Flavor Odyssey

Flavor Odyssey is a one-page TTRPG centered on a journey to save the flavor palate and allows 2-5 players to play. The setting of the game is based on the global “ flavor crisis ” era, players can take on the role of characters with different attributes and characteristics, exploring different locations, collecting ingredients and cultural stories, and cooking creatively. The player's aim is to complete the three stages of exploring, cooking and rating to gradually accumulate reputation points. Through multiple turns, the player with the highest reputation will become the “ flavor savior”. The journey involves not only environmental and resource challenges, but also random events and interactive missions decided by dice rolls. While the game can have a single winner (the player with the highest reputation), it is also possible for everyone to fail to accomplish the goal due to cooking failures or lack of resources. The overall tone of the game is relaxed, fun and full of unknowns. 

The inspiration for this game comes from my love of “food” and “culture” and also my concern about food scarcity. In my Magpie book, I mentioned that “food” is an important Obsession for me, not only as a personal interest, but also as an important emotional and cultural connection. Especially in China, my hometown, food symbolizes unity and happiness, and is an important carrier of family warmth and memories. 

Therefore, I want my game to express the following themes: 

1. Food and cultural heritage: Explore the stories behind the food from different locations and explore the importance of food as a cultural bond.

2. The relationship between environment and ingredients: Through settings such as resource scarcity and environmental challenges, players can experience the preciousness of ingredients and the impact of human behavior on nature.  

3. Creativity and cooperation: Stimulate players' creativity in cooking and interaction, while promoting cooperation between players

4. Emotional and Memory Connection: Through food, evoke the resonance of emotions and memories.

In the game design, I utilized the craft element of structure, setting, plot and narrative to help players understand the rules more intuitively, while increasing the immersion on the narrative level. In the visual design, I imitated the layout of a restaurant menu, using a pixelated style with soft pink as the main color, supplemented by various food illustrations, creating a warm and relaxing visual experience. In terms of mechanism design, dice rolls are added to increase the fun of the game, while allowing players to choose different characters and distribute attribute values to provide more freedom and strategy. 

I hope that at the end of the game, players will not only feel the joy of exploring food and culture, but also understand the deep cultural values and emotional significance behind food. Players will also realize the hard-earned nature of ingredients and become concerned about the impact of industrialization and environmental change on food. So, enjoy the game, experience the satisfaction of collaboration and creation from your unique perspective!