Coming Soon to Kickstarter: Maps & Mishaps
A one-shot misadventure engine by Jeremy Melloul
A Collaborative Storytelling Game about Journeys that go off the rails!
Maps & Mishaps is a flexible roleplaying game of journeys, wondrous locations, and incredible hijinks for 2+ players. In this game, players build a world, create Travelers, and take those characters on a journey from start to finish – all in a single session. Play any type of character in any type of world, whether you want to pick one already know and love or let the game help you create one of your own.
Endless Freedom & Satisfying Stories
Jeremy Melloul designed Maps & Mishaps as his perfect one-shot engine, allowing for preparation-less fun in any type of world, while still retaining enough structure and mechanics to ensure a satisfying story every time. Here's some of what you can expect from the game:
- A Flexible & Dynamic Skill System - Write your own skills to support you through your journey - making them anything you can imagine - and pick up new ones along the way!
- Prompt-Driven Worldbuilding - Inspired by The Quiet Year, a deck of cards helps drive your worldbuilding, giving you a launching pad from which your table will detail the world around you.
- A Focus on Character Growth - "Light touch" narrative mechanics to connect your character's growth and story to the gameplay, without interfering in the roleplaying experience.
- Traverse a 'Map' of Your World - Use index cards to build a visual "map" of your journey and track your traveler's progress from start to finish!
Follow the Kickstarter Page!
Maps & Mishaps is coming to Kickstarter in early 2026, so give the page a follow to keep up with the campaign. Once it's out, you'll be able to tell stories about journeys in any world like:
- An Underwater Rock Band racing to get to the Battle of the Bands
- Redwall-style Chefs on a journey towards a legendary ingredient
- Monty Python Greek Mythology in Space
- Your own Pokémon adventure
Until then, you can also...
...Play the Quickstart Today!
"Shortcuts" is a simplified version of the Maps & Mishaps rules so you can have a preview of some of the game's core elements! It's available for free (or PWYW) on Itch.io right now!
Other Links
- Find Jeremy on YouTube, Instagram, and Bluesky
- Check out his other games at Bardlight Studios
