Diedream

I’ve recently discovered Diedream and I’m absolutely in love with this game! Huge props to Alfred Valley for crafting something so simple, yet so engaging. It’s perfect for those late-night solo sessions when you’re too tired for anything complicated but still crave a bit of adventure.

What I love most is how easy it is to customize. You can tweak the game to your liking, and the random number generator is a genius stroke! I will admit, though, that after playing a lot, my math brain sometimes tries to recalculate odds and guide the totals when there are important rolls. To counter this, I’ve started using numbers with 3 or 4 digits for the summing process, but that can take a bit more time.

I’ve been on the lookout for a less conspicuous way to generate random numbers, and I’ve explored quite a few alternatives, always keeping it within the mind. But I have to say, the method used in Diedream is the most elegant I’ve found. It reminds me of some classic randomness concepts, like those discussed by Marsaglia—such a neat implementation! (For the curious, check out this fascinating post on randomness: https://www.hillelwayne.com/post/randomness/)

In fact, I was so inspired that I decided to make an Apple Watch app! Yes, I know there are tons of random number generators out there, but most of them require some attention. With this app, you don’t need to look at your watch at all. I’ve even introduced haptic feedback to communicate the generated number—just tap the screen and feel the series of taps that represent your new number. Plus, there’s a night mode, so the screen stays really dim and doesn’t disturb anyone sleeping nearby… or give away that you’re sneaking in a game session. 😉

So, what do you think? Any suggestions for improving this little project (codenamed RandomDie)?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! If there’s interest, I might even create a TestFlight version of the app for others to try out. Now that I think about it, this app could potentially be useful for other mind games too—who knows what it could evolve into!

Hi there, got another idea, this time to make combat a bit more easy for my brain, that may already be implied by the game. All combat rolls are player facing(obviously) with no and no but being negative consequences for the action, yes but and yes being positive, in degree, and a tie being the same mechanically. That way it still feels like a "combat/attack" roll while just being the oracle. This is really just a recontextualization but it helps my brain.

Gonna use this on nights I can't sleep. Awesome concept

Off my old comment, I came up with a way to do this more "campaign" style. It requires writing or recording at least a basic recap, or just full on journalling or rp on tape if you want. You replace the more gamey harm with diagetic conditions, and at the end of a session jot down your conditions and spark words and phrases for the session, or again just journal/rp. That's all. Just wanted to share my approach.

Diedream is a truly remarkable system. I can't believe how elegant and intuitive it is. I am grateful that, with your rules committed to memory, I always have a game engine to play with in dull moments.

Your work has inspired me to make a few modules of my own:

• Village of Dolls
• A Route Like Water
• Tales of the Blue Tower

If ever you host a Diedream jam, please let me know. I will come running!

I've played this dozens of times already. It has become a sort of ritual, something that guides me over into sleep. Thank you so much for this Alfred!

It inspired me to make my own module "memoria animalis".
I just released it: https://sleepy-badger-games.itch.io/memoria-animalis

Thank you for making the template available. What a great help!
I hope "memoria animalis" is in the spirit of your original design.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Pretty cool, I combined it with the Key-Lock-style adventure from https://thenwdm.itch.io/alone-together-1 and have a lot of fun.

Just a side remark that the root of the sum of the 2-digit numbers is the same as just summing all the digits (and taking the root). I think it is still unpredictable enough for me that way but it makes it a bit easier to calculate to my mind.

Brilliant! Congratulations, Alfred :) I've played it yesterday night and it was an interesting experience.

this bangs

[repost of my review] Great shit, all the benfits and flexability of oracle-only solo play, except now, all in your head, anywhere, any time. I know it's labelled with the "just before sleeep thing", but this is a perfect car ride(not driving lol), waiting in line, walking, at the beach, eating out and your family is annoying, or yes, before bed game, where it will likely influence your dreams, I assume. The die system is genius, and the oracle and all that is truly fully memorizable. You always have it on you. I guess my question is, what are the limits of a fast action focused setting before it becomes clunky? Could you play something like a more adventury Quake with it? I've yet to try pushing that. But for general adventuring, this is stellar beyond measure.

Hey Alfred! Have you checked out DayDreamer/DayDreamUniversal? It’s very similar to this!  In Daydreamer/DDU you create “tags” for you PC and those act as your “rolls”

“Games You Can Play In Your Head By Yourself” is also worth a look. 

I really loved this idea. I liked it so much I made my own version of it. Thank you for the inspiration!

The game is amazing. Is it ok if I'd translate it into Polish so you can add PL file here as well?

Hey! We really enjoyed Diedream. We made a module (it's in spanish, but we're translating this weekend). Great work.

Edit: Translation is done. Enjoy!

https://reroll.itch.io/oxxosanado

super-insteresting shit! stunningly creative,  indisputably the winner of the One-Page RPG Jam. great, great work!

Hi Alfred,

I think i understand the concept of Tie-5, but the Harm-and-hand picture confuses me. Can you give some explanations, please? Thank you!

John

the most innovative and weird designer in ttrpgs today strikes again

Alfred's always making things that make my brain buzz. This really interesting stuff, lite and functional. I hope there's a jam for it, I fully intend to write a module for this.
Is there any way to get a printer-friendly version without the yellow background? It'd be nice to print ON yellow paper and keep a copy beside the bed for reference.

This is awesome! I just tried this out - the mental die rolling method is genius.

I was in an earthern cave. I don't remember how I got there. There was an exit to my north and one far above me, but the north exit was blocked by rubble. I clear a bit of it only to notice a green gas seeping out from the room. I rush in, and find it's emanating from a broken tank. While trying to find something to cover the hole, a large porcupine-like creature wiggles out, with its long ant-eater mouth spewing the gas.

Definitely continuing this tonight as I fall asleep! Alfred Valley knocks it out of the park again.