Hamsters and Apothecaria: Another Witchy Week
Explore a magical world as a village witch tasked with healing and caring for an ever-growing community with Apothecaria.
There are some solo RPGs that take a little time to prepare for, but once in the groove… What an adventure! My recent return to Apothecaria has been wonderful, and I continued writing about my witch, Myralyn. Little stories flow through each prompt. Some are brief, and may never return, while others form the unexpected foundation for an ongoing narrative!
Game Overview
Game Name: Apothecaria
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Anna Blackwell
Artist: Shanice Fagan
Publisher: Blackwell Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
This is an open-ended solo journaling RPG that sets the stage for a cozy sort of adventure. As a witch, gameplay is focused around gathering ingredients to craft a potion and heal a patient each week. Yet there is no end to how much can happen in this world, and it’s guided by imagination!
Peering Inside the Book
I own the base game book and a couple of supplements, yet found that a hybrid approach with a digital side worked best for me. It’s been amazing using an Obsidian vault to help!
Still, I discovered a pair of Calico Critters taking a peek inside. Far too irresistible to those who are curious. Ha ha!
Keeping up the momentum in an in-depth narrative can be a challenge, though this one doesn’t feel like it offers that stressful call to constantly return. It’s always there.
The week-based prompts are also nice to be able to reach a clear pause or end point. Again, nothing stressful here.
Tracking My Play Area
I often mention how my blog is mainly for me, and this post is a case in point… A lot of these photos are here to help me remember exactly what I use and how I arrange my table!
My StoryWorld collection stayed put upright, and this made it easier to grab a box instead of out of a giant stack. The way it looked like a bookshelf also felt rather thematic.
Playing digitally isn’t something I normally do, yet there it is: A laptop! I keep all the bookkeeping off to the side.
My focus is then on writing and getting creative with my writing… Along with the freedom to doodle here and there!
More Card Decks
I keep a trio of standard playing card decks on hand to draw from. Only a single deck is needed and the same card is usually shuffled right back in immediately… But more!
This selection allows me to draw depending on the mood. I use the middle, greenish one the most. On the left is a more creature-themed deck, and the right is a bird-themed deck.
More importantly, I keep a selection of cards out to give me ideas for the overall week and the patient. So very cool!
I love the art of interpretation and the freedom to craft stories that don’t necessarily have to adhere to the cards.
Phodothropy Healers
Calico Critters! In a fantastic twist, I randomly picked out a family before I began play. These hamsters are so cute!
But then I had a laugh when I drew the next ailment: Phodothropy. Also known as that time when someone turns into a monstrous hamster during the full moon. Ha ha!
It was too perfect, and I had a great time working through this week. The afflicted was Annablissa, Myralyn’s very first patient. Definitely seems to be a story going on with her.
My potion-themed d2 dice came out for some thematic fun as I wrote up this potion and an incantation to go with it.
Finding a World to Freely and Joyfully Explore
I was drawn to this setting for its partially developed details. There’s a foundation to build off of, rather than having to come up with everything. I feel like Wanderhome exists in the realm where all of the details must be created. Sometimes, the best choice depends on how much effort I want to put into that creative process. This is also why I move around a lot!
These prompts also hold some general details and slowly introduce elements that might be interpreted in different ways. Ingredients or reagents have some information, but not all of them. I often think up just how to gather them and what the process will be to create a potion. It’s a wonderful time filled with some conflict, but nothing overly dangerous or scary.
What I’m building is an interpretation of this world that’s my very own. I love the ways I can take the text that’s written and build onto it. This system is fantastic for being open-ended with enough of a foundation to feel like there’s a place to come back to. Solo journaling RPGs do all sorts of things and appeal in various ways. This one continues to delight me!
A Week of Mysteries
These cards served me well, setting up some decisions and giving me ideas for how this entire week played out. So much water! Myralyn was back at Meltwater Loch a lot.
This led to her being gifted a Fossil Fish not as a reagent, but a good luck charm. That was useful in gaining vampire venom from an unpleasant vampire faerie living in a book.
Strange enough yet? Ha! I love keeping these right next to my notebook, as I tend to enjoy the visual over just text.
Card names can also come in handy at times, although they typically aren’t literal in the way I interpret them. So fun!
Patchwork Potions
One aspect I added at the start was Patchwork Potions, which is easy to incorporate. Downtime is about exploring and doing practically anything, but I use this as a guide.
For instance, I thought Myralyn might want to pursue a quiet time at the cottage… Nope! Her downtime has been very centered on relationships, with a little more mixed in.
Each week, 3 squares are colored in. This is still early, but it’s already telling an interesting story about her experiences.
I also don’t follow the prompts exactly, but simply use the categories to ask questions and find out what to do.
Literal Interpretation
Remember when I said I don’t typically use the card names? During this week’s downtime, Myralyn stopped at Strange Vintage, a shop carrying ancient outfits for sale. Cool!
I had a nice time writing about it, then drew a pair of cards to figure out what Myralyn would be up to next.
I kid you not: Strange Vintage had an item in stock named the Crimson Clothes! So there very well might be something important for Myralyn to return to here. Such a funny thing!
High Rannoc continues to blossom into a happy, charming place. I simply love this setting and how creative I can be!
Continue the Conversation
Do you have an ongoing journal for Apothecaria? Is it a solo journaling RPG you enjoy for a specific reason? I will admit that it took me a little work to figure out the best way to play, yet it’s been magical. When I have everything set up at my table, I get lost in my writing. There’s no expectation beyond having fun and using my imagination. I absolutely love it!
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