Village Witch
A downloadable game
Village Witch is a solo journaling game about a witch finding a home.
Spanish version now available, provided by @ReginaOfHorror!
Built upon the Peregrine framework. You can download the SRD for free here.
Also included in the Everything bundle. Handbound copies now available! Village Witch tee available here.
You’ve completed your training and are ready to become a village witch. You’ve been sent by the order to find a village to work in and have a year to find the place you want to make your life.
To play, you need one 6-sided die, a standard deck of cards or a deck of tarot cards, and a way to record your story. Answer questions and use the given prompts corresponding with the cards to craft your story. The game is build for solo play, but includes a suggestion for how to make the game 2-player.
If you enjoy this game, I would love to hear about it! You can drop a review or tag me on Twitter.
License
If you'd like to create your own content to go alongside the game, e.g., characters, further adventures, extra card tables, etc., or remix the game entirely, you may do so for free or for profit under a Creative Commons license. Just give proper attribution with text along the lines of "A Village Witch adventure," or "A Village Witch supplement," and include the following in your documentation:
This work is based on the game Village Witch (found at https://eliotcrow.itch.io/village-witch) from Eliot Crow, and licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The files for the game include images you can use in your content if desired to show it's a supplement to Village Witch.
More information here, and check out the Village Witch game jam!
Supplements and Collaborations
If you'd like a character building supplement for your witch, my Build a Witch pack has prompts and adoptable characters.
As a supplement to Village Witch, check out the postcard game Village Witch Post! Write a letter from your character to a friend (real or fictional) telling them about your experience, using the prompts on the front to craft your letter. It can be a standalone mini game or a supplement to this one. If you use it in conjunction with your Village Witch experience, you can write letters for each season as you progress through your year, sharing your journey with your friend, or once you’ve settled into your more permanent village home.
Thanks to a request in the comments, I created a Dreamwidth community for people to share their stories and playthroughs of Village Witch! I'm so excited to get to read people's stories and it's amazing to see all your creations. Feel free to join and share!
You can also order a Village Witch tea blend created in collaboration with Friday Tea here! (affiliate link)
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $9 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 are unable to afford the cost of the game right now, or if you would like to create a similar game and want a copy for reference, please claim one of the available community copies!
Development log
- Spanish TranslationFeb 06, 2024
- Creative Commons LicenseJan 13, 2023
- OpenDyslexic versionDec 22, 2022
- A few small updatesNov 22, 2021
- Major UpdatesJul 23, 2021
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Any more community copies please?
I'm sorry for the delayed response! I just added more!
Thanks!
J'ai acheté votre jeu. Je reviendrai pour donner mon avis.
any chance of getting more community copies? Would love to check it out
Hello! I just added more!
I too would love a community copy, as I am launching another YT channel centered around indie solo/co op rpgs...and would love to play and feature this game.
I just added more! I would love to see the video if you play on your channel, so feel free to drop the link here!
Thanks so much, you're awesome.
You will see it before the public does for sure.
Are there any more community copies? I'm brand new but very interested in learning about this. Thank you!
I just added more! I hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much! I'm so excited to start my first solo rpg. Thanks again!
May I ask for some more community copies?
Done!!
Hi! I just saw that Village Witch won the Best Solo RPG in the Crit Awards!! Congratulations!!! Definitely deserved. Village Witch is a staple solo RPG in my household. Perfect with a cup of 🍵 . 💝
Hi! I just learned about the concept of solo journaling games, and it's making my heart happy after all the childhood hours I spent playing games by myself and telling stories around them. I've heard such amazing things about Village Witch! Would you mind making some more community copies available? Thank you so much!
That was so much of my childhood too! I added more community copies, and I hope you enjoy!!
Thank you! Very much appreciated 💙🥰 Happy new year!
is there a chance of more community copies anytime soon? i adore these types of games but can’t really afford to spend money on them :(
Sure! Just added more! I like to always keep some there, but hadn't checked in a bit. Thanks for asking!
thank you!!
Well, it has been since September 1st that I've been working on this. It has blossomed into a once weekly post on Mastodon sharing the story of Aspen Morningtide living in Stonehaven. It is now summer and while I started out writing aily, life has gotten mad and now I do it once a week if that, but still loving this. It is my peace in a crazy world. Here is a link to the document that is published from Docs where I write. I Then figure out how many mastodon posts on a server that allows up to 3000 characters per post it will take and put the posts up. The longest was six posts long. Most are two to four. Thank you for aw onderful little slice of happiness. I think people are really enjoying what i'm creating and it makes me happy. https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vQykr9HYVBjaSjY6n3_Cv7jth8S-LhgU...
Just wanted to drop a thank you! This is a wonderful little game, very easy to setup and just start. What started out for a fun journal solo RPG for me, has now included my son, and wife. Looking forward to finishing off the remainder of the seasons!
hi there! i'm teaching a college freshman composition class themed on games/ttrpgs and for homework this week we listened to ladytabletop's playthrough of village witch. the students really liked it and thought it was very cool the witch in the game isn't a villain and that it can include different genres. one of the students really connected to the theme of traveling to a new place to see if it can be your new home as an incoming college student and asked to play this game and write her essay on it for our first essay assignment, the personal narrative. it made me really excited she thought the game was impactful enough that she specifically asked to play this one even though she wasn't a gamer before this class!
Oh that's awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing! I'm honored, and love so much that both you used that in your class and she wants to write about it!
I am about to start playing this, have had it for awhile and just have to say a huge THANK YOU for the text only book and card list. as a screen reader user it is the most appreciated thing ever. Even the PDF works well and the card list one parces okay, but this makes it so much easier. Thank you! EDIT: Just a small note, the text only card list is missing the Major arcana from 16-21, only just noticed this, hee. I freshly downloaded these too.
I'm so glad it works well for you!! I thought I had updated the missing Major Arcana a while back, but must have uploaded the wrong file again. I'll try to get that updated today!
Thanks, and rating/review made. I started this last night in earnest and I'm loving it. Posting my entries on Mastodon for people to enjoy. Loving this so far. Thank you again!
I went through all the files and think I got everything fixed! Both the text only main game file and the separate card table file were missing those prompts, so those have been updated. I hope you enjoy!
How do you keep up with all the jams?
Hello, I've been reading so good things about this. I want to try it myself. But unfortunately I can't afford it right know due to my finance situation. If you make more community copies I would like to have one. Thank you in advance :)
Done! I hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much! Have a nice day :)
it si very nice of you to have added community copies, I’m new to RPG journaling and playing so is nice to be able to try the game before deciding to make th purchase of all the bundle.
Just discovered the concept of journaling rpgs, and not sure I really get it, so kind of wanted to see if it's anything at all that I actually want to do before spending money on it. Thanks for making "community copies" available for free. Very cool thing for you to do.
I'm glad they can be of help! I hope you enjoy!
When will be more community copies available?
Just added more!
Thank you so much!
This solo ttrpg is so peaceful and calming, and I just adore the tarot-themed prompts. I highly recommend getting the entire bundle! I use the Build-A-Witch expansion literally every time I want to make any kind of magical character, and the sample witches included? It's free real estate! It's free NPCs!
Thank you so much! I love hearing this!
I was wondering if it would perhaps be possible to add some additional community copies? :)
Done! Thanks for asking!
Thank you so much! <3
Could you please make some more community copies available (or maybe offer different price options)? My country's currency is not the american dollar and paying this amount is very expensive for me 😢
I added more community copies! Thank you for asking! I didn't realize they had run out.
I'm playing this game on my podcast, Alone at the Table, and releasing each season as a separate short episode. Really enjoying the game!
Part 2 is up! I'm having so much fun playing this game!
Apologies for yet another comment that's along the lines of 'can you please provide more community copies' but I was hoping to create a submission for the jam you're running and sadly don't own the game itself, I'm looking forward to submitting something for the jam, even if I can't get a copy as of now.
No need for apologies! I had just restocked last week and didn't know it was already out. I really appreciate it when people ask!
I just added a bunch more!
Hi there. After reading a recent article online about solo journalling games, I came across 'Village Witch'. It sounds a great place to start, being a newbie to this type of game. I'd love to give it a go, especially after reading some great reviews here and elsewhere. But I'm really sorry to say I can't afford the full price. Is there any way that I can pay a reduced amount for the game? Things are a bit tight after I lost my job last November. No problem if not; I'll save up and buy it when I can. Many thanks x
Sure! I just restocked the community copies again. If you go to the section on the page for community copies, it will let you claim a copy for free. Thank you for your interest, and I hope you enjoy it!
Good morning, Eliot. Greetings from a wet and wild Wales (UK). Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the game. It's very generous of you to share your content for free. I'm really looking forward to trying it out. I'll let you know how I get on. I will purchase a copy as and when I can; work like this deserves to be supported. Again, a huge thank you for your generosity.
Sorry if this is out of line to ask, but is there a chance more community copies will be added soon? This game seems like something that could really help me out right now, but I'm not really in a place where I can afford it. If not, very sorry and thanks anyway! If for nothing else, at least for opening my eyes to new storytelling possibilities
Thank you for asking! I didn't realize it had run out, so I just added more! I hope you enjoy! I'll check all the others too and feel free to grab copies of any you're interested in.
Wow, thank you so much!
Hi! Is there any chance there will be more community copies soon? I've heard so many amazing things about Village Witch in the Spanish solo RPG community that I really want to give it a go, but I can't really afford it right now. I don't want to seem ungrateful or anything because I really appreciate your generosity. Anyways, thanks in advance <3
Thank you for asking! I didn't realize they had run out, so I just added more. I hope you enjoy it!
Omg. Thank you so so much!!!! <333
"Village Witch card tables.txt" isn't written The Major Arcana 16-21
I got this in the Trans Rights in Texas bundle. I really appreciated how the game is designed for a light cognitive load that left my tired brain free to go places with the prompts. I played with a hanafuda deck divided into 4 seasons. My witch spent the winter in the forest village of Fear No Wolf, where she healed a badger who later saved her during a blizzard. In spring she moved to the grasslands, to Jonton where the homes don't all exist at once and everyone is named John. To my great surprise, in the summer she found her forever home in a nameless mountain village, where she was welcomed with a designated spot in the community cheese cave. A wonderful experience.
What a lovely game! I played this today as my first solo game ever and had a year as a forest witch full of discovery, beauty, wish-fulfillment fantasies, and surprising depth when some melancholy of my own wove itself into my writing. It was like a little holiday in my mind, which was really, well, lovely!
I played the version with a tarot deck and used the card images as additional inspiration for the prompts, when I didn't have an idea right away. I would definitely play this game again. I'm also now very curious what else there is to discover in the world of solo games for me. Thanks for getting me off to a good start in that area!
This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for playing and for sharing your experience!
I really love this game as a journaling experience with a bit more structure that builds in the concept of a year passing (similar to Cozy Town). The prompts are highly flexible, and every season is as brief or as long as you want it to be. You can move where your steading is as well to environments with great variation (I'm glad I chose to be a desert witch for my first run). The game captures very well the feeling of, say, being a new witch on Discworld for an afternoon.
Is there any kind of community for this game? I'd love to set up a community on, say, Dreamwidth, where people can share their journals with each other and follow each others' stories.
that's such a cool idea! There wasn't one, but I just created one! https://villagewitch.dreamwidth.org/ I'd love to read more people's stories!
Awesome!
May I share my Edwina - Village Witch sessions on this community?
yes, that would be lovely!
Yay!! I was able to get a hardcover copy! I will definitely join the new community and share stories. Friday Tea is sadly currently out of her lovely witchy tea 🍵 that is a wonderful companion to drink while journaling 📔 that came recommended by a friend. :)
I purchased Village Witch as part of the Solo But Not Alone bundle, and am ecstatic with the results so far. I had a group of friends help me answer the character building questions & now I'm writing my game sessions and sharing them at https://nsfwords.wordpress.com/village-witch-edwina/
I'm using the game as part of my foray back into creative writing after 4+ years of being unable to write due to depression.
I can't thank you enough for how inspiring I've found the game so far!
thank you!! It means so much to hear that! I can't wait to read through it and love that you're doing this.
Got it as part of the Solo But Not Alone bundle, and it was the first game I tried – I'm so happy this is where I started. Village Witch is a really moving, well-honed, introspective and imaginative game. I enjoyed it deeply and moved through some profound emotions over the course of the changing seasons.
This is a wonderful game that can be as brief or as long as you'd like – and I highly recommend it!
Hey, I just want to say how cool it is that you have a "community copies" section. I think that is so awesome and generous!
Thank you! I love that itch has a feature that allows for that and that creators can support the community that way!