Interpolation

A tarot-inspired storytelling game created for the Queerness & Games Jam 2023.

Important: Maya is working on a feature that will let you see and save all of your story choices and text inputs at the end of the game.

About

Created for the 2023 Queerness and Games Jam, INTERPOLATION is an interactive and collaborative story-building experience between the player and the game creators. The title, meaning to insert something of one nature into something of another, refers to our collage-style approach in both design and gameplay. A team of ten artists and storytellers, we each inserted a bit of our mediums, styles, and perspectives into this game. We invite players to do the same—not only do your choices impact the narrative, but you will also encounter blank textboxes to fill in. To learn more, see the "about" tab at the bottom of this page.

Tarot cards, written scenes, prompts, and music are your guides as you embark on your journey. There are three paths, lots of card and prompt combinations, and as many storylines as you can imagine to explore.

Written by three different storytellers, each path offers a new perspective on magic, transformation, and various queer themes. If you journey down each of the three paths, you may notice varying moods, approaches to the same card, or stylistic choices. You have the opportunity to further influence these paths and take control of your story by filling out intentional gaps in the narrative. 

Of the nine tarot cards in this game, five were conceptualized in response to this year's QGCon symposium. These include the Portal, the Weaver, the Monster, the Map, and the Muse. Five visual artists used, modified, and added to keywords from the game designer's notes to create their own original designs. Three more visual artists reinterpreted four cards from the traditional Major Arcana, offering unique perspectives on these archetypal designs: the Sun and the World, the Tower, and the Magician. 

One of these artists also created our soundtrack, a looping song that deepens the story's atmosphere while not limiting your journey's vibes to a particular emotion.

Suggestions for Queering this Game

• play with a friend. take turns responding to prompts, respond to them together, or respond as two characters journeying together!
• use the card meanings to come up with prompts for roleplaying games for either a solo journalling or a group tabletop version.
• interpret the cards and scenes differently—even against—our descriptions.
• play to fail. sometimes failure is built into the game.
• start over. play for the transformation you desire.

Care Warning

Not all journeys will be happy ones. In particular, some journeys involve uncomfortable transformations, social rejections, mild swearing, and mentions of violence. We are working on a list of more specific content warnings, but please leave a comment if you want to know about something specific. And please take care of yourself while playing; pause as needed <3

Credits for Interpolation

Maya Chorney: Game Design, Writing (Path of the Monster), & the Muse Card
Madi Funk: The Monster Card
jodediah holems: The Portal Card
Kelton Hollister: The Map Card
Khavo: The Weaver Card
Pchy: The Magician Card
Dani Pybus: Writing (Path of the Web)
Alexis Rounds: Music, Sound, & the Sun & World Cards
Storm: The Tower Card
Taylor Taniguchi: Writing (Path of the Portal)

Credits for Twine Template

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