Discover the unexpected surprises hiding along the river as adventures and lazy days of fishing combine in Riverbend.

One of my biggest challenges with solo journaling RPGs is to actually complete them! It’s often nice to try out a lot of different adventures, yet something told me that I could finish up my play of Riverbend without taking ages. Donaroo and Giribou were without a boat, which boded poorly for their quest… But something new was just downstream!

Getting Back Into Finding the Joy in Writing

There was a time when I wrote stories and poems for fun, almost on a daily basis. Finding the free time and consistent creativity has been challenging over the last few years. However, this is why I’m having so much fun getting into solo RPGs again! I’m starting to write again, for the sole purpose of enjoying myself without any expectations to share.

But in the interest of inspiring others just to write, here is my word-for-word written paragraph about all the excitement with Mazora! I find this hilarious every time I read it… That’s the important thing when you write, too.

The great hulking mass of Mazora creaks into view at dawn, though Donaroo is the only one to see it, what with Giribou’s eyesight. Out of nowhere, it is the mole who suggests they steal it. A plan is hastily formed. Donaroo fashions a swinging vine, MacGyver-style, and skips the test step. He goes flying across the river, and I do mean flying. He splashes far too close to Mazora, who is as murderous as ever. It rotates and propels, catching Donaroo unaware. The killer reputation is about to be withheld. Then, Mazora shudders and stops. Jazz, pushed over on a moldy log by Giribou, shakes her paws over the railing and turns invisible. Mazora is theirs by whatever strange magic lies within Jazz. Cat magic and all. A whole lot of paint is put to good use to showcase the village sign. Donaroo and Giribou agree that Mazora counts as at least a dozen landmarks on its own for their quest. Besides, who in Littlereach would question this?

Truth be told, I was prepared for a very bad ending with this risky adventure. Yet with their related skills, both captains managed to get the highest roll values possible… Hence, this very strange and silly sort of ending with a new boat!

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

7

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

7

+ Pros (Positives)

• Stories develop naturally and can take on many different forms or tones, depending on the desired experience.
• Creating the river by dropping dice is an amazing and fun process that continues to be developed during play.
• At a glance, the tables might look a little short, yet there is plenty of content and even full descriptions of enemies.
• Despite it not being billed as a solo journaling RPG, it functions nicely and presents a rather unique setting.
• The river has some standard features, but the real heart of the game is in all of its unique, unusual additions.
• It’s simple to commit to short play sessions and end a campaign after a few in-game days, or continue endlessly.

– Cons (Negatives)

• There are several typos and spelling mistakes throughout the rulebook that break the immersion a little too much.
• A lot of the important gameplay rules aren’t in easy-to-find sections, making them hard to locate at a glance.
• Narrative elements are very strong, yet the character stats and inventory feel a little clunky within the story.
• Some of the examples aren’t as easy to follow along with as they could be, which adds some confusion early on.

Goals and Milestones

Continue the Conversation

Have you ever played Riverbend? What surprise endings have you encountered with your tabletop RPG adventures? I was pretty excited about Mazora while I was drawing the river basin, yet I never expected it to end like this! Just a great example of the possibilities with the depth offered in these unique RPGs. I’ll return with another river basin eventually!