I've yet to download this game, but it's been on my radar for a while! Have you considered making a demo available for those who might be on the fence about purchasing?
I actually have! I just need to get around to it. 😅 My personal life is a little wild right now. In the meantime if you want a community copy I am adding some soon after posting this comment!
Quick Q, are there supposed to be more sets than the one I am seeing? The rules sounds like there should be others, but there is just the mentor set, at least from what I can find while reading through everything
Hi! Unfortunately no, the only sets done are the base/default set and the mentor set. I had plans for more but I started a demanding job and life got busy. I do plan on getting back to them someday, though!
I really love your game! I was really excited to hear that there are more prompt sets to play through, but then got worried when I couldn't find any information about them within the past year. I hope you're doing well!
Hey, thanks for the kind words! Yes, unfortunately I have much less time in my personal life and a new job that's pretty taxing. Someday I hope to get back to it and provide more prompt sets.
Hello, I’m new to solo RPG, and I’m so excited to have found this community! Any chance some community copies will drop soon so I can try your game? It looks like so much fun! Thank you.
Hi! I’m an educator hoping that I might be able to use this to get some reluctant friends to write this coming year. Is there a way to sign up for notification when more community copies are available? Thanks!
A new crop of community copies have been made available, email me at themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com if you aren’t able to snag a copy. Thanks for the interest!
I just wanted to say thank you for creating this awesome game and making community copies available! I'd never played any RPG before so I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get into it, but I was completely enthralled. I'm planning to play again ASAP now I've got the rules down, and hopefully get a bit more creative with my responses :) Thanks again!
Helloo, I was wondering if there were any more community copies available? I adore the concept of this game - it sounds so heartwarming and sweet! Tysm in advance :)
This is a less sad, extra bells and whistles version of Vampire. Easy to pick up and understand, and SUPER simple to play.
My witch Stanley has learned to blow stuff up by pointing at it, then learned to nullify spells that require a constant source of magic to cast. In his FIRST THREE MONTHS.
Are you still reading this? Stop it. Buy this game if you can. The creator deserves it ☺️
My 9yo asked to play a prompt-driven RPG like Thousand Year Old Vampire, but without the "creepy theme", and a user on rpggeek.com pointed this out. Printed it last night and hoping to help her play it soon. Thanks!
I love this! Let me know if you have any questions. The rules are a little intense especially during character creation, but I hope you all enjoy it once you get going!
I would love to play this! Sorry to ask, but how often are community copies added? I really need something lighthearted and cozy like this in my life right now, haha
Hi! I don’t think there’s a way to be notified and they’re added every few days, but they go FAST. I’m adding a few extras now, if you don’t get one email themagicalyearofateenagewitch at gmail and I’ll hook you up!
Hi, thank you for the kind words! Glad you’re enjoying the game.
And thank you for sharing this project, I hadn’t heard of it yet! So when I made this game years ago, I was surprised there weren’t already more games like it. I see the similarities, but I also see how we arrive at similar places with similar inspiration.
I don’t know if the designer is aware of my little game or not, but even if they do take inspiration from Magical Year, I’m flattered. Magical Year only exists because Tim Hutchings was kind enough to allow me to use his TYOV system. Koriko looks great, I wish it success, and will look forward to getting my hands on a copy!
(And maybe it’s inspired me to do a physical release of Magical Year 2.0 down the line, we’ll seeeeee)
I’m obsessed with Thousand Year Old Vampire and now I’m obsessed with this. Such a refreshing take, I very much enjoyed it! Looking forward to playing again and again. Do you have any plans to make other games using this system?
I remain fascinated by Thousand Year Old Vampire, a single-player role-playing game in which you play the vampire of the title, roughly from awakening to extinction, by responding in writing to a number of (otherwise beautifully laid out) narrative prompts. The Magical Year of a Teenage Witch works on exactly the same principle, swapping the gloomy vampire for the lively young witch who fills her notebook with spells inspired by an unusual year. There are a lot of nice ideas in there, and the two games, while using the same skeleton, end up being quite distinct, letting me see a whole family of possible hacks of the same kind...
The Magical Year Of A Teenage Witch is a journaling or conventional group ttrpg of heartwarming witchcraft.
The PDF is 66 pages, with great custom art and a clean, readable layout with warm colors.
The central premise is a bit Kiki's Delivery Service, a bit So You Want To Be A Wizard, and a bit A Hat Full Of Sky.
You are a teenage witch. Witches are especially strong when they're teenagers, and typically strike out on their own, going somewhere new to tend to its problems.
Mechanically, Magical Year is similar to Thousand Year Old Vampire. The goal is to grow your character over time, in response to prompts, and to tell a satisfying personal story.
You *can* multiplay this, and the book supports it, but a little more work is required.
Because the core of the game centers around character growth, character creation and advancement are built to be flavorful and satisfying. Characters consist of different types of Memories (Fire Memories involving passion and confrontation, Earth Memories involving growth and stability, etc,) and the aftermath of each of the game's Prompts usually slots into a particular Memory.
Characters also have Skills, Locations and Characters they connect with, Resources they value, and Powers. Powers are your supernatural talents, and notably your first Power sets the expectations for what supernatural abilities can do in the setting. If you have "quell a fever with a touch," you're likely going to be telling a different kind of story than if your power is "backflip slow-mo through the air while throwing thousands of knives."
As that variety of Powers should indicate, most of the elements of your character are things you come up with for yourself. There isn't a strict premade list of Powers, Skills, Locations, etc. You generally improvise them, based on what fits the story.
The game's Prompts *do* come in premade sets, and this is handled in a neat way. Each Prompt can be explored more than once, with every encounter being a different event, allowing the game to essentially weave together a plot out of dozens of substories. There's even unlockable Bonus Prompts, which double down on this really cool vibe.
I should probably mention here that the writing throughout the book is strong and coherent, and the game has a very clear voice. You can deviate from that voice and run something spooky or high-octane, but you'll have to fight the Prompts a little bit to do it.
As far as tools and resources for players, this game has a *lot.* Everything is explained clearly and in multiple places, building on previous knowledge and keeping all of the gameplay elements tightly connected together. There's also lots of small sections on how to tailor the game to a particular playstyle, with lots of examples given. There's a full writeup of an example of play, and just in general Magical Year does a great job of teaching you how to play it. There's also random tables, in case you get stuck.
Overall, this is a dang good solo game. If you like cozy stuff, character development, and journaling rpgs, this should absolutely be on your list.
I enjoyed this game thoroughly, playing through two and a half times now. So much so that I'm dragging friends in to play the multiplayer mode.
In the rules for multiplayer it mentions apprentices being able to 'choose from the remaining sets'. At the moment there is only the default sets but are there plans in the future for more sets?
I appreciate that so much! Thanks for playing my game!
Yes, there's only the default and mentor sets right now. I'm planning on releasing another two or three sets, including:
A witch who attends school during their Magical Year
A witch who owns/opens an alchemy shop
A witch who travels throughout their Magical Year
I'm actively working on the student witch set, I think I'm mostly through spring and summer . In fact, I could send you an early version of it for you or another player to use...I'd just need to keep up with you and send you autumn and winter before you get there, haha. If you'd like that please DM me @Swashtalk on Twitter or email themagicalyearofateenagewitch at gmail!
I just finished my playthrough of this game and it was so sweet and emotional and made me think about my own teenage years. The prompts are so well-thought out, the mechanics assist the story in a really nice way, and the story I ended up with was just lovely. I HIGHLY recommend this game (and will be playing it many more times in the future)!
Watching Roll for Felicity's streams of this really convinced me to buy the super affordable and wonderful game. I'm not too far yet but loving it! I'm excited to convince my friends to play!
I'm really loving this! It has such an amazing vibe to it, and is exactly the kind of fantasy I've always wanted to RP and write about. If I may ask a question, though--is there an 'optimal' point to convert traits into powers? Or is that all part of the narrative and when it feels right like most things?
I'm glad you're enjoying it! I've been wanting to play a game with this vibe for so long and eventually decided to make one myself. It's so niche I didn't think it'd find much of an audience, so it means a lot whenever it resonates with someone!
The mechanics around converting Powers has always been a bit too loose I think, it's something I hope to tighten up in the next revision of the rules. It probably stems from me wanting to create some constraints but not box players in too much.
For the most flexibility, you can convert Traits into Powers immediately before you need to add or mark a Power. This way you can come up with whatever is optimal for the narrative and the situation you're in (storm raining on a festival? Convert a Fire Memory into a weather ritual to warm things up! Or two marked Skills!). It's not the clearest in the way the rules are currently written, but if a Prompt calls for you to mark a Power, you can convert other things into a new Power and immediately mark it, all in one Prompt response.
Alternatively, converting Powers ahead of time can push your creativity. Sometimes you're forced into this, such as if you need to add an Experience but all your Experience slots are full, and the Prompt you're on doesn't call for you to add or mark a Power. But if you have a cool idea for a spell and want to convert some things ahead of time, you can definitely do that. Converting Powers ahead of time can lead to some fun situations that make you stretch your magic a bit (Storm raining on a festival and you have an unmarked spell that lets you talk to creatures? Maybe you convince some nearby dragons to come light up some bonfires and put on a show!)
If you have any suggestions or more feedback as you play I'd love to hear it! I'm hoping to launch version 1.0 later next month and want to pack as many improvements as I can into it. Happy witching!
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It's such a beautiful full colour work. Is there a physical copy or print on demand available?
Is there any chance for some community copies please? Id love to play this but no funds. X
I've yet to download this game, but it's been on my radar for a while! Have you considered making a demo available for those who might be on the fence about purchasing?
I actually have! I just need to get around to it. 😅 My personal life is a little wild right now. In the meantime if you want a community copy I am adding some soon after posting this comment!
That's incredibly appreciated!! I'll take a flip through and see what's what, thank you for your kindness!
I really love this game and would love to donate a few community copies. Is the best way to add extra $10 donations on top of a new purchase?
Thanks for your kindness! I’m looking into how I can add an option for just donating community copies.
Quick Q, are there supposed to be more sets than the one I am seeing? The rules sounds like there should be others, but there is just the mentor set, at least from what I can find while reading through everything
Hi! Unfortunately no, the only sets done are the base/default set and the mentor set. I had plans for more but I started a demanding job and life got busy. I do plan on getting back to them someday, though!
Oh my this looks just up my alley I love witchy things and have just been getting into solo journaling, are any more community copies going to happen?
sorry for the late reply but there are copies now!
Oh lol i guess i was a lil late in seeing this their gone now :p
I really love your game! I was really excited to hear that there are more prompt sets to play through, but then got worried when I couldn't find any information about them within the past year. I hope you're doing well!
Hey, thanks for the kind words! Yes, unfortunately I have much less time in my personal life and a new job that's pretty taxing. Someday I hope to get back to it and provide more prompt sets.
Lovely game, swashtalk.
🙏🙏🙏
Could we maybe get some community copies, please? :)
new batch just dropped!
Thank you so much!
Hello, I’m new to solo RPG, and I’m so excited to have found this community! Any chance some community copies will drop soon so I can try your game? It looks like so much fun! Thank you.
New batch dropped!
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try it!
Hi, is it okay to ask when you'll be adding more community copies?
I have a couple I'll release now, good luck!
Thank you!
Hi there! Any chance at a community copy? Thank you!
Some new ones have dropped, go go go!
Hi! I’m an educator hoping that I might be able to use this to get some reluctant friends to write this coming year. Is there a way to sign up for notification when more community copies are available? Thanks!
Sorry for the wait, but another set is up!
Thank you! I was able to get one. I can’t wait to try this plan this school year.
If you can, please let me know how it goes!
I will! It’s going to be an adventure for me but I have hopes this fun thing might help them want to write. Maybe.
When will you add more community copies? :)
I believe I got you a copy, correct? If not let me know!
Yes yes I do! Thank you so much! It's a wonderful game!
gonna keep an eye out for community copies!! very excited to play this, though! it looks super charming :)
A batch is releasing now, email themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com if you don't get one!
tysm!!! very excited to play :)
Hi. I was wondering if you are willing to put a few more community copies. I would love to grab one and play it straight away.
A new crop of community copies have been made available, email me at themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com if you aren’t able to snag a copy. Thanks for the interest!
Thank you so much. So excited.
I just wanted to say thank you for creating this awesome game and making community copies available! I'd never played any RPG before so I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get into it, but I was completely enthralled. I'm planning to play again ASAP now I've got the rules down, and hopefully get a bit more creative with my responses :) Thanks again!
Ah, that's great! Means a lot to me, thank you.
Helloo, I was wondering if there were any more community copies available? I adore the concept of this game - it sounds so heartwarming and sweet! Tysm in advance :)
I have added more copies! If you don't grab one, please email themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com and I'll get you one.
I would really love to play this any chance of more community copies please
Sorry this is so late, but I have added more copies! If you don't grab one, please email themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com and I'll get you one.
Thanks from what I've read of the PDF so far I'm going to have a blast with this thank you for the copy!!!
This is a less sad, extra bells and whistles version of Vampire. Easy to pick up and understand, and SUPER simple to play.
My witch Stanley has learned to blow stuff up by pointing at it, then learned to nullify spells that require a constant source of magic to cast. In his FIRST THREE MONTHS.
Are you still reading this? Stop it. Buy this game if you can. The creator deserves it ☺️
Ah, thank you! Stanley sounds like a very good witch.
Hi! I have heard WONDERS about this game... Any chance to snag a community copy in the near future?
Hi, thanks for the kind words! I’m adding another round of them in about 15 minutes. May the odds be in your favor!
EEEEE THANKEE! I can't wait to get started!
Hi! is there any plans to add more community copies soon?
More are about to be added!
i see! Thank you !
any chance if a community copy for my wife?
now is your chance!
Keeping my eye out for community copies, this game sounds exactly like my sort of thing!
Go go go!
Hello, do you plan to add more community copies? The game looks very interesting :'0
Gez, I added five a couple hours ago! :D
Here’s a few more, go go go!
Thanks, I'll be sure to try It! :]
My 9yo asked to play a prompt-driven RPG like Thousand Year Old Vampire, but without the "creepy theme", and a user on rpggeek.com pointed this out. Printed it last night and hoping to help her play it soon. Thanks!
I love this! Let me know if you have any questions. The rules are a little intense especially during character creation, but I hope you all enjoy it once you get going!
I would love to play this! Sorry to ask, but how often are community copies added? I really need something lighthearted and cozy like this in my life right now, haha
Just added some more, go go go! Let me know if you don't get one.
Is there possibly a way to be notified when more community copies become available? Or, around how often do they get added? ty!!
Hi! I don’t think there’s a way to be notified and they’re added every few days, but they go FAST. I’m adding a few extras now, if you don’t get one email themagicalyearofateenagewitch at gmail and I’ll hook you up!
I got one! Tysm <3 !
I've been having total fun with this.
I saw this on kickstarter and it looks loke a freakish copy, have you seen it? I left a comment and got nothing. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0cm8sBfXVBsWBmfLS77iYbv5z9HaNeN...
Hi, thank you for the kind words! Glad you’re enjoying the game.
And thank you for sharing this project, I hadn’t heard of it yet! So when I made this game years ago, I was surprised there weren’t already more games like it. I see the similarities, but I also see how we arrive at similar places with similar inspiration.
I don’t know if the designer is aware of my little game or not, but even if they do take inspiration from Magical Year, I’m flattered. Magical Year only exists because Tim Hutchings was kind enough to allow me to use his TYOV system. Koriko looks great, I wish it success, and will look forward to getting my hands on a copy!
(And maybe it’s inspired me to do a physical release of Magical Year 2.0 down the line, we’ll seeeeee)
You had me at Kiki's Delivery Service! Is there any chance there will be more community copies soon? Thanks in advance for you generosity <3
More added! If you aren’t able to grab what you need, email themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com and I’ll set you up. Thanks!
No, thank you so much <33 I just got it.
Can I ask for some community copies....?
If you aren’t able to grab what you need, email themagicalyearofateenagewitch@gmail.com and I’ll set you up. Thanks!
I’m obsessed with Thousand Year Old Vampire and now I’m obsessed with this. Such a refreshing take, I very much enjoyed it! Looking forward to playing again and again. Do you have any plans to make other games using this system?
Hi, thanks so much for the kind words! I do not have plans to make other games using this system, but I hope more designers do!
I remain fascinated by Thousand Year Old Vampire, a single-player role-playing game in which you play the vampire of the title, roughly from awakening to extinction, by responding in writing to a number of (otherwise beautifully laid out) narrative prompts. The Magical Year of a Teenage Witch works on exactly the same principle, swapping the gloomy vampire for the lively young witch who fills her notebook with spells inspired by an unusual year. There are a lot of nice ideas in there, and the two games, while using the same skeleton, end up being quite distinct, letting me see a whole family of possible hacks of the same kind...
The Magical Year Of A Teenage Witch is a journaling or conventional group ttrpg of heartwarming witchcraft.
The PDF is 66 pages, with great custom art and a clean, readable layout with warm colors.
The central premise is a bit Kiki's Delivery Service, a bit So You Want To Be A Wizard, and a bit A Hat Full Of Sky.
You are a teenage witch. Witches are especially strong when they're teenagers, and typically strike out on their own, going somewhere new to tend to its problems.
Mechanically, Magical Year is similar to Thousand Year Old Vampire. The goal is to grow your character over time, in response to prompts, and to tell a satisfying personal story.
You *can* multiplay this, and the book supports it, but a little more work is required.
Because the core of the game centers around character growth, character creation and advancement are built to be flavorful and satisfying. Characters consist of different types of Memories (Fire Memories involving passion and confrontation, Earth Memories involving growth and stability, etc,) and the aftermath of each of the game's Prompts usually slots into a particular Memory.
Characters also have Skills, Locations and Characters they connect with, Resources they value, and Powers. Powers are your supernatural talents, and notably your first Power sets the expectations for what supernatural abilities can do in the setting. If you have "quell a fever with a touch," you're likely going to be telling a different kind of story than if your power is "backflip slow-mo through the air while throwing thousands of knives."
As that variety of Powers should indicate, most of the elements of your character are things you come up with for yourself. There isn't a strict premade list of Powers, Skills, Locations, etc. You generally improvise them, based on what fits the story.
The game's Prompts *do* come in premade sets, and this is handled in a neat way. Each Prompt can be explored more than once, with every encounter being a different event, allowing the game to essentially weave together a plot out of dozens of substories. There's even unlockable Bonus Prompts, which double down on this really cool vibe.
I should probably mention here that the writing throughout the book is strong and coherent, and the game has a very clear voice. You can deviate from that voice and run something spooky or high-octane, but you'll have to fight the Prompts a little bit to do it.
As far as tools and resources for players, this game has a *lot.* Everything is explained clearly and in multiple places, building on previous knowledge and keeping all of the gameplay elements tightly connected together. There's also lots of small sections on how to tailor the game to a particular playstyle, with lots of examples given. There's a full writeup of an example of play, and just in general Magical Year does a great job of teaching you how to play it. There's also random tables, in case you get stuck.
Overall, this is a dang good solo game. If you like cozy stuff, character development, and journaling rpgs, this should absolutely be on your list.
This game looks so cute! Will there be any more community copies added?
Thanks! I had a few sales this week and added them in. If you miss getting one let me know and I’ll get one to you another way.
Thank you so much! I got one now, super excited to play!
I enjoyed this game thoroughly, playing through two and a half times now. So much so that I'm dragging friends in to play the multiplayer mode.
In the rules for multiplayer it mentions apprentices being able to 'choose from the remaining sets'. At the moment there is only the default sets but are there plans in the future for more sets?
I appreciate that so much! Thanks for playing my game!
Yes, there's only the default and mentor sets right now. I'm planning on releasing another two or three sets, including:
I'm actively working on the student witch set, I think I'm mostly through spring and summer . In fact, I could send you an early version of it for you or another player to use...I'd just need to keep up with you and send you autumn and winter before you get there, haha. If you'd like that please DM me @Swashtalk on Twitter or email themagicalyearofateenagewitch at gmail!
I just finished my playthrough of this game and it was so sweet and emotional and made me think about my own teenage years. The prompts are so well-thought out, the mechanics assist the story in a really nice way, and the story I ended up with was just lovely. I HIGHLY recommend this game (and will be playing it many more times in the future)!
One of the best games I've played all year!
Thanks so much, you don't know how much that means to me. <3
Watching Roll for Felicity's streams of this really convinced me to buy the super affordable and wonderful game. I'm not too far yet but loving it! I'm excited to convince my friends to play!
I'm really loving this! It has such an amazing vibe to it, and is exactly the kind of fantasy I've always wanted to RP and write about. If I may ask a question, though--is there an 'optimal' point to convert traits into powers? Or is that all part of the narrative and when it feels right like most things?
I'm glad you're enjoying it! I've been wanting to play a game with this vibe for so long and eventually decided to make one myself. It's so niche I didn't think it'd find much of an audience, so it means a lot whenever it resonates with someone!
The mechanics around converting Powers has always been a bit too loose I think, it's something I hope to tighten up in the next revision of the rules. It probably stems from me wanting to create some constraints but not box players in too much.
For the most flexibility, you can convert Traits into Powers immediately before you need to add or mark a Power. This way you can come up with whatever is optimal for the narrative and the situation you're in (storm raining on a festival? Convert a Fire Memory into a weather ritual to warm things up! Or two marked Skills!). It's not the clearest in the way the rules are currently written, but if a Prompt calls for you to mark a Power, you can convert other things into a new Power and immediately mark it, all in one Prompt response.
Alternatively, converting Powers ahead of time can push your creativity. Sometimes you're forced into this, such as if you need to add an Experience but all your Experience slots are full, and the Prompt you're on doesn't call for you to add or mark a Power. But if you have a cool idea for a spell and want to convert some things ahead of time, you can definitely do that. Converting Powers ahead of time can lead to some fun situations that make you stretch your magic a bit (Storm raining on a festival and you have an unmarked spell that lets you talk to creatures? Maybe you convince some nearby dragons to come light up some bonfires and put on a show!)
If you have any suggestions or more feedback as you play I'd love to hear it! I'm hoping to launch version 1.0 later next month and want to pack as many improvements as I can into it. Happy witching!