The Mantelpiece Mage

The Mantelpiece Mage is a free, simple, solo storytelling system designed to build an evolving narrative around a companion creature and its habitat. Think of it as something like Tamagotchi or Neopets meets daily journaling RPG - but you'll use your own painted miniatures, stuffed animals, minifigures, or anything else to tell the story. Time Commitment: Designed to be played once a day in 10 minutes or less . Setup: All you need is a creature ( The Mage ), a small home for them ( The Mantelpiece ), a single D6 , and a place to write. Daily Loop: Each day consists of three quick steps: Dawn: Write a quick introductory sentence for the day ahead. Day: Roll a D6 to determine whether your Mage will Remain, Tend, or Journey, and follow the prompts. Dusk: Write a quick concluding sentence to recap the day. Progression: Over days and weeks, your Mage gains skill mastery, encounters wandering visitors, collects trinkets, and can even work toward a final Masterwork or a meeting with The Maker (you!). My first Mantelpiece Mage: Percy, an Owlbear who learned to love the myconids who wandered through his forest abode. The Mantelpiece Mage © 2026 by Kevin Valliere is licensed under CC BY 4.0. This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. Character art and modular character sheet asssets by Penflower Ink, 2024, www.penflower-ink.com. Affinity template from Explorers Design. This work was made without the use of A.I.