Overview
System Reference Document - v1.0
Last updated
System Reference Document - v1.0
Last updated
The Lost & Found system produces solo games telling the story of an Object over a long stretch of time, typically from its creation to destruction.
The story is told from the perspective of the Object itself, not those who use it. Player choices over the flow of the game will introduce characters and events, providing prompts that aim to inspire and constrain the story in interesting ways. However, the characters introduced through play are always transient within the long view of the Object.
This document's purpose is to enable other designers to create their own Lost & Found games. It is an explanation of the system's components and how they fit together. It also explains what each component's purpose is in the game and has suggestions for how to adapt it for new designs.
To learn more, start by reading through the Components, starting with Safety. This section will introduce all the key terms from the system. Each page has four sections:
Definition: A description of the Component and its key features.
Intention: The purpose of the Component in the game.
Example: An example of the Component from a finished game.
Advice: How to implement the Component in your design.
If you want a general overview of the system, you can read just the Definition of each Component.
Once you understand the Components, you can move on to the Structure of the system. This explains how the Components come together into a game.
Finally, under Usage you'll find some licensing information & some logos.
To Matt Sanders for his input on the content of this document.
To Jason Morningstar for the work that inspired Artefact, The Skeletons.
To all of the awesome backers who've supported me over the past year or so.
