The Almanac of Sanguine Paths
A downloadable game
Listen to the (were)wolf within and delve deep into the Almanac of Sanguine Paths. Reveal its mysteries, communicate with others of your kind, and discover what sacrifices you'll make in pursuit of your ambitions in this journaling and epistolary game for 1-2 players.
Winner of The Awards 2024.
The Almanac of Sanguine Paths is a journaling game where your letters drive the action. Choose your genre, build your world, and discover the joys of corresponding as a werewolf via a secret society with unknown motives. This game can be used alone or in conjunction with Dead Letter Society (Honorable Mention, 2023 Indie Groundbreaker Awards).
Be (more than) a monster
The Almanac of Sanguine Paths is a guide delivered to werewolves by an unknown benefactor, containing methods of exchanging information between its holders.
Your Almanac may be an old book filled with information about the phase of the moon and the tides, a newsletter that keeps escaping your junk mail filter, or an indie gaming zine thrust into your hands one day. No matter its format, the origin of this benign text is unknown to you for now. Once in your hands, however, you begin to notice oddities: Pages glisten in moonlight; a sound mimics your favourite bird call; pictures move when you're not looking. You can’t discard the Almanac for long; it always comes back to you.
You are sure there's more to uncover—either about the book or the person(s) who sent it to you—but you'll need help. The first hidden message you discover tells you how to contact other werewolves with an Almanac: securely, secretly, and—if you choose—anonymously. Together, you can find out what it means to walk the Sanguine Paths.
Features
- A werewolf journaling game that adapts to your preferred play style and genre.
- A letter writing game without the waiting. You've always something to do.
- Tarot-driven and intention-based journaling. Decide what you'd like to do, then draw and answer a journaling prompt to develop the idea.
- Immersive world and character building.
- Game variants for both solo and two-player games.
- Six pre-built worlds: Modern Day, Rome: Republic to Empire, The Tea Time Detective Club, Gothic, Lovecraftian London, and The Generation Ships.
- Twelve pre-built characters (two per pre-built world).
- Twelve ‘letters of introduction’ to inspire your games, one per pre-built character.
- 200+ (A5) pages, illustrated throughout with wolf- and tarot-inspired handmade artwork, with thorough examples of each section of the game.
You will need
- 1-2 players
- Safety tools of your choice
- A place to write your letters and journal
- A tarot deck or a method of generating random numbers.
If you prefer video...
The following videos in this playlist give full examples of each stage of the game, culminating in a playthrough:
The Almanac of Sanguine Paths game guide and playthrough
Testimonials
A thought provoking, mysterious epistolary game that inspires the imagination like the full moon inspires a good, long howl. – @gothHoblin
The Almanac of Sanguine Paths is a journaling game unlike any other. Endless options exist for the creation and exploration of both inner and outer worlds as you face the shadows of your past and present, and exchange experiences that help you define who and what you are. And what you are—is a werewolf. – @SkaldofShenan
This is an incredibly thoughtful game, the fact that it is letter based gives you time to think and ruminate, making interactions incredibly personal and thoughtful. – Therizinosaurus Cheloniformis
100% HUMAN MADE
This game is proudly human made (i.e. me, Rori). All of the artwork is made traditionally using pen, brush, and a beautiful handmade ink from Night Forest Botanical that was distilled under a full moon.
Note: Softcover and special edition print versions of this game will be available after Kickstarter backers
Updated | 20 days ago |
Status | In development |
Category | Physical game |
Rating | Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars (19 total ratings) |
Author | Rori Montford |
Tags | duet, duet-rpg, epistolary, journaling, letter, Solo RPG, Tarot, Tabletop role-playing game, Two Player, werewolf |
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community copies
If you can't afford a copy of the game right now, you can claim one of these. The initial pool of 337 community copies is thanks to those who backed the Kickstarter campaign -- thank you!
These copies will be released in groups of 10 every Tuesday, or whenever the available number reaches zero, until they are depleted.
Every print and pdf sale contributes one more copy to the pool of community copies. If there are no copies left in the pool, and you need one, contact me and I'll get one to you no questions asked.
Download demo
Development log
- The Art of Sanguine LettersMay 14, 2024
- Print proof corrections madeApr 17, 2024
- v1.0 is here!Apr 04, 2024
- Early-March Art UpdateMar 10, 2024
Comments
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I just found this today and had to pick it up immediately!
I specifically like the section in "Building the world" where you say: "You’re a human who transforms into an animal, or an animal that transforms into a human. This animal is usually, but not always, a wolf."
That reminds me of the Changing Breeds book from Werewolf the Apocalypse and gives me so much flexibility in how to handle my story. Most of the time, I want to be a wolf but there will be times where I want to be a bear or a fox or a tiger.
Thank you for adding that into your game. Can't wait to dig in!
I'm glad it helps you tell your story :) I'm a firm believer in saying "this is what I'm assuming, but it is absolutely okay if it's not quite the case for your story and you should interpret it how you need." Because I have to assume something to write the prompts, but *also* keep it open enough that it doesn't shut down anyone's ideas.
In the end, it's the story you tell that matters most. The game's there to support you, not the other way around :)
I hope you have fun with it!
Is there any chance of you releasing your own tarot deck to go with the games? The art you’ve already done is spectacular.
Thank you so much for the compliment!
Making a tarot deck is something I would love to do, but it's such a lot of work that it would realistically take a few years to complete. So one day, maybe, but certainly not soon.