by decreasing it when it is at minimum.
List Boons:
Skip a prompt when you want, repeatable, can only select if all other boons are gone.
Advance the relationship two dots.
Every time relationship increases by two dots, increase it by an additional dot.
Your next choice on a prompt takes 2 less petals.
Switch loves me/loves me not tracker once.
List Banes:
You must pull all the petals on a page, repeatable, do not select unless all other banes are gone.
Lower relationship by two dots.
Every time the relationship decreases by two dots, decrease it by an additional dot
Rip three petals.
You must tear double the petals on your next choice
You are ready to begin play
1. Intro
On the page marked x, Journal whatever you like about… your characters… how the adventure starts for them… the gist of their relationship… how they arrive in the “dungeon” they must try to explore or escape… and what it first appears like.
Its not a bad idea to have a mystery in mind, something you’ll decide the truth of based on better prompts. In the intro my characters arrived on the station, had a little back and forth, and then were shocked to see their ship leave without them. Neither trying to make contact or wait worked so they were forced to explore the station for something to help them. I did not know why the ship left starting out just like the characters, but decided the answer based on prompts that resonated.
2. Find out what the first prompt is and begin journaling.
Turn to the first numbered page or digitally generate a number. Check back to the prompt page and find the one that corresponds. Make your choice.
You can base it off of factors such as petal cost or the result its likely to have based on being odd or even, or just run with what you think your character(s) would do.
Begin journaling. Writing what the room looks like, your characters reactions based on personality and how they feel about each other, and how the decision on how to proceed occurs.
It might be a unanimous decision, one reached after an argument, or one character rushing forward despite the others objection. Keep their current relationship level and personalities in mind.
3. Pull the petals (you can do this before journaling at all if that helps you think of an entry better).
Reach a hand to the back of the journal, feel the last page and fold over or rip of a petal (strip of paper), then say or think they love me or they love me not depending on what you think is appropriate for them.
Pull another with the opposite phrase that you said last time if your are supposed to pull more than one, and continue until you have pulled the required number of petals.
If you end with the phrase they love me, draw a circle around the next highest dot on the mood tracker. If you end on they love me not circle down one. Erase the original circle, leaving only the new one.
On the same page as the mood tracker the phrases they love me they love me not should be present. Circle the opposite one to what you ended on, you will start with that phrase the next time you pull petals.
If you run out of petals to pull in the process of this, either reaching the end of a page, or a pre-folded petal, end the pulling early and use the phrase that you last pulled a petal with. This may change the even or odd value of petals pulled and thus the result, move the relationship tracker up or down two dots instead of one.
You can choose to tear more petals than the prompt requires as long as you do it in sets of two to keep the even/odd value. If you hit a page break this gives you a chance to get boost in relationship where you otherwise wouldn’t, and can impact some prompts more than others.
Prompts may have additional effects such as boons or banes, especially if you reach a page break, something you can choose to do by pulling extra petals, so read each one carefully. Some can even end the game early.
4. Journal the result of the choice.
Now that you know the effect the choice will have on the relationship, you can continue journaling. The stage is already set, you’ve described the problem, and how your characters are choosing to address it, now its just a matter of what happens when they do.
In some cases, particularly where boons and banes are involved, the petals may tell you how well the action goes as well as the emotional impact. Most of the time you can decide success or failure for yourself. An action might work, but still drive a wedge between the partners based on the petals, or fail but bring them closer together, even when one of the characters didn’t support the action in the first place.
Keep the characters, the before and after state of their relationship, the petal number representing risk or resource costs, and what you think would be a cool result of the prompt in mind when journaling.
In testing I did silly things like make the message in a bottle just an ad for a casino, an “out of the box”, marketing attempt. Also more serious things like tie the genetic experiment room to the dopple-gangers, and them to the reason the ship left without the characters, for me at least things seemed to come together quickly!
5. Next prompt, continue
Repeat steps 2-4 but on the next numbered page, using the marked phrase as your starting point. Think about if there are any elements of the last prompt you want to incorporate into the next ones. Are supplies running low or an injury a lasting threat? Did someone find a useful object or learn something about the station? What does it all mean for this encounter?
Continue until you run out of prompts or petals.
6. Ending the game.
The game ends if a prompt says it does, you run out of petals, or arrive at the last prompt and resolve it.
If you reach the last prompt, ignore the number of petals and tear until the next full stop, or use all that remain in the journal without stopping. The prompt, including its effect on the relationship, resolves as normal, making the state the relationship ends in one last 50/50. If you use a boon to skip the last prompt, this final 50/50 does not take place.
7. Resolving a out of petals ending.
If you ran out of petals, the party of two fails to escape the dungeon before disaster strikes, running out of food, air, or being critically harmed by a threat from the prompt you ran out of petals on.
Write a final journal entry to describe their last moments or how everything ends. You may focus on the prompt or gloss over a resolution or escape, focusing on how things take a turn after it. Take losses caused by previous prompts and the relationship level into account. Do they die in each others arms? Go their separate ways and die alone? Strike each other down in a rage?
If the relationship is at full when you run out of petals, a special option exists. One of the characters can sacrifice themselves to allow the other to escape. How this plays out in the story is up to you, but to give an example given the provided prompts, the characters could return to the escape pod room with a promise to take their chances together. Instead one stays behind in the control room, having figured out to access the stations computers over the journey, and locks the other in an escape pod as they launch it and guide it to safety from the station.
8. Resolving a out of prompts ending.
If you reach the last prompt and resolve it, the players find a way to escape, potentially related to the prompts featured throughout the journey. Once they are free from the station it has a huge impact on the relationship, represented by the last 50/50. It may bring them closer together once they can have safety and space from the other, or drive them apart.
Write an epilogue for them based on their relationship level, if it is at its highest they might immediately start a committed relationship for real, second highest, slowly find true love between each other over time, middle neither avoid nor seek each other out while the ghost of what could have been hangs over every awkward meeting, second lowest resolve never to meet the other unless forced, lowest, part sworn enemies.
For my run, the love interest was replaced with a doppelganger, but that left the relationship frozen at full, while the doppelganger appeared to lower it. They were soon revealed, and the characters reunited, they discovered the doppelgangers had been created in experiments in the genetic experiment room, and eventually figured out that the captain had been replaced by a doppelganger, getting through to their ship with a stronger communication array on the station and explaining the imposter situation, allowing the ship to return for their rescue.
Cut to an epilogue of them vacationing on the casino planet they found an ad for, the uptight love interest in a Hawaiian shirt sipping a drink. Together they realize they may have left their pet slime back on the station (cause I forgot about it completely during later prompts, oops), and the love interest smirked and suggested they return to find it, much more cavalier than they had been before the dungeon.
Heres a few optional rules that might be useful.
Feeling for petals alone can be pretty tough sometimes too, as the next pages can be felt behind the folded petals of the one you are on making things tough. Maybe try alternated cut pages and full blank pages when preparing the journal (a waste of space but oh well), or tear chunks off of full pages instead of folding precut strips, a page break happening when the right edge is completely gone. Your subconscious can influence the results that way too.
You can give a number from 1-6 for what kind of prompt the love interest might like, depending on how daring (more petals) or conservative vs eccentric they are (even vs odd). If you select a prompt that matches that number, you can change the result to they love me even if it shouldn’t be. This sets the starting phrase to they love me not for the next prompt as usual. I forgot to test this rule when playing so it might not work so well.
