The Quiet Year
A downloadable game
The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a community living after the collapse of civilization, and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every decision and every action is set against a backdrop of dwindling time and rising concern.
The game is played using a deck of cards – each of the 52 cards corresponds to a week during the quiet year. Each card triggers certain events – bringing bad news, good omens, project delays and sudden changes in luck. At the end of the quiet year, the Frost Shepherds will come, ending the game.
The Quiet Year occupies an interesting space – part roleplaying game, part cartographic poetry.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $9 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
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Community Copy
Can't afford the game? You're welcome to claim one of these community copies.
I'll add more community copies periodically, as the whim strikes.
Comments
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Are you planning to make a page for deep forest too?
This game is the one that made me learn that games can truly, utterly, absolutely be more than just fun. They can truly be *good*.
Had an amazing time playing this with my sister on a trip, once. We kept losing track of time! It was especially fun because she was very clever with what she came up with and I was very... comedic. There's room for all with this.
Inspirational, influential, and innovative. Certainly one of the best mapmaking games ever made. Never have I introduced this to a playgroup who was not in wonder and awe at what we had created at the end of its brisk playtime. Thought-provoking and thoughtful, and an incisive commentary on the nature of community organization.
By all means use it to worldbuild for your campaigns, but I implore you also to play it as it is; this game is an art object in its own right!
The Quiet Year is the reason i fell in love with indie TTRPGs. my first time playing it blew open my understanding of what games could be, and i've never looked back. this is an absolute must-play game.
An amazing prompt-based map-drawing game played using a deck of cards! Highly recommended!
For me, The Quiet Year has been a touchstone for what a contemporary RPG can be or do. It creates keepsake maps, complex stories, and fascinating moments where players’ expectations and desires for the community pull with and against each other. I’ve seen it play well in gaming cons and in groups that have never played an RPG. Love it.
Everyone will tell you this game is great, and they're all right, and somehow they're all still underselling it. I think the contempt token mechanic, for just one example, is phenomenally underappreciated. Some of the funniest and most memorable moments I've had with this game have been driven by that system. And there's so much more to the game than that.
Played this at MagFest this year and it was the highlight of the whole event!
Crazy how hands off it is while still steering things in a fun interesting direction with each new card.
I love this game! I’ve done world building for an RPG twice with it and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had collaborating.
As a reflection on thr nature of community, a storytelling and world building tool, and just as a really fun game, The Quiet Year rules.
One of the first GM-less games I ever played. My favorite session so far may have been the one where we played as mice in a backroom of a bakery and created a whole world in just one room.
A truly iconic game that changed my idea of what play should look like.
Smart, evocative, and highly influential.
This is the game I reach for when I want to run something without prep and just ease into a group. I had several amazing sessions, imo it can really bring out the collaborative spirit of people.
I do recommend the shortened version of the game (where you remove cards from the deck) to fit into a 4 hour timeframe.
Wonderful little map drawing game, I was literally running it for some first timers just this past week. Definitely worth your investment for a game that you just keep in your bag at all times.
I once tried to hack The Quiet Year and there was literally nothing I could change without making it worse. It's a low-key masterpiece.
A ttrpg cult classic! Fantastic for world building, so easy to get into and I always love when a game asks me to doodle
I love The Quiet Year!
This game has given me countless hours of fun, amazing experiences, and good memories throughout the years. Ever since learning about it's existence. Thank you so much for it.