Do - The Monster Under My Bed
Probably none of you know what Do is, other than people who followed up on what I linked on Facebook or Twitter already, but allow me to give a brief rundown. Do is a storytelling game in which the players take the role of pilgrims of a flying temple who are sent out all over a universe of planets to solve different problems. How do the pilgrims hear about all the unfortunate events and cantankerous problems throughout this universe?
By someone sending them a letter, of course!
Now, after the Do Kickstarter did so phenomenally well, the designers decided to add a little treat for people who donated to help start the production of the game - a booklet of letters which won't be present in the actual game. To get these letters for that booklet, they've asked fans of both the game and the company doing it (the excellent Evil Hat) to write some letters they'd like to see.
I have a few ideas for letters, but I'm not sure what markers to use for my first one, at least. Markers are things that let the pilgrims know what kind of problem this letter entails. Here's a list of the markers and some guidelines for writing letters and I want to see what you all think the following letter should be marked as.
Dear Flying Pilgrim People,
HELP! I am in TROUBLE! There is a MONSTER under my bed and it will EAT ME!
Daddy said if I am in trouble and he can’t help, I should write to you. Daddy is dead, so PLEASE help me.
I hope you are feeling well. How is the cat of your grandmother? I hope it is fine. I hope the weather is SUNNY and WONDERFUL where you are.
Mommy said to be nice to people in letters and they’ll listen to you. You HAVE to listen to me or I might DIE, so I am being EXTRA NICE. I really like kitties so I hope the cat of your grandmother is fine.
My planet is full of ORPHANS. My friends Daks and Jenk say EVERYONE on my planet is an orphan, except for maybe the grown-ups because once you’re big enough you stop being an orphan.
Daks and Jenk told me about the MONSTER under my bed. They told me it was under OTHER BEDS, too. I watched my friends and some of them DISAPPEARED. Daks told me the monster got them and it was going to GET ME SOON. HELP!
Jenk told me the monster has FLASHING CLAWS and SLASHING TEETH, the better to REND FLESH from the BONES of small girls like me. But then he was nice and told me that if I heard the monster GROWLING I could scare it away by jumping on my bed and yelling flibbet REALLY LOUD.
That night, the monster GROWLED and I yelled flibbet REALLY LOUD and the monster DIDN’T eat me. But Matron Percy told me I was NAUGHTY and the next day I did not get an apple with my porridge to LEARN my LESSON, she said.
I like apples. I like it when you bite them and the JUICE runs down your chin. Also, they are yummy.
The monster GROWLED last night too, but I didn’t jump on my bed or yell flibbet. I was quiet. Apples are NICE.
The monster GOT DAKS. In the morning, she was GONE. Jenk told me the monster got her, but it would be okay. It’s not okay. Jenk is sad. I am sad. The monster is going to GET US. HELP!
I am afraid for JENK and for ME and for ALL MY FRIENDS and maybe even MATRON PERCY, even though she is a GROWN-UP. Please come and help us!
Matilda
The Orphan Planet.
PS. PLEASE COME NOW
PPS. I HEARD IT AGAIN
Goal Words
Matilda
Matilda
Matilda
Monster
Monster
“flashing claws”
“slashing teeth”
Jenk
Matron Percy
orphans
orphans
bed
Now, I'm pretty sure that at least one of my symbols is Pen, which is a challenge to find the root of the problem. And then that's where the problem branches off. On the one hand, you have the problem where a young girl is an orphan, alone, finding her family with all the other orphans and the matron and she's being teased and told a story. That problem is about getting people to work together and not tease each other - maybe. That's more of a knot problem.
Then there's a second direction it could go. In this direction, there's ACTUALLY a monster under Matilda's bed. This is a pretty straightforward problem where the goal is to lure the monster out from under the bed and neutralize it as a threat. That's more of a sword problem.
However, on the third hand, what if the monster under the bed is what the Matron turns into at night and that's what all the grown-ups are? What if the problem is both a monster and a whole planet? That makes it seem like more of a flag problem.
So ... what kind of problem do you think it is?
By someone sending them a letter, of course!
Now, after the Do Kickstarter did so phenomenally well, the designers decided to add a little treat for people who donated to help start the production of the game - a booklet of letters which won't be present in the actual game. To get these letters for that booklet, they've asked fans of both the game and the company doing it (the excellent Evil Hat) to write some letters they'd like to see.
I have a few ideas for letters, but I'm not sure what markers to use for my first one, at least. Markers are things that let the pilgrims know what kind of problem this letter entails. Here's a list of the markers and some guidelines for writing letters and I want to see what you all think the following letter should be marked as.
Dear Flying Pilgrim People,
HELP! I am in TROUBLE! There is a MONSTER under my bed and it will EAT ME!
Daddy said if I am in trouble and he can’t help, I should write to you. Daddy is dead, so PLEASE help me.
I hope you are feeling well. How is the cat of your grandmother? I hope it is fine. I hope the weather is SUNNY and WONDERFUL where you are.
Mommy said to be nice to people in letters and they’ll listen to you. You HAVE to listen to me or I might DIE, so I am being EXTRA NICE. I really like kitties so I hope the cat of your grandmother is fine.
My planet is full of ORPHANS. My friends Daks and Jenk say EVERYONE on my planet is an orphan, except for maybe the grown-ups because once you’re big enough you stop being an orphan.
Daks and Jenk told me about the MONSTER under my bed. They told me it was under OTHER BEDS, too. I watched my friends and some of them DISAPPEARED. Daks told me the monster got them and it was going to GET ME SOON. HELP!
Jenk told me the monster has FLASHING CLAWS and SLASHING TEETH, the better to REND FLESH from the BONES of small girls like me. But then he was nice and told me that if I heard the monster GROWLING I could scare it away by jumping on my bed and yelling flibbet REALLY LOUD.
That night, the monster GROWLED and I yelled flibbet REALLY LOUD and the monster DIDN’T eat me. But Matron Percy told me I was NAUGHTY and the next day I did not get an apple with my porridge to LEARN my LESSON, she said.
I like apples. I like it when you bite them and the JUICE runs down your chin. Also, they are yummy.
The monster GROWLED last night too, but I didn’t jump on my bed or yell flibbet. I was quiet. Apples are NICE.
The monster GOT DAKS. In the morning, she was GONE. Jenk told me the monster got her, but it would be okay. It’s not okay. Jenk is sad. I am sad. The monster is going to GET US. HELP!
I am afraid for JENK and for ME and for ALL MY FRIENDS and maybe even MATRON PERCY, even though she is a GROWN-UP. Please come and help us!
Matilda
The Orphan Planet.
PS. PLEASE COME NOW
PPS. I HEARD IT AGAIN
Goal Words
Matilda
Matilda
Matilda
Monster
Monster
“flashing claws”
“slashing teeth”
Jenk
Matron Percy
orphans
orphans
bed
Now, I'm pretty sure that at least one of my symbols is Pen, which is a challenge to find the root of the problem. And then that's where the problem branches off. On the one hand, you have the problem where a young girl is an orphan, alone, finding her family with all the other orphans and the matron and she's being teased and told a story. That problem is about getting people to work together and not tease each other - maybe. That's more of a knot problem.
Then there's a second direction it could go. In this direction, there's ACTUALLY a monster under Matilda's bed. This is a pretty straightforward problem where the goal is to lure the monster out from under the bed and neutralize it as a threat. That's more of a sword problem.
However, on the third hand, what if the monster under the bed is what the Matron turns into at night and that's what all the grown-ups are? What if the problem is both a monster and a whole planet? That makes it seem like more of a flag problem.
So ... what kind of problem do you think it is?