This is the second in a short series of blog posts by other authors to celebrate the dice pool dot com’s first anniversary. You can find the first one here: Crying at the Table.
Turning habits into games
My wife, H, has always taken a lot of time and care about packing her bag for a trip. She will start planning days or weeks in advance. As someone who habitually just chucks a few more-or-less random pieces of clothing into a bag five minutes before leaving, it fascinates me how she takes the time to draw out each of the items of clothing in her sketch book and uses that as the basis of her eventual pack. It shows a level of care and attention to detail that I think most of us would genuinely like to possess.
But it doesn’t end there, because at the end of every trip, she will mull over the decisions she made regarding each item. Was it necessary? Did it get worn or used? Was it redundant? Does it deserve to travel next time? You can see the foundation of a game right there. In this special guest post, she introduces the actual solo journaling game she’s making of this habit, the Packing Game.
Introducing the Packing Game
By H.
Is it all just a game?
Somehow packing has always seemed like a game or puzzle to me. It’s nice when things just “click” into place. Having just the right items for your trip, and getting to wear every item you pack really feels like a win. And, if you have access to laundry and clothes that dry quick you get to carry less on your back. Coming home with mostly clean laundry? Ronan knows I will say “it’s a coup!”
Why The Packing Game?
I don’t feel ready for a trip of any length until I’ve done my packing list. I usually draw them. To manage travel anxiety, drawing my packing list gives me time to consider what I would bring, and how I would meet any eventuality.
After my trip, I would mark off what I didn’t wear, and consider it for my next trip. I’d reflect on that item that went unworn, and get an idea of what was an aspirational item, and what was really useful. Slowly, I began to have some faves that made it onto every trip. True “MVPs” in my wardrobe. Like a soft kimono-cut top that works for lounging or dinner over a dress. That is a truly ‘magic item’ because I found out how versatile it was in many situations.
I used to lug around a spinner (rolling bag), and packing too much for trips. Sometimes I used a small Samsonite C-LITE Spinner (4 wheels) 75 cm, 94 L (!). I’d also have a backpack with one outfit and extra pair of unders and socks, in case my bag went missing. So there was a lot going on.
That spinner was heavy. One day, lugging the bag down 3 flights of stairs in Cologne, I injured myself. It took months (Ronan said years) to recover from costochondritis. So that has motivated me to want to carry less. Even if the bag is on rollers, sometimes you have to lift and carry it.
But I did it again, for a trip to Taiwan last year, I brought a large variety of clothes. We had hot weather on the coast, and cool mountain weather in Ali Shan, and we were hopping all over the place. With more stuff, it was more to pack and look after. We did get to do laundry, both machine wash and hand wash. So we were reusing. Still, I feel I overpacked.
I wanted to carry less, but I didn’t want to give up the options and flexibility for what to wear.
I came across the One Bag world and found out that the duration of your stay doesn’t need to impact your bag size. The famous Indefinite Backpack Travel guy uses one “classic” bag all year round. He does just fine with 6 t-shirts, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of trousers, swimming togs, and one pair of shoes… A true minimalist.
Having said that, if you think you can walk into any place in a t-shirt and technical trousers and feel comfortable, this entire game might actually sound ridiculous. (It is!)
For me, I need colour and pattern. I need layer-able clothing to deal with temperature changes. The right clothes make it so I adapt to any weather or surprise that comes up. Leaving room in my bag also means I can pick up things along the way.
A well-packed bag can mean my day is more comfortable and enjoyable. And, let’s be honest, cuter.
So that is where I had the idea to hone my skills by creating this packing game.
Making a game is hard
I’ve had ideas for games before. A Cthulhu Dark game with nefarious plant-based cosmic entities where I’d serve dinners to the players, based on the session. I did one session and I genuinely didn’t know what I was doing. It was mood board at best.
Creating this game helped me understand the complexity of setting up rules and scenarios. And I definitely appreciate the work my friends do to create entire worlds with some rules and random tables.
A GAME ABOUT ONE-BAGGING IT
People are drawn to the idea of one bagging because it means:
- Easier to manoeuvre
- Easier to stow
- Less stuff to worry about
- Lower fees
- No checked in luggage
At the start, they think they are going to haul a 45L+ backpack for a 1 week city break. They are completely new to playing “The Packing Game.” They bring things “just in case” and little bags of “what ifs.”
As people get more experienced, they tend to size down. You can spot the Master Packers, who use sub 30L bags, closer to 20L.
They favour light weight clothing that washes easily and dries quickly. They favour items that are versatile and resilient. So they pack smaller. With a lighter, smaller bag, they are more mobile, and have few items to look after.
HOW IT WORKS
Here’s how this cosy game about one-bagging it works.
Caveat: this hasn’t been play-tested yet. I’m still writing and testing the game. The idea is to make it a zine, or a PDF, with templates to follow in a blank A5 book. The Travel Journal is where you will keep track of what you pack and wear. And the inevitable fates of the items; to level them up to mythic status or be crossed off the list. Remember that one main object of the game is get as many wears for as many items of clothing as you can to level them up.
What you need to play
- A pencil and eraser
- An A5 notebook for your packing lists
- Dice: All the dice
- A perverse love of packing
- A real or imaginary closet
The Travel Journal
As you play, you’ll keep notes in the travel journal.
You’ll work in a box for each day, to note the weather, with AM and PM outfit, and anything packed in a day bag (as needed.)
You should include a sketch of the combo or a short description, making sure to note styling. ⭐ Mark any day bag items (since these are at risk of being lost.) You can list the items. Write in pencil or erasable pen so you can update effects on them.
If you’re not used to drawing your list, the game includes tips on drawing your clothes.
Playing modes
The game unfolds in daily turns, with two play styles:
- Planning Mode – plan your trip in advance, maximise rewears, and level up “magic items”
- Spontaneous Mode – each morning, roll to discover the day’s weather and events
Starting out
On your character sheet, you will note the settings for your game.
- The duration of the trip
- Where you will go and when
- The size of bag you need to carry
This sets the scene for your adventure and helps you decide what to pack. For example you can check the local season and note the typical temperature ranges and weather. Daily weather you roll for will be relative to the usual seasonal climate for that time of year.
If you’re in Planning Mode, you can just pick the location, time of year, duration and daily activities.
If you’re playing Spontaneous Mode, you write down six places you’d love to go.
- Roll a d6 to let fate choose your Destination
- Roll for climate and time of year, by rolling a d12 for the month
The classic “one bag” in this game is 25-30 L. Here are some variations. You can choose your difficulty level.
- Micro – 0.5 (half bag) sub 20 L.
- Classic – 1.0 (classic one bag travel) sub 30 L.
- Max – 1.5 bag (this might be a carry on plus personal item) sub 45 L in two bags. Max bag size 30 L.
The bag size you choose is more to do with your own convenience, comfort and style.
Packing your bag
The journal includes a page where you can mark down your item list. This includes traits like “quick wash” and “spill hiding pattern” which will help when you meet the Travellers’ Fates each day. You also mark clothing statuses, like (D) for dirty.
You mark each time you wear an item, and 5 wears equals one level. This will help you discover magic items with excellent versatility.
The packed bag is visualised as a grid of “bag slots” where one litre equals one bag slot. You can see and image of this under the Travel Journal section above. Caveat: Real life bags will indicate the volume in litres, but also include mesh exterior pockets. So your real life bag volume may not match the label.
To make it simpler, the game includes rules for estimating the size of items, for example jeans may take up 2 slots, whereas a tank top may take up 1/2 a slot. You can use your judgment, but when in doubt, you can fold up an item and see how big it is compared to a 1 litre carton.
In your bag slots starting out you can pack:
- Your toiletries and under garments
- A row with your “travel day” combo, including a top, mid-layer, bottom, shoes, outwear, and accessories.
- And one “base” combo with a top, mid-layer, and a bottom.
Each day, you will have to make up a new combo to wear, based on the activities you roll for the day (AM) and evening (PM).
If you don’t have the right clothes, you can add or swap items from your “Magic Closet.” This might be something you own, or something you find online for the sake of the game. Alternatively, you can shop for new items on the trip, but then you’ll give up activity time.
Embarking on the journey
The play starts on Travel Day, with the option to roll for a PM activity. This gets you additional wears if you change clothes from your bag before getting to the hotel. Be wary, everything you have on you is subject to traveller’s fates.
If you do an activity, you will meet your first Travellers Fate on Travel Day.
Alternatively you can just wake up on Day 2, having arrived at your destination late at night. It’s up to you!
Good morning!
- Roll for the weather
- AM Day activity and meal
- PM Dinner activity and meal
This means you’re doing 2 big things a day. When we travel, we tend to do one big thing a day, so adapt as you need to.
Managing inventory
Wearing what you already have will increase the number of wears, and level up items faster. But remember, there’s a risk you won’t have a unique combo if you repeat exactly the same items.
Tip: you can get a unique look by restyling. Using the same button down, you can get several unique looks by leaving it opened, or buttoned up, or tucked in/out/french.
If you have enough items and accessories, you can jump to meet your Traveler’s Fate.
If you didn’t have the right clothes packed or cleaned you need to acquire new items.
- you can “draw from your closet”
- draw one item from your MAGIC closet. So even if it’s not in your closet at home, you can grab something from your Pinterest or screenshots.
- alternatively you can swap up to 2 items
- The swap mechanic encourages you to find items that have more versatility.
- or you can “shop” but it eats up an activity
Every day you can bring a small tote or backpack with accessories or even a shirt. Be warned: the bag could get lost due to Traveler’s Fates.
THE TRAVELLER’S FATE
After you’ve set your outfits and packed your day-pack, the day is set in motion. You mark down your wears in your inventory. Then its time to go about your imaginary day.
Unless one of your activities or meal is at your accommodation, you have to assume you only have the items you brought with you on the day.
Now you must roll on the Traveller’s Fate table to find out what happened that day. The table is packed with typical traveller trials, diversions, and mishaps.
Mark effects on clothes by putting a cross through the item, or maybe a “D” for dirty.
Use items and traits to offset Traveler’s Fates
If you have an item to mitigate a particular situation, then you can avoid the negative effects from a Traveller’s Fate.
Examples:
- If you have a handkerchief, you can say you tucked it into your collar before you ate, avoiding any spills. Get the achievement: Bib Gourmand
- Alternatively maybe you wore a stain-masking pattern to disguise your spaghetti mishap
- If you packed a UV jacket you could avoid the effects of forgetting sun protection! If you left your skin exposed, you could get the “Blister in the Sun” effect and have to stay in the next morning and nurse that burn
Finishing your day
At the end of each day, run through this Checklist:
- Mark any wears on the item list
- If an item has 5 wears, it levels up
- Strike off any swapped out items, and “inherit” the wear points (e.g. if you cross off a level 3 item, add 3 levels to the new item)
- Add any new items to your inventory. Mark the traits (quick dry, versatile, etc) and the number of slots it takes up. Mark as level 1 unless it was swapped and inherits levels
- Add effects, such as dirty as (D) or stained (S). Cross items off as needed
- Before you finish your day, you can do a load of laundry. Mark laundry day (3) as a circled number on each item
- Unless it has the “quick dry” feature, any washed item is not available the next day. E.g. wash on day (3) cannot be used on Day 4
So make sure you have something to wear the next day!
When you wake up, you start a new day.
Heading home
On your last day you can rewear your travel outfit, or set a new travel outfit.
And then you roll your final Traveller’s Fate. Re-roll if you got a duplicate fate.
SCORING
Add up the total levels of all items on the trip. This is your base score.
5 wears is 1 level. 1 level is 1 point.
An item with 43 wears would be Level 8 and three fifths.
Round up or down on levels. Level 8 and three fifths would be Level 9 (or 9 points.) 8 and two fifths would remain level 8.
Count how many clothing items remain on your list that have not been crossed off. If you have less than 12 items, regardless of length of trip, excluding extras and accessories, you win bonus points equal to the length of your trip.
Count any ZERO level items, meaning unworn. Subtract that from your score. Each Zero item removes 1 level.
Dirty clothes. Subtract a point for every item marked with a D.
How many empty slots have you got left? Add bonus points for each empty slot.
If two or more slots remain empty, pick from the Souvenir table.
Check the Achievements table and make sure you pick up badges for your profile. For example “Accidental Tourist” if your clothing takes damage two days in a row.
Congratulations you have completed the Packing Game!
References
Survey
This game is still in development, dear reader, so H would love to get some feedback. Could you answer these questions?
- Would you be interested in playing this game?
- What format would you like to see it produced in? (PDF, zine etc.)
- Would you be interested in extras like themed journals and sketchbooks?
The Dice Pool 