Bear
A downloadable game
Bear is a solo roleplaying game, where the player takes on the role of patron to a lone adventurer in another world, on another plane. You must identify where they are, what challenge they currently face, and how you can best help them. Over time, as you revisit the game, you build up the story of your adventurer's journey, how they've changed, and how you've helped them.
It is designed to be played anytime, anywhere, and doesn't require any materials such as pen/paper/dice to be played, simply a player.
Available as pdf or plain text word document; preview copies are available for free, which contains the first page-and-a-half of the game.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
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Community Copy
For every sale of Bear, a free Community Copy of the game will be made available. If you are unable to budget for a copy of the game, please claim one of these copies.
Download demo
Comments
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Just coming back to say that I still love this so much! Been like 2 years since I bought this and I still play it. It's a very unique experience, and good meditation. I also changed and added some rules to it.
That's awesome, delighted that you've enjoyed playing it for such a long time - and really like that you've hacked it to make it work as best as it can for you! (If you're up for sharing what you've done with it, do - would be cool to know how you've tweaked it)
I've been playing this game for two days straight so far and I feel inspired to write for the first time in ages! This has been an awesome experience so far and I'm so glad I finally got around to trying this game.
That's awesome to hear! Glad you're having such a good time with the game
This is such a unique and innovative idea. I don't know how, but this somehow makes me feel really attached and empathetic toward Bear. It inspired me so much that I actually made something similar and put it on itch too lol.
I think Bear might be so effective because you have to connect with your body to play -- similar to meditation, in a way.
Overall, this was a really good purchase. 10/10 would recommend to others.
(Also, I didn't realize that you had other games similar to this, so I'm definitely going to check some of those out.)
(Btw, the bottom page on the preview pdf is like 4x as big as the first one -- like the person below me said. But the actual pdf is fine.)
So pleased you've got so much out of the game (it means a lot to get comments like this!) What is the game you make off the back of playing Bear? Do drop a link here, would love to check it out (always keen for more games with unusual or unexpected mechanics!)
Thanks again - didn't expect this game to strike a chord with so many people when I made it but it's great that it does
(I've also *finally* fixed the preview PDF as well!)
Haha good to see the pdf is fixed! The game I made is called ImaginationRPG. You can find it on my itch profile. It's similar to this, except it uses random numbers for everything, instead of a body-focused approach like Bear and other games you've made.
I definitely wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for Bear, so thanks for that!
Bear is a solo rpg about watching over an adventurer from another plane.
The PDF is 4 pages, with a clean, readable layout.
You play through biofeedback---taking your pulse, noticing where you are carrying tension, etc---and the game consists of short, private sessions whenever you decide to make time for it.
This is a neat framework, and it gives Bear a feeling sort of like a mindfulness exercise. Bear doesn't ask for any hard commitments in terms of storytelling, record keeping, stat tracking, or anything like that. It merely requires each session to be important to the character you are watching over.
Overall, I think Bear is a really solid concept, implemented well. It doesn't rely on dice or other props to randomly generate elements---everything comes from the world around you---and it isn't difficult to memorize. It's portable, it's effective at telling stories, and I think it's memorable. If you want a bite-sized game with some weight behind it, I'd recommend picking up Bear.
Minor Issues:
-The last two pages are gigantic, way larger than the first two. This isn't really a problem, but it did feel like a bug.
Glad you enjoyed the game so much! (Re the last two pages - don't know how I didn't clock this when publishing the game, but was first time it has been flagged so just uploaded a copy that doesn't have comically large pages at random!)
All good! I have missed *weird* errors in my own stuff, so I always try to comment when I notice things.
just played my first session and look forward to playing again. i felt so much empathy for bear. i really like the first little story i made with them, and want to make more. i really liked the step for bringing yourself into a specific "space" for playing the game, and i really loved that you play the game with nothing but your own body, basically. that really fostered the sense of connection for me. i think this is a wonderful game and will recommend it to others.
I'm so pleased you had a good time playing the game, hope you enjoy the future stories with Bear just the same!
!! this is such a good rpg, i just played it and im looking forward to playing more :) It really calmed me down, and I didn't even know I wasn't calm. Its such a soothing experience
aw, thanks so much! Really delighted that it was able to help you out like that, hope you enjoy your future sessions!