The Summer of Secret Places

Some summers disappear. This one will stay with you. You are thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen years old. The days are long, your bike takes you everywhere, and the adults in town have learned not to notice the strange things happening around them. You haven’t. The Summer of Secret Places is a 36-page solo journaling RPG in which you create, follow and interpret your own coming-of-age mystery. With a notebook, 2d6, and a d20, you’ll discover unusual places, meet people who know more than they admit, and record the summer that changed your hometown forever. Your mystery is ready to begin Play entirely solo – no GM, group, or preparation required. Turn strange fragments into your own mystery with guided prompts and more than 10 random tables. Play in short journal entries or spend an evening following a longer trail. Build your own hometown filled with hidden places, suspicious adults, strange phenomena, and unanswered questions. Replay with a different summer whenever you want a new mystery. Includes Lost VHS Archive: Tape #001 , a ready-to-use mystery fragment. Get two PDF versions: a single-page edition for easy digital reading and a spread edition for viewing the original two-page layout. Reviews "Started playing this yesterday. Everything's clear, concise and very evocative, and I like that you get to roll/decide on the mysteries and how you want to approach the resolution." Try Your First Mystery for Free Not sure what a solo journaling RPG feels like? The First Strange Thing is a free 10–15 minute playable introduction. Create a young character, investigate an abandoned recreation lake, make a real 2d6 Move, and record your first strange discovery. No GM, group, or preparation required. All you need is a notebook, a pencil, and two six-sided dice. Finished the Demo? The abandoned lake is only the beginning. Continue with the complete 36-page game, more than 10 mystery tables, Lost VHS Archive: Tape #001, and everything you need to follow your own hometown mystery. Continue the summer for $6 → Choose how to begin FREE — Try one mystery Play The First Strange Thing in 10–15 minutes. The demo downloads are free to download. $6 — Play the complete summer Get the full 36-page game, more than 10 mystery tables, Lost VHS Archive: Tape #001, and both PDF editions. Begin the complete summer for $6 → https://jarkaz.itch.io/the-summer-of-secret-places/purchase BEST VALUE: $9 — Explore two strange places Get The Summer of Secret Places and Perigon Falls together. Two complete solo journaling RPGs, saving 18% Get both complete games for $9 → https://itch.io/s/196551/the-jarkaz-games-mystery-collection This is your summer Begin with an ordinary hometown and one thing that doesn’t belong. Maybe a radio broadcasts a voice no one else can hear. Maybe an abandoned swimming pool is filled with fresh footprints every morning. Maybe an unfamiliar child appears in every photograph from the summer fair. Follow what interests you. Ask questions. Take risks. Record what your character notices, fears, and begins to understand. The game will never hand you a fixed solution. The connections you make become the truth of your summer. Create a complete supernatural coming-of-age mystery without a GM or prepared adventure. Take your bike. Bring your notebook. Begin your summer. Gameplay Creating Your Summer Begin by creating your character and the hometown where your summer takes place. Decide what feels familiar, choose the people and places that matter to you, and introduce one strange detail that does not belong. Your town will grow as you play. New locations, encounters, rumors, and unexplained events become part of your personal mystery. Following the Mystery Each journal entry begins with a place you want to visit or a lead you want to follow. Decide what your character hopes to discover, then make a Move by rolling 2d6. The result tells you whether things go well, become complicated, or reveal something unexpected. Whenever you need inspiration, roll on one of more than 10 mystery tables to discover unusual places, suspicious encounters, strange phenomena, and new fragments of the story. Recording What You Find Your journal becomes the record of the summer. Write down what your character notices, what happened, and what they now suspect. You do not need to write pages of fiction. A few sentences, a list of observations, a sketch, or a collection of clues is enough. Finding Your Ending There is no predetermined explanation waiting at the end of the game. Follow the clues that interest you, connect the fragments in your own way, and decide what they mean. Your summer ends when the mystery reaches the conclusion that feels right to you. The story you uncover becomes the truth of your hometown. Also included: Lost VHS Archive – Tape #001 A dusty recording from a summer fair in 1989. In the background, the same child appears again and again, yet nobody seems to remember them. Use the tape as a new discovery, the beginning of a mystery, or an unexpected connection to your existing summer. Included with your purchase of The Summer of Secret Places. What you need to play A journal or notebook (or loose paper) Something to write with : pen or pencil A few dice: you‘ll need 2d6 (two six-sided dice, different colors recommended) and a d20 (twenty-sided die) This rulebook (36 pages, print or digital) Your hometown is waiting. Take your bike. Bring your notebook. Follow the first thing that doesn’t make sense. Begin your summer for $6 → Safety Notice This game invites you to dive into secrets. Some of them can be eerie, oppressive, or more intense than you‘d like. Remember this: you set the boundaries. If a theme or scene makes you uncomfortable, skip it, roll again, or change the situation so it feels right to you. There is no „wrong way to play“. Your well-being always comes first. Credits A game by Sasha Jarkaz – jarkaz.itch.io © Copyright 2025-2026. All rights reserved. Inspirations The themes, tone, and atmosphere of this game are inspired by works such as Stranger Things, E.T., The Goonies, Paper Girls, and Tales from the Loop. Fonts: LT Colored Pencil, Lora Cover image & graphic elements: Freepik Layout: Sasha Jarkaz A Note on AI This work was created with the assistance of AI tools for translation and editorial support. Concept, game design, writing and final decisions are entirely human. Powered by the Apocalypse Acknowledgement The core mechanics of this game are inspired by Apocalypse World, designed by Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker. “Powered by the Apocalypse” is not a trademark, and this work is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the creators of Apocalypse World. Explore More from Jarkaz Games Discover more atmospheric solo worlds built around exploration, fragments, and interpretation. <a href="https://jarkaz.itch.io/the-ninefold-chronicles">The Ninefold Chronicles by Jarkaz Games</a> &lt;a href=&quot;<a href="https://jarkaz.itch.io/perigon-falls">Perigon&quot; class=&quot;redactor-linkify-object&quot;&gt;https://jarkaz.itch.io/perigon-falls&quot;&gt;Perigon</a> Falls by Jarkaz Games&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;<a href="https://jarkaz.itch.io/static137">STATIC.137&quot; class=&quot;redactor-linkify-object&quot;&gt;https://jarkaz.itch.io/static137&quot;&gt;STATIC.137</a> by Jarkaz Games&lt;/a&gt;