I've been searching around for the perfect solo rpg that ticks all of my boxes in terms of concept, story, mechanics etc. I had thought a few have come close but after seeing this I realise this is what I have been searching for all along. The time travel concept, using things I already have (unused planners, playing cards etc), the bookmark as your character sheet. Genius. I can't wait to play! Would love to get a physical copy in the UK but that seems tricky! Can't believe I haven't seen this before.
I’m so happy you found it! Would love to hear what you think when you get a chance to play. I do sell discounted copies on my website that have slight bends/misprints which might ease the international shipping costs
bought the physical copy of this book, along with the included planner, and it's truly amazing! I love this game so much and can't recommend it enough <3
Want to give Elliot big props and love for this wonderful game. I've been getting into TTRPGS for a couple of months now, so still blue, but as a fiction writer I am in love with the genre. Digital gaming does not do it anymore for me but here I can feel like a playful child again, playing with my imagination.
This is my favorite of all the solo RPG's I've played as of yet. It's super intuitive but still meaty and has a lot of detail and option. The different ways of prompting and ways of possible narritives, it's a creative achievement, it has a strong balance between a strong set and setting and abstract enough to play with it. Also love using the physicality of the fieldplanner and jumping all over the place.
I'm telling a story of a world where the entity creates an illusion of a beginning and an end. An upside down, superficial world. The agency are enlightened Gods who guide agents to remember that time is a circle. The agent has to complete the circle and realize eternity in time to become part of the headquarters.
Gonna get jumping again, and see where I might land.
This is a great solo game! I just finished my playthrough and the vibes throughout were full of mystery and spookiness. There were a handful of moments in the game that really surprised me and I had no idea what was going to happen until I reached the end. Highly recommend
So I am not going to lie to you I saw this comment with the YouTube Video link and I think I became obsessed with it. This sounds SUPER. Especially as someone who loves a planner but also abandons them in the first few weeks.
very interested in this game will be buying it soon and plan on using an old planner for this. I have an odd question, does anybody have any suggestions or experience with replaying the game using the same planner either as the same character or is a different character? I will be trying after my first place and hopefully can get some out of it, but would be curious if anyone has any experience with us thus far. awesome project, looking forward to
Thanks so much! Can't wait to hear what you think of it. There are actually rules in the game for variations on replaying in the same planner. If you want to chat with other folks who have played, there are a handful in the Many Sided Media Discord!
I am having a fun time with this. It’s my first solo-journaling RPG experience, and I’m enjoying the freedom that comes with this game’s loose prompts that promote world building.
My one major critique—and I acknowledge that this is likely a personal failing to efficiently tie up story threads—is that there are many prompts that require you to make some pretty big decisions about yourself, the Agency, and the Entity. And those decisions keep coming, and coming, and soon you have a narrative puzzle with plot points that become difficult to satisfyingly tie together.
I had a few neat story beats that really complimented each other for the first few hours. I kept seeing the same smiling woman whenever something creepy happened. I had a tattoo that also appeared on ancient ruins and Agency documents. A man on a yellow suit was hunting me down. It was enough to discover what these elements had in common, but I’d also constantly get new prompts to add to the intrigue. Soon, I had a mysterious bearded man who was trying to help me, a derelict yacht with a research station, a song that the Agency was trying to contact me through, and a convoy of truckers I traveled with that slowly began to disappear.
When it came time to make a big decision, I had to look at this very colorful cast of clues and characters and ask, “What the heck does all of this have in common?” And if feel like my solution came up a little short.
I was a little slow on getting the prompts that push toward end game, so I had a very complex network of things going on by the time I was pushed to reveal secrets. What was the Agency doing? What are we getting wrong about the Entity? What secret did the dead agent whisper to me? What secret weapon did I find in the Agency? What secret am I keeping from the Agency? I had three of these secrets come up in a row, and it was difficult to make huge proclamations about the world that needed to fit in with everything else.
So, that’s all to say that this is a very novel and exciting theme with quite a lot of responsibility on the journaler to tell a cohesive story. I also think that the mechanic that pushes the story forward is far too sporadic. With only two visits to the Entity and three to the Agency, I began rerolling prompts because they were just way too irrelevant to anything I had going on with the hope that I’d get a push toward end game or find something that complimented my tangled story so far.
I’d like to play again, but I might modify the rules to simply freely trigger an Entity or Agency visit if it complimented the story.
Just completed a playthrough of this game. Highlights in the storyline I wrote include: a subplot about an enemy of the Agency that my agent unknowingly had a hand in creating, Stonehenge getting obliterated in a Summer Solstice ritual, trying (and failing) to prevent a murder, and my agent deliberately forcing her way to the ending (which I can tell you it is glorious)
Though I admit I probably made an error with the first entry because I didn't realise the day coincided with a certain date of significance, which would've made the starting prompt a lot harder if I followed it as it is.
Still, I can't praise this game enough if I tried. The concept of time travelling by bouncing around different dates on a planner is such a novel idea. The only downside is that it is ridiculously addictive and requires multiple tools for generating prompts (you'll need both playing cards and tarot cards, whereas in most other games it's either), though this also lends itself to a diverse array of compelling ideas at a level I haven't seen in any other journalling game.
I messed up the entry writings on the first day I was playing - forgot I was going for a weekly entry instead of a daily approach - but immediately course-corrected the gameplay over the following sessions. Ultimately found myself on the Entity's ending path, where my Agent choose to give up on the Agency encounters in exchange for a peaceful life in a different timeline. It got intense at times, but I enjoyed the story all the more! I can't wait to play Project ECCO again for future sessions! :D
that is so kind of you to say! I’m glad to hear it. Immersion was a big part of my goals for this game with trying to have certain mechanics and real world objects tied to in fiction objects.
Hands down the best solo journaling rpg out there! I've tried a bunch of solo rpgs and this is the first one to stick. It has the perfect balance of railroading with limited writing space in the planner contrasted with creative freedom from the prompts and theme. Definitely a favourite!
Hey Elliot, I am really intrigued to try this game out! Really inspired design. I'm a little confused going into my first playthrough. What exactly is the flow of play supposed to look like at first? I've rolled a few times using the Watch, jumped around the calendar and been given the same prompt as few times without much direction on what to do next. Do I just keep rolling until I discover a new device to open the game up some more?
Hey there! So with the Watch (and most other devices), if you encounter the same prompt, you are welcome and encouraged to re-roll for a new one. You may be traveling with just the watch for your first 5 or 6 prompts but, after a certain point, device discovery would be the only prompt you hadn't yet encountered. That being said, you could complete your whole journey with just the watch but it would be a bit less interesting. I hope that helps and thank you for checking out the game!
Gotcha! I ended up playing a bit more, collected more devices, and the game opened up a whole lot more as you said. I saw some talk about an example of play in the comments below, that could be really helpful I think for new players! Absolutely loving the game aside from that, fantastic work.
Hi Elliot, I am REALLY enjoying this game. Only recently this year got into solo RPG with Ironsworn Starforged primarily, but I was intrigued by ECCO so picked it up. WOW! I'm thoroughly enjoying this style. i got a large daily planner format (8.5x11) and find writing over 2-3 days fits my style so I can really detail the story. I had no idea where to start so I used Mythic GM tables to get me started on themes, and go back to those when I need a new twist or more details. The time travel mechanic is really interesting and the more devices I uncover, the crazier the story gets BUT I've been able to log my time travel "jumps" on the side so I can maybe tie it all into a short story or something. It's just a joy to write, uninhibited and see the story that falls out of my head. Lovely game and neat mechanics to guide and twist things. Please do more, either an extension of this game or a completely new one. This is really well done!
Thank you to the dev for a truly engaging, tightly crafted, and consistently delightful experience from start to finish. I'm really hoping to do a video read through of my play to share the experience. I loved knowing what I was shooting for to end the story, combined with the suite of tools that surprised me in awesome way. The device mechanic I think really sings, and I loved looking for reasons my agent would pic different devices based on the last prompt. All in all I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a rewarding creative experience with a lot of care put into the prompts and layout.
If I had one suggestion I think that a larger flow of play/example of play could be super helpful. I found a rhythm but was a little "do I just pick a device?" when I started and I've found them super helpful in other games.
Thank you so much for the kind words and for sharing your experience playing! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. If you do end up making a video of your playthrough, I'd love to share it here for other folks to check out.
An example of play is a great idea and something I'd love to put together soon.
Thanks also for sharing your stats! I can imagine so many fun aspects of your journey based on these.
I'm interested in playing, but I don't know if a physical planner will personally work for me, given my sloppy handwriting and other space-related issues. It won't absolutely kill the experience if I use like, a Google doc or something, will it?
I totally understand. I don't think it will change too much for you! Here's a few options I'm thinking might work:
You could use a calendar (digital or physical) to track where you are in the year and then label your writings in the google doc by date in a sort of diary style. (One of my early playtesters told me they wanted to try playing completely in google calendar, which I'd love to see.)
If you do want the physical experience, you could maybe track down a day planner for maximum space.
I also know that there are some Etsy sellers who make digital planners that are highly customizable, maybe in terms of space as well.
I hope one of these options works for you and that you enjoy your time with the game!
Of course! Happy to help more people get their hands on the game. Thanks also goes to the backers who helped the game come to life. Many people bought our "Buy a Community Copy" add-on which allowed us to start with so many. I hope you enjoy the game and if you like it, tell a friend!
This is the most unique solo TTRPG I have ever come across.
Between the premise of the story, the setting, the action resolution procedures, and how you document your game, it manages to create an experience that I have never come across in the solo game space. Despite this, it's easy to understand and play.
The game itself has a beautiful minimalistic layout, using only three colours throughout, amazing and evocative artwork, and detailed explanations of each system used.
Playing the game is extremely immersive and a lot of fun. No two playthroughs will be the same.
If you're looking for a unique solo experience or just want to pass the time between other games, I can't reccomend this game enough. Do yourself a favour and but this game. I doubt you'll regret it.
I'll definately be looking out for further games by this author.
Edit: I also made a post in r/Solo_Roleplaying reccomending pepole come check it out :) Thanks for the great game!
Wow! This is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about one of my games. Thank you for the thoughtful review and for sharing it along! I'd love to hear about how your time playing goes :)
This is the best solo RPG I've ever played and one of the coolest looking TTRPGs I've ever seen. The art is awesome and the whole game is built towards helping you make really cool stories.
The first time I heard you played this game in the pages of a day planner I was absolutely sold and the experience of playing is exactly as cool as I hoped. I've been carrying around my planner for weeks (as a beta tester) doing a few prompts a day and it's been such a fun journey.
Mark my words: Soon this game will be listed alongside Anamnesis, The Wretched, and Thousand Year-Old Vampire. It's that good.
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Hi there
Just wondering if any more community copies will be available?
Kind regards
Should be some available now!
thank you so much
Really appreciate it
I've been searching around for the perfect solo rpg that ticks all of my boxes in terms of concept, story, mechanics etc. I had thought a few have come close but after seeing this I realise this is what I have been searching for all along. The time travel concept, using things I already have (unused planners, playing cards etc), the bookmark as your character sheet. Genius. I can't wait to play! Would love to get a physical copy in the UK but that seems tricky! Can't believe I haven't seen this before.
I’m so happy you found it! Would love to hear what you think when you get a chance to play. I do sell discounted copies on my website that have slight bends/misprints which might ease the international shipping costs
bought the physical copy of this book, along with the included planner, and it's truly amazing! I love this game so much and can't recommend it enough <3
thank you so much! The planner bundle is probably my favorite thing I’ve made
this game looks like it might just end up joining my 'this is an actual masterpiece' list of Solo RPGs consisting of TYOV and Koriko
Thank you so much! Huge fan of both of those games so that is truly an honor
Want to give Elliot big props and love for this wonderful game. I've been getting into TTRPGS for a couple of months now, so still blue, but as a fiction writer I am in love with the genre. Digital gaming does not do it anymore for me but here I can feel like a playful child again, playing with my imagination.
This is my favorite of all the solo RPG's I've played as of yet. It's super intuitive but still meaty and has a lot of detail and option. The different ways of prompting and ways of possible narritives, it's a creative achievement, it has a strong balance between a strong set and setting and abstract enough to play with it. Also love using the physicality of the fieldplanner and jumping all over the place.
I'm telling a story of a world where the entity creates an illusion of a beginning and an end. An upside down, superficial world. The agency are enlightened Gods who guide agents to remember that time is a circle. The agent has to complete the circle and realize eternity in time to become part of the headquarters.
Gonna get jumping again, and see where I might land.
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Love the shape your story is taking
Very interested in trying since seeing it exists.
Would love to hear what you think if you do!
I have an abandoned planner that I didn't know what to do with but also didn't want to throw away. I'm so glad I found this game. Thank you so much!!
Love when a plan comes together!
This is a great solo game! I just finished my playthrough and the vibes throughout were full of mystery and spookiness. There were a handful of moments in the game that really surprised me and I had no idea what was going to happen until I reached the end. Highly recommend
I'm so glad you had fun with it! What was a favorite surprise from playing?
Without trying to spoil anything, the HT prompt on page 51!
Oh loooove that one! This was actually an idea from BE/HOLD (who wrote the soundtrack) early in the game's development. Had to include it!
So I am not going to lie to you I saw this comment with the YouTube Video link and I think I became obsessed with it. This sounds SUPER. Especially as someone who loves a planner but also abandons them in the first few weeks.
So glad to hear it! Would love to hear how your playthrough goes!
Ooh I would love to see the review if you don't mind linking it!
very interested in this game will be buying it soon and plan on using an old planner for this. I have an odd question, does anybody have any suggestions or experience with replaying the game using the same planner either as the same character or is a different character? I will be trying after my first place and hopefully can get some out of it, but would be curious if anyone has any experience with us thus far. awesome project, looking forward to
Thanks so much! Can't wait to hear what you think of it. There are actually rules in the game for variations on replaying in the same planner. If you want to chat with other folks who have played, there are a handful in the Many Sided Media Discord!
awesome thanks!
I am having a fun time with this. It’s my first solo-journaling RPG experience, and I’m enjoying the freedom that comes with this game’s loose prompts that promote world building.
My one major critique—and I acknowledge that this is likely a personal failing to efficiently tie up story threads—is that there are many prompts that require you to make some pretty big decisions about yourself, the Agency, and the Entity. And those decisions keep coming, and coming, and soon you have a narrative puzzle with plot points that become difficult to satisfyingly tie together.
I had a few neat story beats that really complimented each other for the first few hours. I kept seeing the same smiling woman whenever something creepy happened. I had a tattoo that also appeared on ancient ruins and Agency documents. A man on a yellow suit was hunting me down. It was enough to discover what these elements had in common, but I’d also constantly get new prompts to add to the intrigue. Soon, I had a mysterious bearded man who was trying to help me, a derelict yacht with a research station, a song that the Agency was trying to contact me through, and a convoy of truckers I traveled with that slowly began to disappear.
When it came time to make a big decision, I had to look at this very colorful cast of clues and characters and ask, “What the heck does all of this have in common?” And if feel like my solution came up a little short.
I was a little slow on getting the prompts that push toward end game, so I had a very complex network of things going on by the time I was pushed to reveal secrets. What was the Agency doing? What are we getting wrong about the Entity? What secret did the dead agent whisper to me? What secret weapon did I find in the Agency? What secret am I keeping from the Agency? I had three of these secrets come up in a row, and it was difficult to make huge proclamations about the world that needed to fit in with everything else.
So, that’s all to say that this is a very novel and exciting theme with quite a lot of responsibility on the journaler to tell a cohesive story. I also think that the mechanic that pushes the story forward is far too sporadic. With only two visits to the Entity and three to the Agency, I began rerolling prompts because they were just way too irrelevant to anything I had going on with the hope that I’d get a push toward end game or find something that complimented my tangled story so far.
I’d like to play again, but I might modify the rules to simply freely trigger an Entity or Agency visit if it complimented the story.
Try it out - it’s interesting!
Just done my first playthrough of this. It was absolutely brilliant.
my agent ended up abandoning the agency and helping the entities; who are simply creatures who keep timelines stable, and who exploited by the agency.
Absolutely loved this and spent a couple sessions to do the whole playthrough, but it was super engaging the entire time.
Oh I LOVE this interpretation of the Entity as entities. So good! Thank you for playing!
Just completed a playthrough of this game. Highlights in the storyline I wrote include: a subplot about an enemy of the Agency that my agent unknowingly had a hand in creating, Stonehenge getting obliterated in a Summer Solstice ritual, trying (and failing) to prevent a murder, and my agent deliberately forcing her way to the ending (which I can tell you it is glorious)
Though I admit I probably made an error with the first entry because I didn't realise the day coincided with a certain date of significance, which would've made the starting prompt a lot harder if I followed it as it is.
Still, I can't praise this game enough if I tried. The concept of time travelling by bouncing around different dates on a planner is such a novel idea. The only downside is that it is ridiculously addictive and requires multiple tools for generating prompts (you'll need both playing cards and tarot cards, whereas in most other games it's either), though this also lends itself to a diverse array of compelling ideas at a level I haven't seen in any other journalling game.
Wow this sounds like an incredible playthrough! Also really made my day with all of your kind words about the game. Thank you so much for sharing!
I posted a flip through on my YouTube channel! I really love how players unlock devices that further unlock new prompts. What a neat concept!
Finished my first session of the game, and I loved every minute of it!
I’m so glad to hear! Would love to hear about the story when you finish if you feel like sharing :)
I messed up the entry writings on the first day I was playing - forgot I was going for a weekly entry instead of a daily approach - but immediately course-corrected the gameplay over the following sessions. Ultimately found myself on the Entity's ending path, where my Agent choose to give up on the Agency encounters in exchange for a peaceful life in a different timeline. It got intense at times, but I enjoyed the story all the more! I can't wait to play Project ECCO again for future sessions! :D
Amazing! First time I've heard of someone getting to that ending! So so glad you enjoyed it
just played my first session and i loved it so much! it's truly the most immersive solo rpg i've ever played, it's perfectly crafted.
that is so kind of you to say! I’m glad to hear it. Immersion was a big part of my goals for this game with trying to have certain mechanics and real world objects tied to in fiction objects.
This looks like so much fun! I can't wait to try it out!
can't wait to get my filthy mitts on the physical copy of this beauty!
Hands down the best solo journaling rpg out there! I've tried a bunch of solo rpgs and this is the first one to stick. It has the perfect balance of railroading with limited writing space in the planner contrasted with creative freedom from the prompts and theme. Definitely a favourite!
Thank you so much for saying so! I hope this opens up a world of solo gaming for you.
This OST is baller af. My playthrough's been pretty intense so far, and these new jams are going to put a new ceiling on it.
thank you!!!
Hey Elliot, I am really intrigued to try this game out! Really inspired design. I'm a little confused going into my first playthrough. What exactly is the flow of play supposed to look like at first? I've rolled a few times using the Watch, jumped around the calendar and been given the same prompt as few times without much direction on what to do next. Do I just keep rolling until I discover a new device to open the game up some more?
Hey there! So with the Watch (and most other devices), if you encounter the same prompt, you are welcome and encouraged to re-roll for a new one. You may be traveling with just the watch for your first 5 or 6 prompts but, after a certain point, device discovery would be the only prompt you hadn't yet encountered. That being said, you could complete your whole journey with just the watch but it would be a bit less interesting. I hope that helps and thank you for checking out the game!
Gotcha! I ended up playing a bit more, collected more devices, and the game opened up a whole lot more as you said. I saw some talk about an example of play in the comments below, that could be really helpful I think for new players! Absolutely loving the game aside from that, fantastic work.
Excited to check this out! any community copies coming our way?
Yes! Apologies, I've been a bit behind on the replenishing.
what! this is amazing!
Hi Elliot, I am REALLY enjoying this game. Only recently this year got into solo RPG with Ironsworn Starforged primarily, but I was intrigued by ECCO so picked it up. WOW! I'm thoroughly enjoying this style. i got a large daily planner format (8.5x11) and find writing over 2-3 days fits my style so I can really detail the story. I had no idea where to start so I used Mythic GM tables to get me started on themes, and go back to those when I need a new twist or more details. The time travel mechanic is really interesting and the more devices I uncover, the crazier the story gets BUT I've been able to log my time travel "jumps" on the side so I can maybe tie it all into a short story or something. It's just a joy to write, uninhibited and see the story that falls out of my head. Lovely game and neat mechanics to guide and twist things. Please do more, either an extension of this game or a completely new one. This is really well done!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I would love to hear about the story you've explored once you've finished.
Hi, I never got the code for my digital copy from the crowdfunding. Can you send me one?
Absolutely! Could you shoot me an email with your info? elliotsdavis@gmail.com
Thank you to the dev for a truly engaging, tightly crafted, and consistently delightful experience from start to finish. I'm really hoping to do a video read through of my play to share the experience. I loved knowing what I was shooting for to end the story, combined with the suite of tools that surprised me in awesome way. The device mechanic I think really sings, and I loved looking for reasons my agent would pic different devices based on the last prompt. All in all I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a rewarding creative experience with a lot of care put into the prompts and layout.
If I had one suggestion I think that a larger flow of play/example of play could be super helpful. I found a rhythm but was a little "do I just pick a device?" when I started and I've found them super helpful in other games.
Stats:
~100 days consumed.
5 Agency visits
6 Entity encounters
5/6 devices discovered
5 rings of the bell
True name found and kept
44 entries
total time ~10 hours
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the kind words and for sharing your experience playing! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. If you do end up making a video of your playthrough, I'd love to share it here for other folks to check out.
An example of play is a great idea and something I'd love to put together soon.
Thanks also for sharing your stats! I can imagine so many fun aspects of your journey based on these.
I love that you gave the stats for your game!!
I love this game so much!
I'm interested in playing, but I don't know if a physical planner will personally work for me, given my sloppy handwriting and other space-related issues. It won't absolutely kill the experience if I use like, a Google doc or something, will it?
I totally understand. I don't think it will change too much for you! Here's a few options I'm thinking might work:
I hope one of these options works for you and that you enjoy your time with the game!
No way! I saw this on tiktok and have been wanting to play ever since!
I’m so glad you’re here! Safe travels as you dive into the timeline!
Thank you very much for sharing so many community copies. I really appreciate it.
Of course! Happy to help more people get their hands on the game. Thanks also goes to the backers who helped the game come to life. Many people bought our "Buy a Community Copy" add-on which allowed us to start with so many. I hope you enjoy the game and if you like it, tell a friend!
This is the most unique solo TTRPG I have ever come across.
Between the premise of the story, the setting, the action resolution procedures, and how you document your game, it manages to create an experience that I have never come across in the solo game space. Despite this, it's easy to understand and play.
The game itself has a beautiful minimalistic layout, using only three colours throughout, amazing and evocative artwork, and detailed explanations of each system used.
Playing the game is extremely immersive and a lot of fun. No two playthroughs will be the same.
If you're looking for a unique solo experience or just want to pass the time between other games, I can't reccomend this game enough. Do yourself a favour and but this game. I doubt you'll regret it.
I'll definately be looking out for further games by this author.
Edit: I also made a post in r/Solo_Roleplaying reccomending pepole come check it out :) Thanks for the great game!
Wow! This is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about one of my games. Thank you for the thoughtful review and for sharing it along! I'd love to hear about how your time playing goes :)
I'm so excited for this! I've ordered a vintage planner from 1983 to use for this game and can't wait for it to arrive.
oh my god!!! That is literally my dream playthrough. Let me know how it goes!
This is the best solo RPG I've ever played and one of the coolest looking TTRPGs I've ever seen. The art is awesome and the whole game is built towards helping you make really cool stories.
The first time I heard you played this game in the pages of a day planner I was absolutely sold and the experience of playing is exactly as cool as I hoped. I've been carrying around my planner for weeks (as a beta tester) doing a few prompts a day and it's been such a fun journey.
Mark my words: Soon this game will be listed alongside Anamnesis, The Wretched, and Thousand Year-Old Vampire. It's that good.
Thank you so much! Those three games are big inspirations so it's an honor to be thought of among them