Gifts For Gamers 2023: ‘The Hedge Witch’
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
‘Tis the season for something crafty,
Solo TTRPG games fill an interesting but often important role in my life. I spend, at minimum, a few hours of each day play testing, working through gaming manuscripts for myself and other up-and-coming creators, and going through notes with editors and designers to ensure that projects are landing correctly. I tend to use the quiet, self-reflective time that solo tabletop role-playing games provide to get lost in my own head for a little bit.
The Hedge Witch by Elizabeth Mace Giosia is one of those truly delightful dives into the solo TTRPG space that is a really nice quiet journal-based escape themed around one of my favorite things, witches.
This experience does not require dice, but instead makes use of a deck of tarot or oracle cards to gain insight into the client you are meant to assist during your solo gaming experience. The prompts open themselves up to a lot of thought exploration and I found myself crafting a whole little town around the experience. It was so rewarding that there is now a new project folder on my desktop titled “Lancashire: A Town of Little Big Problems.”
The experience is a rewarding one for both getting into a problem-solving headspace but also opens the door for world-building opportunities and gives a lot of ways one can start to think about unique personalities and how they inhabit a shared space together.
On top of the game itself, the presentation Elizabeth provides is nothing short of a mastercraft in handmade games. While the 5.5′ x 8.5′ booklet is POD, it is handbound in your selected color of stitching, giving the whole thing a found object touch. I love this kind of thing. I married a crafter. I can watch the process of components becoming a work of functional art for hours, so having a TTRPG that falls into this category is infectiously charming in the best possible ways.
I can easily say that if you have gamer makers, writers, and those who enjoy cozy games on your gift list this year you will want to get them a copy of The Hedge Witch as it is one of the best offerings in the solo TTRPG space that I have seen. You can pick up a copy at this link.
Until next time, If you have been following the 2023 Gifts for Gamers content you will be amused to know that the art elements for The Hedge Witch were purchased from Ramona at Alderdoodle, the maker of those fine cards we featured in this piece.
