Anamnesis

You wake up with no idea who you are. The tarot deck, unhelpfully, has opinions.

You come round with no memory of who you are, where you are or what you care about, and the only way back is to write it. Anamnesis is a 24-page solo journaling game by Samantha Leigh for Blinking Birch Games, and its Designer's Commentary edition was nominated for an ENnie in 2022.

Each act has three prompts. For each one you draw a Minor Arcana card to choose the prompt and a Major Arcana card for inspiration, then answer in writing, slowly filling in a past and discovering a present. A standard deck of playing cards can stand in if you have no tarot deck, though you lose the Major Arcana draw that gives the game much of its texture. Most people finish in an evening.

Please note: you will need a tarot deck (or a deck of playing cards, with some loss of flavour) and something to write in.

Perfect for: Anyone who has walked into a room, forgotten why, and found the experience more interesting than they would admit.

1 player | Solo journaling | Zine | 24 pages