The Walden Paradox

You are Henry David Thoreau. You came to the woods because you wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if you could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when you came to die, discover that you had not lived. The Walden Paradox is a solo journaling game about Thoreau’s final months at Walden Pond. Each month, a new visitor will call upon you. Converse with them. Keep a keen eye for both peculiarities and signs of time anomalies and time paradoxes . Record everything in your journal. The game ends either at the 6th time paradox or when your time at Walden ends in September — whichever comes first. Then, you will write a final letter to your friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Walden Paradox is approximately 36 A5 pages, including: All the rules and instructions for how to play Paradox Risk Values Walden Tasks Visitor Names, Locations, and Topics Peculiarities Time Anomalies Time Paradoxes Epilogue All that is required to play is a notebook, pen or pencil, a standard deck of playing cards, and two six-sided dice (2d6). It plays in an hour or two with options for a long or short game. A limited, mini version of The Walden Paradox is included too! Formatted as an A4 trifold brochure. Take it with you on the go! Reviews "I liked that I have learned that the capital of a man is not in money but in purpose, and the advertisement of a life well lived is in living it, not in declaring it. I disliked that I am now convinced that life as I knew it is a mirage, or a mirror, or a mistake, and that time as a construct is very likely a lie, or at least a calculated misdirection. " "The Walden Paradox is an arrestingly beautiful document. I want to print it on the fancy paper." Similar games If you enjoy thematic solo games like The Walden Paradox , you might also like: Eleventh Beast : You are a monster hunter in 1746 London. Investigate rumors. Learn its secrets. Hunt the Beast. Exclusion Zone Botanist : You are a botanist exploring a dark and corrupting forest. Document the flora and get out before it is too late. Caveat Emptor : You are an assistant demon cursing items and selling them to unsuspecting customers. You are a Muffin : You are a pastry in a cozy cafe, watching customers come and go as you slowly become more stale and waiting to be eaten. Written, augmented, purged, and published by Exeunt Press. The Walden Paradox is copyright 2026 Exeunt Press. Subscribe to Exeunt Omnes for designer's notes and behind the scenes. Exeunt Press is an ENNIE-nominated independent tabletop game design company creating innovative games that blend storytelling with structured mechanisms. Explore a dark and corrupting forest, sell cursed items to unsuspecting customers, or become a stale muffin. Weird and wonderful games await. Learn more at shop.exeunt.press .