Anamnesis Review (Tabletop RPG, 2021)
Anamnesis is a solo tabletop RPG journaling game. You play as a character that has memory loss. You progress through the game, answering questions about important elements of your past to reestablish who you are as a person. You use a tarot deck to randomly generate the story elements of the game.
An RPG journaling game is a very specific genre of tabletop game. You use the rules of the world and any game mechanics to guide your own original narrative. It’s roleplaying by yourself and it can be a lot of fun.
The tarot aspect is what drew me to Anamnesis. I’ve dabbled with using my Tarot del Toro deck as a brainstorming session for short stories and there’s so much to play with in the art and traditional meanings of the cards. Anamnesis makes that kind of exploration the gameplay and it can become quite intense.
To play, you separate out your deck between the major arcana and the four minor arcana. You shuffle each part of the deck separately. At the start, you’re prompted to draw one card from the major arcana. This is your Shadow that follows you the entire game. The card represents your past and is your starting point for piecing together the mystery of your life.
Then, you start asking questions. There will be a narrative prompt in each act to set the mood. You draw three cards from the minor arcana you’re exploring. Each minor arcana card corresponds to a question related to the prompt. You draw a new major arcana card to help you answer each question, remembering that your Shadow card also has a say on what the answer is. Then you journal your answers for each question. When you’re satisfied with your answers, you shuffle those major arcana cards back in the deck and move on to the next act.
What I like about Anamnesis is how open the gameplay is. There really is no right or wrong way to play once you separate out the decks. The game even suggests alternate play modes. This is where a good tabletop RPG really shines. The game sets up the experience, but you get to make what you want of it through your own creativity and interpretation of the rules.
I especially appreciate how welcoming the instructions are. The rules stress that there is no wrong or right way to interpret the cards. You can rely on the artwork alone, your reaction to the cards, or a deeper understanding of tarot as a divination system to create your story. This is meant to be fun, not a lifechanging reading, and it succeeds at that.
Now, if you did want to use this as a longer divination tool, no one is stopping you. It does allow you to really spend time contemplating whatever you are asking questions about. This is entering house rules territory, but the tools are there if you want to use them. Just saying.
Anamnesis is an open roleplaying system. The Kickstarter description recommended alternate rules for two player modes, like collaborating with someone on one journey or creating two separate characters that pull from the same deck to tell their stories. With some creativity, I could see these mechanics expanded through house rules to create some fascinating one shots if your gaming friends are really into roleplay opportunities.
Blinking Birch Games successfully Kickstarted Anamnesis on 15 November and it’s already available to purchase on itch.io for $8.