A downloadable game

Buy Now$15.00 USD or more

Skyworthy is a journaling game of iconic Skyships, the Captains who fly them, and their adventures and struggles, made for one player. 

Play from the point of view of the Skyship, commissioned and constructed in a gilded age of exploration and discovery.  Under the command of your Captain, fly into the unknown as all around you time passes and the world changes.

Skyships are built to last. Captains will come and go as they age, sicken, retire, tearfully sell you, or die by the hands of their enemies. Still, you will sail on.

The name on my stern and the marks on my mast, 
I carry the names of friends so long passed.
 My heart longs to join them, to fly ever free. 
I remember my Captains, do they think of me? 

Through natural disasters, the rising tides, and the coming of the Coalition, desperate to conquer the modernizing world, you will change hands. You will become a fulcrum with which your Captains fight to change the world, or rule it, or just find a way to make it through. Still, you will sail on. 

But you will not go unchanged. Every Captain and crew will leave their mark on you, even as the years seek to leave their own. You will be a monument to their lives, their adventures.

A hand on my wheel comes as light as a ghost. 
A memory of the one who loved me the most. 
I carry it with me as onward I roam. 
I'm only a hull, but once I was a home.

When the final Captain steps off of your deck to take their leave forever, you'll be left with the story of your Skyship; a remarkable creation with a rich history that you can port into your other tabletop roleplaying game, story, or art of choice. 

Content Warning: Skyworthy has the potential to explore themes of abandonment, loss,  neglect, violence, and human mortality. Please play safely, and understand that this game tends to be bittersweet. It has made many players cry on a number of occasions.

How to Play

Skyworthy is a journaling game, played using an oracle system driven by a deck of standard playing cards. Your Captains, story beats, modifications and upgrades, are all left up to fate with the built-in system. However, at any time, you are welcome to forego leaving the next leg of your journey to chance and simply choose the prompt or outcome that is most inspiring to you in the moment. 

Songs against the tide. What motto or song always unites your crew when all looks lost? Who sings it to you for the last time?

There is no telling where your story will take you.  In this game you will sail through time, played out in four distinct eras, beginning with your commission. As you pass through the hands of multiple Captains and their crews, how you began has little bearing on how you will end. 

You may begin life as a shining luxury vessel for a wealthy noble, or as the sleek smuggling ship of a famous explorer. You may end your story as a retrofitted and scarred beast of war; one who fought valiantly against the Coalition before falling into disuse and being acquired inexpensively by a ruthless bounty hunter. You will become a collection of memories, perhaps left adrift at sea, or buried there, dry docked, or placed in a museum. 


Project Details

We partnered with our favorite team over at Colmena de Papel (https://www.colmenadepapel.com/) to fill Skyworthy with gorgeous new custom artwork of iconic Skyships by Dani Jimbert, as well as to have Skyworthy translated into Spanish for publication and distribution by Colmena de Papel in Spain soon!

Specs: This game is printed as a classic stapled-spine zine in full color, on 48 premium half-letter pages with a heavy cardstock cover. 



Reviews and Remarks

“Taking the perspective of the Skyship is brilliant and allows one to truly experience a "life" through the many iterations of captains and crews that inhabit your decks. The prompts, which are determined by using a deck of cards in some cases, are well thought out and provide so much opportunity for you to be as creative as you want…” -Faded Quill Gaming
“...I almost always have to feel inspired to write fiction, and I'm always skeptical of things designed to give me inspiration because so many times they fail to do so, but not Skyworthy. Skyworthy took Bucket of Bolts and expanded on its foundations, broadened the scope to tell "a story" and not just "the story of an airship", and did so in a way that alleviated the feeling of arbitrary decision making that I usually get from solo games...” -Lone Gunman
* * *

Purchase Options

Digital Copy: $15

This is for the PDF of Skyworthy.  Support the project at this level and receive a completed PDF copy of Skyworthy.

Physical Copy Pre-Order, *Includes US Shipping: $24

This level is a printed, handmade copy of Skyworthy in full color zine format with a classic stapled-spine, as well as a PDF copy.  We ship packages at the beginning and end of each work week. 

*International Gamers: If you are outside of the US please add a $10 "tip" for additional shipping costs and be aware of any additional costs your country may apply.

If you have any questions you can use the contact form at acoupleofdrakes.com or email us directly at acoupleofdrakes@outlook.com.

StatusReleased
CategoryPhysical game
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(15 total ratings)
AuthorA Couple of Drakes
GenreAdventure, Card Game
Tagsairship, artifact, journaling, Solo RPG, Steampunk, writing

Purchase

Buy Now$15.00 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Skyworthy 43 MB

Physical Copy

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

The Friendly Skies (Community Copies!)

If you're cagey about pledging your hard-earned dollars, the ones you might need to put up toward rent or food or the other necessities of life, grab a copy and have fun, on us. If you like it and want to donate later to say thanks when circumstances change, we'll put up another community copy for someone else to enjoy. 

We'll also be adding community copies whenever someone purchases "Skyworthy" above the posted price.

Physical + PDF Copy (Includes US Shipping)

All copies physical copies of Skyworthy are hand-made full-color 5.5x8.5 inch staple-spine zines printed on premium paper.   

Remember to include your mailing address in the response field to ensure prompt shipment and delivery!

Comments

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(+1)

Heyy, the premise is really exciting, is it ok to ask for a community copy? This broke college person recently got diagnosed with cancer of all things and so is currently stuck at home with nothing but time to play indoors.

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Also, not sure if you're familiar with her but this reminded me of Aliette de Bodard's Xuya universe!! (a series of space opera short stories where space ships are sentient and are naturally part of the family given that they're mainly based on Asian cultures). 

Her writing is soo good and atmospheric you might also enjoy reading them as much as I did! Some of her stories are published online for free: https://www.aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/novels/the-universe-of-xuya/

(+1)

Oh I just realized that there are an overwhelming amount of titles so here's some of the more mindship-centric free short stories! I hope you don't mind the rambling 🥲

The Shipmaker 

Ship's Brother

This sounds absolutely excellent. I love a good ship story and am perpetually looking for new things to read. That's certainly worth a community copy! (Though in the spirit of full disclosure, I was going to make sure there was one for you anyway.)

15 Copies up on the board. Grab one and find the horizon for me, skydog!

(+1)

omg omg omgg didn't expect a reply so soon! tysmmm <33 (i really appreciateee esp since i felt a bit weird disclosing my stuff but i also didn't want you to think that I feel entitled to community copies or smthgg sksksskskk)

hope you have a good day! and I'm looking forward to your next works 🙆🙆

Would love to review this on my YT channel, any chance for a community copy?

There are a few up presently! Thanks for the kind thought, sky dog.

(+2)

Ji'ya, A friend recommended this journaling-game to me and I couldn't help but get hooked by the premise and the art. It's still too late for me to ask if there will be community copies? 

(+1)

More copies are up, Skydog! Now go and find that horizon!

(+2)

Thank you very much for the opportunity!

Will there be more physical copies?

Hello! I hope you are having a good day. I have only recently discovered this game and was wondering if there was any chance of some community copies?

(1 edit)

Sure thing, Skydog. Let me throw some copies on the pile for ya.

(+1)

Thank you so much! I am very excited to start playing!

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(+1)

Absolutely. Go and find that far horizon!

Deleted 194 days ago

I love this game!  Skyworthy structure is fantastic! Im hoping to see more games alike! Thanks for inspiring us with this narrative experience! I need more!

Thank you so much for this! It makes my heart absolutely soar.

We’ve got a couple more games like this simmering on the back burner, so stay tuned!

Hello! Any chance at more community copies?

Absolutely! 

Thank you!

(+1)

Hi, I've only recently heard wonderful things about the game, but I see that all of the copies available to the community have been taken. I was wondering if you had any intentions to add more in the near future. I would like taking part of the journey! Thanks

Well then let me throw a couple copies up there for you!

Welcome aboard. Now go find that horizon!

Thanks a lot! <3  Skybreacher raising sails!

(+1)

Hi there! I'm wondering would there be any community copies available in the near future? Really wanted to try out this game but I've missed the previous copies. Thank you very much in advance.

Heya, thanks for reaching out, we're throwing some on the pile for you!

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Five more going on the pile because you asked!

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Helloo, I was wondering if there were any more community copies available? I adore the concept of this game - it sounds so heartwarming and sweet! Tysm in advance :)

Let me throw a couple up on the pile, friend!

(1 edit)

Thank you so so so much!!! I can't wait!

Is this an airship version of Bucket of Bolts?

In many ways, yes! It's built on the same architecture, but with some additional noodly variation of our own.