The Ninefold Chronicles

In Ninefold, every child learns one sentence. "You do not go out to the nine places!" Nobody explains who said it first. Or why everyone still obeys it. And yet, once a year, somebody goes anyway. By old custom, every house takes its turn. Nobody goes twice. This year, the turn falls to your house. You take the only map Ninefold has and visit the nine places. At each one, you write down what you notice. When you return, your chronicle joins ninety years of others in the old wooden chest. Those chronicles contradict each other. Yet almost all of them mention the same woman. Some call her a witch, others a healer. Some claim she keeps the nine places in order. Others say she left them long ago. Not one page proves she ever existed. And nobody knows what came first: the woman, or the custom. The Ninefold Chronicles is a quiet solo journaling game about walking into places you were told to avoid, noticing what is there, and writing an account that somebody else will read long after you. You use an illustrated map, six open observations and a single die. At each location you combine what the game gives you with what you imagine, and record it in one or two sentences. The game gives you enough structure to keep moving. It never asks you to solve anything. The map is waiting Play entirely solo, without a game master, group, or preparation. Visit nine illustrated locations in any order you choose. Find things left behind, things missing, things overgrown, and things you seem to recognise. Write one or two sentences at each place. More, if you want to. Finish your chronicle in a single quiet session of 20 to 30 minutes. Interpret everything yourself. There is no hidden solution. Keep the map clean, so it can be walked again by somebody else. :) How the journey works Every journey through Ninefold follows the same simple ritual: Choose a place. One of the nine you have not visited yet. Reveal an observation. A six-sided die decides what catches your attention. Notice a detail. Pick one of the three details listed for that location. Write it down. Connect the observation and the detail in one or two sentences. Continue the journey. Travel to another unvisited place until all nine have been explored. Leave your chronicle behind. Read it once more. Underline the sentence you want the next reader to find, give the chronicle a name, and place it with the others. You do not need pages of fiction or a complete explanation. A few observations are enough. Results repeat. Details return. Places begin to feel connected. You decide what those connections mean, or whether they mean anything at all. From the first chronicle "Nobody is here. I am sure it has been that way for a long time, but I do not feel lonely or lost." — Melanie Stein, first playtest One quiet session. One complete chronicle. 20–30 minutes One six-sided die One double-sided A4 sheet Take the game for just $5 → Nine places. Nine fragments of an older story. Your map leads you out of the village to the places the custom has kept: The Well at the Crossing The Mill by the River The Apple Grove The Stone Bridge The House on the Grey Road The Moor The Chapel The Seven Ash Trees The Forest's Edge At one place something was left behind. At another something is missing. You may find a sign pointing beyond the map, or recognise something you have never seen before. None of it proves anything. Together, it becomes your chronicle. What is included The complete game on one double-sided A4 sheet, made to be folded Nine illustrated locations Three evocative details for every location Six open-ended observation prompts Full rules for writing and closing your chronicle Print-ready full-colour PDF What you need to play The printed game A separate sheet of paper or notebook A pen or pencil One six-sided die There are no character stats, combat rules, inventories, or mysteries with predetermined answers. You only choose where to go, notice what is waiting there, and write it down This year, the turn falls to your house. Take the map. Visit the nine places. Leave something for the next reader. Begin your chronicle for $5→ Credits A game by Sasha Jarkaz – jarkaz.itch.io © Copyright 2026. All rights reserved. Layout: Sasha Jarkaz Thanks: To Melanie Stein, who played it first and asked the right questions. A Note on AI This work was created with the assistance of AI tools for artwork and editorial support. Concept, writing, and final decisions are entirely human. Community copies: Every copy sold adds one to the free pool. If money is the reason you are not playing, take one. That is what they are for. Content note: This game is about memory and absence. If something you are writing starts to feel wrong, put the pen down. You can continue later, start somewhere else, or leave it as it is. 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