The Lighthouse At The Edge Of The Universe
A downloadable journalling game
Base game zine available here | Expansion only available here
🏆 Winner of Freeplay's 2021 Non-Digital Game 🏆
On the very edge of the universe, a small rock floats on the edge of the void. Upon this rock, a small, ordinary lighthouse sits. It had, some have speculated, been standing since the universe and time began. Maintained by a solitary keeper, the lighthouse has been keeping travellers and spaceships from falling off the edge. Its steady beam can be seen galaxies away and is used as a guiding star for navigators.
You are the current keeper of the lighthouse. Whatever happens, you must keep the light running. You and the lighthouse live on the floating island. It is a barren rock where it is beaten by solar winds and sometimes run into by space whales. Not all of it is terrible though, high in the top of the lighthouse you get to witness strange lights dance, the solar winds whispering fortunes in your ears, shoals of sky fish migrating past. Maybe you'll find some solitude and peace in the under the dark, lonely sky. Sometimes a lone traveller may even cross your path.
The Lighthouse is a solo journalling game best played at nighttime before bed or when you can't sleep. Each night in the lighthouse will be a little different. The game is designed to be played over and over as you and the lighthouse evolve, change and get to know each other. It is a reflective and meditative game.
The Complete Version of Lighthouse includes:
- The base game
- 6 premade Lighthouse Keeper characters
- A Seasons Expansion
- 2 mini games to play
- Excerpts from Past Lighthouse Keeper’s journals
- A paper craft Lighthouse to make
French, Italian, German and Spanish translations are of the base game only.
Accessible PDF version by Kirsten Andersen Morris.
This project was part of Zine Quest 3 on Kickstarter and supported by 1,636 lighthouse keepers.
Digital ISBN: 978-0-6458797-3-5
Purchase
In order to download this journalling game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $10 USD. You will get access to the following files:
The Lighthouse Keeper Scholarship Program
Support this journalling game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
The Lighthouse Keepers' Community Outreach
For those who don't have financial means, you are more than welcome to claim a copy. A rating or review would be more than appreciated! :)
Development log
- Minor cosmetic changes & Kickstarter!83 days ago
- Playbooks and Seasons ExpansionApr 29, 2024
- Spanish translation and revised French versionOct 22, 2023
- Added German and Italian translationsAug 26, 2021
- Fixed typos and added accessible versionJun 16, 2021
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
This is a stunning game, very whimsical feeling. For a week or so I dedicated a small amount of time each night to write in my journal, and using the real date to give the experience of "real time," playing. I loved it. It's one that I can see myself picking up time and time again, and recommending to anyone who is interested!
Absolutely beautiful--I've been struggling to get into solo RPGs and yet this one got me writing three and a half pages in my journal for my very first entry. Definitely one I'm coming back to again and again!
Thank you for your kind words!
This game was the carrot dangling in front of me that got me into solo rpg. The concept alone is so invigorating, and I have found many free games on itch bc of it. I hope to hold a physical copy in my hands someday soon— the thorough expansion just makes it that much more tempting! While I have not been able to purchase it myself, I recommend checking out the beautiful hard copy editions on their site if you can afford it!
Thank you for your kind words!
thank you for the community copies! I can’t wait to get my hands on the physical ones someday soon :)
EEee! I’m so excited for the added deluxe elements! Thank you for adding more flavor and ideas to the game 🦋✨
I bought the hard copy.. Can i access the new expansion?
Of course, I'll send you a key to download the game!
aw thanks :)
Can you send me an email to [email protected] so I can give you a key? I forgot there's no messaging system here on itch :)
This is one of my favourite journalling games, so I was excited to see an update. I just dipped into the new seasons and playbooks and... wow. It all looks so good.
Thank you for expanding Lighthouse!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the new content :)
Are there any plans to offer community copies again? I'd love to look it over. Thank you.
This is the first solo TTRPG game I've ever played, and the one I've played the most so far! It reignited my love of writing and helped me feel creative again. Plus, my lightkeeper is having all sorts of cozy space adventures; I always look forward to finding out what will happen during my next session :)
Thank you for making this game! I post most of my sessions on tumblr if you'd like to read :)
I bought the zine of this game a few weeks ago. I am completely charmed. So far, I have sent a magical paper airplane flying through space to send a message to a friend, seen a floating city, and found a mysterious dagger. I have yet to go beachcombing (in! space!) but I am really excited to try. I'm enjoying the slow nature of the game too, because then it means I can play multiple solo journaling games at a time :P (the fox curio game is waiting for me on my shelf too!)
anyway, this game is chill and delightful. I defs recommend it.
hi! i'm completely enchanted by all your work. thanks to the community copy, i was able to access the floating bookshop and i'm reading it little by little, but i'm sure it will become one of my favorite universes. i remembered when i was a child and i used to draw cities, create characters and spend hours telling their stories. in difficult times, imagination and creativity are vital forces for our survival. and thanks to your creations i feel i'm recovering some of the energy lost with the weight of growing up and adulthood. i ended up buying the spirit library and the afternoon train home, soon i'll get heist! and i really wanted to buy the lighthouse, but i don't think i'll be able to ): i don't know if you could once again make copies of the communities available, but i'd really appreciate it if you did
hello! would it be possible to add a few more community copies?
This journal game means so much to me! Thank you so much for creating it. I’ve been journaling with it for the past year any time I need to decompress a little, and I legitimately feel like it’s helped me in ways even talk therapy hasn’t. I’m so grateful to have discovered it and I’m so glad it exists!
Thank you for sharing! This has absolutely made my day, I'm so glad my little game has had such an impact on you ❤️
Hey, I claimed one of the community copies. Wish I had the money to support. I just played my first session and thought it was really cool. The vibes are impeccable, and I can't get enough. This game may just become part of my nightly routine. Thank you so much for making this really chill game!
Thank you for your kind words :)
Hello seeing this Zine now. As money is tight right now i was just seeing if you are able to put more community copies out! Would love to check it out!
As a budding designer with a tight budget I'd LOVE to get my hands on a Community Copy to study! Any chance for more in the near future?
Didn't realise they were all gone! I've added some more copies :)
Yey! Thank you!!
I would love to help you translate this title to Spanish to share with some friends. How could we do it?
I'll add some now :)
Discovered solo TTRPGs from a tiktok about The Last Vampire and fell deep into the rabbit hole. Lighthouse at the Edge of the Universe has been very enjoyable for the two sessions I have completed so far. Gameplay and prompts are easy enough to follow and interpret however you like. Love that I can play even with limited time on my hands. I'm sure in time it will be nice to look back and reflect on how the lighthouse and I have grown.
This is a wonderful solo TTRPG! I really enjoyed all the narrative possibilities of being a lighthouse keeper in a science fantasy setting with sky whales and aliens, as well as going "spacecombing" on the shore of the universe. Ella has done a fantastic job with this game! You can read my full thoughts on my blog.
I love this journal solo rpg!
Dear author hello
Who wrote you is one of the admin of the italian geek site Cercatori di Atlantide (www.cercatoridiatlantide.it).
During an interview with a zine's author the name of your game poped up and I start to be interested. Is it possible to speak via mail for a possible collaboration, or an interview and an articcle on our site? Let me know if you are interested.
Best Reguards.
Riccardo
Hi Riccardo,
Absolutely! My email address is [email protected], that's the best place to get in touch.
Email sent mate!
Check spam folder
This is really beautiful.
Got this through the Kickstarter. I have really enjoyed the game. It has a high number of unique variables achieved with a deck of cards, a coin, and a die. It makes for lot of playability. The secondary game so much fun, it fits seamlessly into the overall feel of the game and I just combined them together to enhance both games. The one not great thing is the high number of obvious grammar issues. The credits state that there was an official editor hired for this piece and that's alarming considering the number of errors. The grammar is annoying but not distracting to the overall game. Great game! 7/10.
Thanks for your review! Yes, the grammar errors were all my fault, the editor did a flawless job at editing the game but I went in and changed some things after and did not proof read properly. I have fixed some mistakes, if there are any left please let me know and I'll fix them!
I have a lot of trouble falling asleep, and staying asleep. Thus it wasn't at all long before I got to start playing the main game and mini game. I have to say, tending to the lighthouse at the end of the universe is relaxing even with unsettling storms, and interesting even on calm nights. A lot of flexibility and thought is in the prompts, and I liked having different stages of play that used the cards and d6 a bit differently. And the setting makes highly fantastical story directions quite natural.
I'm very happy with this game as a night ritual/routine, and something to do when my sleep is inevitably interrupted.
I have thus far found a kitten (space kitten?), had the gravity turn off and sprained my ankle, managed to caulk up a crack in the tower wall, and now the kitten is purring next to my ankle trying to heal it. As this is a space cat, I think it'll manage it and I'll be better in a couple nights.
Thank you for this lovely game.
Holy moley, this is two games in one plus a papercraft constructible! With the first game being a quiet immersive day by day journaler, and the second an Alone hack? I will be back after some days of play to review, but I am impressed with the content and the design.