Bookmark Cipher

Letters from Ottendorf

A solo storytelling game of ciphers and secret societies made to be played while reading. Designed for the Bookmark Game Jam.

Print out the bookmark and try it for yourself. Grab the files on Itch.io

Planning

Pitch

Do you procrastinate while reading or sometimes drift off into space when plowing through a bit of slow-going/dull text? Bookmark Cipher is here to save the day!

A solo game of making up secret messages to and from your secret spy buddy where your book is the random generator.

Procrastinate on studying your textbook or become part of your favourite story with Letters from Ottendorf, a solo storytelling game of ciphers and secrets made to be played while reading.

You are a spy. Your handler, Ottendorf, sends you coded letters. Your book becomes the random generator, the key to deciphering Ottendorf's messages. Use it to generate your mission and reveal new twists in each letter as the story builds up over pages of your novel. All in a game the size of a bookmark.

Play at your own pace and create a story as small or wild as you like. Are you spying for your novel's big bad villain with help from Ottendorf or are they a serial killer playing cat and mouse with you? Will they double cross you or have you been feeding them false information this whole time? Keep reading to find out...

Letters from Ottendorf was deciphered and designed for the 2020 Bookmark Game Jam. It is inspired by the Ottendorf (or book) Cipher, which you can try out on your real life spy buddies.

Game design

  • The [[!book]] is the [[!Random generator]]!!
  • Inspired by Book ciphers

Play

  • What are you doing/what’s your secret society?
  • What is the grave danger

Phases of play:

  • Tie in with the theme of the book you are reading?
  • You play as yourself but only control/'write' O's side of the story

Content

Secret Society (Genre/choice)

Some to get you started. Or use something inspired by the book's contents.

  1. Modern - Time traveller sleeper cells aiming to avert (or bring about) the apocalypse
  2. Fantasy - Spies of the big bad from the novel
  3. Sci-fi - Alien scout company using novels to help blend in with humans you are studying
  4. History -
  5. Paranormal - Vampires
  6. Mystery - Classic noir detective playing cat and mouse with a killer basing their crimes on literature

Developments (Line no.)

  1. You suspect Ottendorf may be a double agent
  2. Ottendorf believes they are being followed
  3. An unfamiliar agent replaces the mysteriously vanished Ottendorf
  4. Your last correspondence was intercepted
  5. You and Ottendorf start receiving coded letters from a mysterious third party
  6. You must prove your allegiance after
  7. Mission altered
  8. Ulterior motives
  9. Ottendorf suspects you are not who you claim
  10. You have been promoted. Ottendorf awaits your orders
  11. Falling in love
  12. Ordered to kill / Ordered to betray O to their death
  13. Your contacts start turning up dead
  14. Stolen intel
  15. You suspect everything O has told you is a lie / The letters are a brainwashing tool
  16. O is in the future
  17. You suspect you are inside a novel. O suspects you are insane. (or vice versa)
  18. O has fallen for your old flame
  19. Your identity is compromised

Modifier (word no.)

/ 25 lines / about 10 words per line Use number of word position in line as modifier if book has more/less lines than developments... or invent your own!

Layout

  • Double sided?

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