Journaling a Journey with Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop
Journey down the River in a meandering story as a bookseller with the solo journaling RPG, Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop.
My purchases have been rather light lately, so it takes a lot for me to want to add a new solo game or RPG to my collection! Yet when I stumbled across the lovely posts about Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop, it turned into a birthday gift. Ready to head out on an adventure across the peaceful water, I eagerly gathered the materials to float away!
Game Overview
Game Name: Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop
Publication Year: 2023
Designer: Ella Lim
Artists: Ella Lim and Linnea Sterte
Publisher: Lost Ways Club
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
As a bookseller, the main focus is on writing about the different encounters with customers and the books they purchase. Yet the River is a vibrant place, filled with animalfolk, towns, seasons, holidays, and all sorts of cozy features to float across while keeping a solo journal.
All the Right Materials
Since this is all about animals, was there any question that I wouldn’t use Calico Critters? Ha! I went through all of my figures and settled on this dapper chipmunk.
I ended up printing out a few sheets, although I don’t have a physical copy of the book… Yet! The PDF document works nicely, especially with all of the flipping around.
More on my bookshop in a moment, because a lot of effort was put into creating it and adding some color to it!
A lone journal was ready to be written in, and I even found the perfect River and Stone card deck to use.
Creating a Backstory
The most important rule in the world of solo journalling is to make it something for you. I sometimes get carried away with details, yet that’s a fun aspect for me.
I pulled out all of my Once Upon a Time cards to randomly give Jenkin, my bookseller, a little backstory.
A lot of these elements tied into some choices during setup, which was neat. It seemed like there might be a lost love somewhere along the River, or lost to time.
The ending wasn’t necessarily for him, but helped give me an idea of the sorts of books and stories he might enjoy.
Letting the Ink Flow
Originally, I picked this notebook since it has about 60 pages in it. Nothing too wild, which made it not feel like such a daunting task to fill the pages… One of my issues!
However, I started writing about the first day and Jenkin’s story. Maybe I got carried away by the River. Ha ha! This was such a lovely writing exercise to start off with.
I didn’t even get into the heart of the game, which is about customers and books. But again: This is my journal.
Just having the freedom to write a little bit was awesome. Such a relaxing experience to write all of this up!
Welcome to the Shop!
Part of the setup, which could easily be an optional step, is to rearrange the furniture and set up the bookshop. This comes as a mostly blank page with objects to cut out.
I went overboard and arranged everything in Photoshop, then printed it out… And still, Jenkin needed some more!
My color pencils came out for the first time in years to bring this area to life. I used to love that idea of coloring: Each spot I colored was alive. So this bookshop was, too!
A few cozy areas took shape, and I tried my hand at a wooden floor texture. It turned out nicely, I think!
Setting the Stage for the Best Experience
When it comes to writing, I do best when I have everything all set up and organized to create an atmosphere that helps me focus. This one is very relaxing, so it’s more about not getting distracted and feeling like I’m near the water. To that end, I used one of my favorite online sound generators to layer in some lovely sounds:
- Calm Lake: A beautiful selection of water-adjacent noises, particularly birds and wildlife near the shore or bank.
- Rainy Riverbank: An assortment of stronger water noises, often useful for bringing in sounds of rain or splashes.
- Water Stream: A fantastic simulation of a river, ranging from the very low tones to the high notes in the shallows.
I love these noises because each noise generator has customizable bars. Sometimes, the low notes are a little too low for me, or I don’t necessarily want to hear the birds. Easy adjustment! Sounds can also animate over time, and opening up multiple tabs allows them to be layered together. Such a great way to make this experience feel even more authentic!
Another quick note is about the size of a journal. I tend to get into the mindset that I have to fill a full page for each day. Although I’m getting out of that habit, it can make some experiences seem like too much to me. Simple fix: Use a smaller journal! I chose one with fairly small pages with only 60 pages to write on. Small, compact, and approachable.
Cozy Journaling
I won’t pretend to be the first person to find this one! Many previous posts about it have popped up lately, and I immediately knew it was something I wanted. I NEEDED!
My solo RPG preferences are often all over the place, but when it comes to solo journaling RPGs, I almost always tend to lean into cozy themes… Which are very prevalent.
That’s another personal taste, but I have no desire in writing about fighting and killing monsters or creatures.
Plenty of games feature that sort of theme, which is great! Yet when I want to sit down to write, I keep it pleasant.
Finishing the Day
Jenkin’s introduction was a lot of exposition, but this isn’t something I’m trying to get published. It was nice to have those details preserved to reference back to later on.
His day wasn’t over, though! Rinse was the holiday taking place in Arborea, and I had a lot of fun coming up with the story of his participation. Such a chilly experience!
Although I wrote more than I intended, I can see how some days will be shorter. Or will they be? Ha ha!
Nice to have a place to write again, though. It takes ages with this handwriting, but it’s always worth it.
A Perfect Card Deck
Although I didn’t need them for this first day, my River and Stone cards are absolutely perfect for this game!
Unbeknownst to me, the jokers actually tied right into this story… Jenkin is a chipmunk, and his discovery of the bookshop happened after a run-in with a tavern bear.
How cool! Maybe I was inspired, although I didn’t look at these cards until I had the story rolling. Even better!
I don’t know how often I’ll continue to share updates, although I hope to try to work in almost daily plays to journey down the River. Can’t wait to discover more!
Continue the Conversation
Have you heard of Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop? What do you look for in a solo journaling RPG? I loved the process of creating the bookseller and getting the floating bookshop all in order! There are so many possibilities, and it will be interesting to move through the seasons. Above all, having this very calming experience at my fingertips is amazing!
Ooooh. I have had this game in my distant radar blips but it got quite closer with this article.
You have a great hand writing and sketching talents. I also own a very ols copy of Once Upon a Time and I never thought of using it that way. Clever!
I think you nailed something I wasn’t aware of: I have tried solo RPGs where fighting was very encouraged andfelt it was missing something I craved for in my writing experiences. Which is cozyness. Time to look for games that cater for that!
Thank you very much! I should note that the sketching is all from the book itself: I merely added some color to a printout that allows you to set up the layout of your bookshop.
There are lots of wonderful solo journaling RPGs out there that let you have that cozy experience. I’ve mentioned a few here and there, but if you’re ever looking for more suggestions, ask away! Although I will say that this one is right near the top. Almost 2 weeks of in-game time completed and it’s been awesome with all sorts of interesting story moments and so many different customers!
Well, I’ll take on your offer and ask for guidance. My solo RPG ventures are rather new (but I have played RPGs when I was a student). After having tried Ironsworn and found the world too grim for me, I am now exploring Colostle. It’s nice because the ruleset is slim and, most of all, I can avoid battling if I decide to do so (to the cost of a slower progression, maybe). Colostle’s world is cool and all. But it’s still not cozy enough some days.
In the back of my mind, I am considering the likes of Apothecaria, Apawthecaria, Fox Curios, The Last Teashop (although this one might be too emotional for me)… My time is not expandable so I don’t want to try too many games at a time, since RPGs require much more time investment!
If you have other recommendations, I’ll gladly take them!
All good choices to start with! I’ll say that so far, Fox Curio’s Floating Bookshop seems to be the easiest for me to keep up with. The only downside is that you will need to flip back and forth a lot to different sections, yet the rules are pretty simple and easy to follow.
Additionally, it sets the stage to give you some control over how deeply you explore the world. Customer cards can represent individuals you slowly get to know, or new ones all the time. You can keep the bookshop open all the time, or decide when to close to fish, explore, participate in local events, or travel to the next town down the river.
I’ve been keeping up with regular journal entries, typically journaling about a single day on the River on a real-life day in as little as 30 minutes. It lends itself to cozy tales and a very laidback approach. The others you mentioned are also great, but I found that there was more to them with lots of tracking. I love that, yet my bookshop has been simpler.
For instance, you really only need to keep track of coins and total books. You can purchase other items to do more… Or not. The random events add some fun stuff to each day with weather and daily tasks. But it’s the least demanding solo journaling RPG I’ve played yet, which makes it very attractive to get into. Good luck!
This is fantastic, I am looking into playing this game and this has given me some inspiration, I love the addition of the Once Upon a Time cards for some added prompts. I love games, anthropomorphized animals, and books so I just know I have to play this game even if I’m not a writer at all! lol
Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful time playing! I ended up taking a break for months, but it’s about time I returned to the river. I even have striking images I remember of some of my days, and having this journal to remind me is wonderful. Can’t wait to keep on playing again!
And the best part about solo journal RPGs is that you need no skill… Just the desire to have fun and tell a story that only you’ll read! I share bits and pieces of my writing, yet I like knowing that this isn’t something I’m trying to submit or get any feedback on. It’s a journey through the seasons, meandering along a peaceful river with all manner of animal friends, books, and cozy slices of life to discover!