I was looking for a nice, relaxing, short game to play and post for Thanksgiving this year. What I found instead was One Page Holiday by M. Kirin.
One Page Holiday is a drawing game where you are trying to escape a holiday-themed killer who is stalking you in your dreams (nightmares). Throughout the game, you will be creating a collage of your encounters based on randomly generated prompts. Let's get started!
Starting with a blank letter-size sheet of paper, I pick a number between 1 and 6 and write it in a box in the middle of the page. This is my Lucky Number. I chose 3, for the trinity. Whenever I roll it, I draw a Symbol of Luck on my page. I can choose whatever I want for this symbol, and I choose a cross.
I start the game with one Symbol. Whenever I am prompted to X a Luck, I cross out a Symbol. If I accidentally write over something that I already drew on my page, I cross out a Symbol. If I want to change the number I roll by 1, I can cross out a Symbol of Luck to do so. If I ever need to X a Luck but don't have a Symbol available . . . Well, that's something I'd rather not think about.
Next, I create my character by rolling two d6 dice (all rolls will be with a d6). The premise of the game is that my character has a flaw, and this roll will determine what it is. 4: I Lied . . . 1: About the end of the world. Okay, I can have fun with this. I'm a member of a doomsday cult. I need to write this on my page.
I don't think this needs to be said, but I think it's clear from scripture that if Jesus didn't know when the world would end (Matt. 24:36), we won't either . . . nor does my pastor.
Finally, I need to create the killer, also known as the Spirit of Thanksgiving. Referring to the correct month (November), I roll one die for their mask or disguise (6: Turkey) and one for their weapon (3: Knife and fork). Turn the page around and draw the killer.
I fall asleep and enter the spirit realm. On the page, I write down my last thought before going to sleep.
From now on, I roll a die, write the number in the margin of my page, read the prompt, and draw/write what it tells me to.
[5] You dream of the ruins of humanity. There is no life in sight. Everything is eerily quiet. Inside an abandoned building, you find boxes upon boxes of holiday decorations. In marker, overdraw a large box the size of your hand. (I made a fist to make it smaller.)
[6] X one luck. You fight back against the Spirit—and you’re hurt! Roll 1d6, then in red draw that many splotches of blood.
[3] You dream of yourself outside a house. You look through the window to find people in hoods standing in a circle. Slowly, one of them turns to see you. In marker, overdraw a cross that spans the entire page. (I rolled a three, so I draw another Symbol of Luck cross. Also, this prompt instructs me to "overdraw". Whenever I am told to "overdraw" or "overwrite", I can cross over a previous item without having to X out a Luck.)
[4] You dream of being trapped inside a box. You cannot breathe. You panic. You are afraid—and yet, this feels like a fitting punishment for someone like you. Draw a long box and then fill it with your thoughts. (Fun fact: This is one of my greatest fears.)
In retrospect, I missed a great opportunity here to relate my thought to my character's flaw. "The world is actually ending . . . for ME!"
[2] You dream of the perfect holiday with family and friends… until something tragic or simply horrible happens. Write or draw what ruined this holiday for you.A few things happen on this next roll. I roll a 6. Since I've already rolled a six, I add a 6 and read [66]. That prompt doesn't thrill me, so I X my last
Symbol of Luck and drop the roll down to 5. This is my second 5 of the game, so I read [55].
[55] You dream of the wasteland. You spot another survivor in the distance, you run to them—only to see them die at the hands of the Spirit. Using your non-dominant hand and in red, write the dying words of that survivor.
[22] Everywhere you go you see the holiday. Everyone is happy and celebrating—but you can’t handle seeing it. In marker, overdraw a symbol of this holiday; making sure it’s as big as your hand. (Second 2 and I can overdraw.)
[555] The person you love most is dying in your arms. In their final breath, they warn you that you must kill the Spirit or else everything will end. In marker, draw the only weapon that can kill the Spirit.
[5555] (I know what die to grab if I ever need to roll a 5.) In search of the weapon to kill the Spirit, you dream of a bunker. You see a clock ticking down with no way to stop it. Time is running out. The end of the world is coming. In red, draw the countdown clock or write how much time you have left.
[44] No matter how far you run, you relive your failures and mistakes one after another. The Spirit appears suddenly, walking you into a corner. Overdraw a large circle on one corner of the page.[55555 – Apocalypse End] You failed to stop the Spirit and your nightmare is about to become reality. You wake up to a world engulfed in chaos. What ended life as you knew it? Roll 1d6: (5) Creatures from beyond the darkness of space invaded. You are not dead. Not yet. In red, overwrite or overdraw what you see now: at the beginning of the end.
And here is the full collage, turned one way, then the other.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Philippians 4:5b-6
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