now kiss

02 Oct, 2026

I simply cannot help myself

My brain has been unable to separate these two projects.


BUT I've realized both games are a race. These mechanics should be similar.

Previously, I was thinking about generating winding race tracks with d6s. Each value abstracting variations of turns or a straight.

In a discussion on Discord, Jonas pointed out the similarities of this idea to Rally Pacenotes.

I could really see myself getting into "what makes a race track good?"

All of this may be the case for Wheel or Be Killed, but for DRIVE/BACK these dice can be abstracted as a failure to avoid a sudden issue or lack of attention on the road.

New working title, new working cover. We're workshopping stuff. We'll figure it out.

DRIVE/BACK centers around a 30 MILE/30 MINUTE trip back to the Sober’s home. Without explaining the entire game in the blogpost: Players want to get home as quickly as possible.

I will crib from my previous idea and roll d6s for a ten mile stretch. We’ll call each of these a Road Die.

For each Minute both players have a number of tasks they can pursue. The Sober is spinning a couple of plates, but they always declare where their Focus is.

If the Sober focuses on the Road, they can avoid driving Problems or change the manner in which they’re driving.
Problems are a final fail state after an accumulation of Issues (minor fail states).

Regardless of where the Sober focuses, they must roll a d6 for the section of road and compare its value to the Road Die.

Driving Manners

• Safe +/- three of Road Die value does not cause an Issue (1 mile per Minute)
• Speedy +/- two of Road Die value does not cause an Issue (1.5 miles per Minute)
• Reckless +/- one of Road Die value does not cause an Issue (2 miles per Minute)
  
  Essentially ends up being this.
  
  
  These Issues can manifest in a number of ways:

1. Wrong turn! +3 Minutes to the Drive.
2. A cop! 1 in 2 to get pulled over.
3. Harsh turn! Crash if Reckless. 1 in 3 to Crash if Speedy. No Crash if Safe.
4. Map upside down! +3 Miles to the Drive.
5. Bathroom Break! Someone can't hold it. You don't want to leave the Impaired alone.
6. Fast food! The Impaired is infatuated with getting a late bite.
7. Deer in your headlights! AHHHHHHHHHHHH.
   
   Unfortunately, this brainworm has led to a rework of the Sober minigame. However, I think this iteration leans closer towards a tension of: time spent vs road covered (with precious cargo).
   
   
   

Saving my movie mention to the end.

I watched The Driver a couple nights ago.


The unofficial American adaptation of Le Samouraï had three particularly interesting sections that made me consider:

• superficial car damage until..?
• every moment of the getaway is a gamble
• chasing down someone is a game of chicken
  

Director Walter Hill mentioned Hopper as an inspiration for the visuals…

…Los Angeles has never been so many shades of cyan.

I’m eyeballing a move up the coast to with Bullitt next.