A Visit to San Sibilia

A solo journaling game

A visit to San Sibilia is a solo journaling game in which you roleplay a character chronicling their visit to the city of San Sibilia. It is a city not found on any maps—San Sibilia is both part of and distinct from our world. The city manifests itself differently to every visitor.

To play A visit to San Sibilia you need:

a journal, digital document, or something else to write on

a writing utensil or text editor

a standard deck of playing cards (jokers removed)

a six-sided die (optional)

This game takes between one and two hours, depending on the cards you draw and the time you spend on each journal entry.

Your journaling might deal with themes of loneliness, alienation, and failure. If writing an entry ever makes you feel too uncomfortable, either discard your cards and draw again or put the journal away, returning if and when you feel ready to do so.

San Sibilia

This city never changes, this city never stays the same.

Close to the coast in a river delta, San Sibilia’s sprawling districts are connected by rambling trams and ramshackle ferries. In its center lies Saint Riocha, a district full of churches and temples. Artists and dilletants gather in the open-air cafés of La Bohamin. Across the river is Bislo, where the factory workers live among narrow streets and leaning houses.

You may have seen San Sibilia on a map a long time ago when you were browsing the atlas in your mother’s study, but when you checked the book later, the city had disappeared. Or you may have read about it once in a 20-part encyclopedia in a dusty shop around the corner, but haven’t been able to find the bookstore since.

Character Creation

In this game you’ll log your experiences during a visit to San Sibilia. First, shuffle your deck and either brainstorm a persona for yourself or draw two cards to generate character using the following table. If the cards you draw feel wrong or don’t speak to you, feel free to draw again or simply pick a combination you fancy. Return the cards to the bottom of the deck.

Character creation table

Card value | Adjective | Noun
A | failed | missionary
2 | lonely | journalist
3 | intrepid | explorer
4 | callous | poet
5 | curious | scholar
6 | blasphemous | cartographer
7 | forgetful | merchant
8 | cantankerous | sailor
9 | boisterous | alchemist
10 | introvert | engineer
J | incredulous | artist
Q | inquisitive | noble
K | brooding | critic

Starting Your Journal

You are a visitor in San Sibilia. Maybe you have been looking for this city for years, or maybe you arrived here trying to escape another place. Maybe this is your first visit, or maybe you have spent your youth on these ever changing streets.

Start by writing your character’s name. Next, draw a row of four small boxes underneath your name—you’ll be checking these off later. Then, start the first entry in your journal by writing the title “Day 1” and answering all or some of the following questions over the course of your journal entry:

How did you come to San Sibilia? Did you arrive by train, car, boat, or some other manner? Or did you simply wake up and find yourself here?

How did you learn about San Sibilia? Did you read about it in a book? Did someone whisper in hushed tones about their time here? Or maybe you saw a map to this place tattooed on the back of a lover?

Where are you staying in San Sibilia? Did you find lodging in a run-down hostel run by a nosy widow? Are you renting the penthouse in a lavishly decorated hotel? Or maybe you sweet-talked an aging socialite into letting you sleep in their spare room?

Who have you met in San Sibilia? Did you encounter an old friend? Did you convince a lover you are someone else? Who made you feel welcome and who made you want to leave?

What did you bring to San Sibilia? Did you bring someone with you? Do you come prepared? Or did you arrive with just the clothes on your back?

As Days Go By...

You can decide how many fictional days have passed between journal entries or roll a six-sided die to determine the number of days for you. Title your next entry “Day __” of your visit and draw two cards. Consult the Adjective Table for the first card drawn and the Location/Event Table for the second. Combine the resulting adjective and the resulting location or event to inspire your next journal entry. Once you’ve completed your entry, place both cards on the bottom of your deck after.

Adjective Table

| Red Suits | Black Suits
A | serendipitous | illicit
2 | first time | fraught
3 | mysterious | sinister
4 | long overdue | intriguing
5 | calculated | isolated
6 | planned | unexpected
7 | queer | harrowing
8 | illuminating | erratic
9 | much-needed | shocking
10 | inventive | distant
J | hopeful | dangerous
Q | joyous | poetic
K | jubilant | inspired

Location/Event Table

| Red Suits | Black Suits
A | visit to a small museum | excursion to a ruin
2 | incident at the bookstore | rendezvous with new friends
3 | poetry reading | stroll along the river banks
4 | gallery opening | trip to the market
5 | coffee in an open air cafe | walk in the park
6 | night at the theater | message from a long lost friend
7 | news in the broadsheets | meeting with ruffians
8 | parade through the neighbourhood | encounter at midnight
9 | music in a bandstand | trip to the countryside
10 | week-long festival | package in the mail
J | funeral procession at dawn | day in court
Q | find in the antique store | letter from a city official
K | show of a street performer | memory from times long past

A Sample Journal Entry

Let’s say you draw a 4 ♠ for your Adjective Table, giving yourself the word “intriguing,” and a Q ♦ for your Location/Event Table, giving you the prompt “find in the antique store.” A journal entry about an “intriguing find in the antique store” could look something like this:

Day 9 — It was a dreary day, but I didn’t want to stay in. I decided to visit the shops in the Passage Grandure in La Bohamin I’ve heard so much about. There were lots of nice, cozy shops with curiosa, books, and handmade artefacts, but I spent most of my time in an antique store tucked away in a dark corner. I hope to visit it again some day.

I almost bought some nice bronze candle holders, but then I stumbled on a big, oaken bookcase filled with books and journals. Most of them were not so interesting—outdated romance novels, biographies of mediocre playwrights, a poetry book filled with rambling, childish rhymes. I was just about to continue browsing the rest of the store when I found an old journal. It seems to be the journal of someone who visited San Sibilia in the recent past, but strangely enough the city she described doesn’t sound anything like the San Sibilia of these times. I don’t recognize any of the landmarks listed or their names.

...the City Changes

Whenever you draw two cards of the same suit or two cards with the same value, the city changes. It might be an expected change in season or politics, but it might also be a shift in reality. Whenever one of these changes occurs, check off one of the boxes beneath your name.

♥ Two Hearts in a Row

A change of heart. Who had the change of heart? Was it a spurned lover, a rival, your patron, or yourself?

♣ Two Clubs in a Row

A new wind is blowing. This could be as simple as a change in weather, or it could also be a new political power rising, a new artistic movement, or a new fad sweeping the city.

♦ Two Diamonds in a Row

A ripple moves through the city. Reality is shifting. Streets may have moved, new buildings are sprouting up, a generation may have been skipped. Are you the only one noticing the difference?

♠ Two Spades in a Row

The city moves against you. Are hostile forces acting from the shadows or is something openly antagonizing you? Did you make a mistake or did you know this would be coming?

Two of the Same Value in a Row

You change the city. Do you leave a mark or will no one know it was you? Did you instigate a minor change or will the city never be the same?

The End of Your Stay

When you have ticked off all four boxes, your stay in San Sibilia draws to an end. Write one last entry in your journal answering all or some of these questions:

How did the city change you? In what ways will your life never be the same? What mark did the city leave on you? Will any other city ever feel as home?

How do you leave? Did you take a wrong turn, and find yourself somewhere else? Do you leave intentionally? What will be your next destination?

What will you take with you? Do you take anyone with you? Which memorabilia did you collect and which memories? What did you leave in San Sibilia?

Will you ever return? How will you find your way back? Who will you tell about the city, and will they believe you? How will the city have changed since you were gone?

Credits & Acknowledgments

A visit to San Sibilia was written by Peter Eijk (@JimmyShelter). Check out jimmyshelter.itch.io for more games.

A visit to San Sibilia was edited by Tyler Crumrine. Find more about his work at www.possibleworldsgames.com.

Thanks to MV for playtesting and the Brain Trust discord for great advice and inspiration.

A visit to San Sibilia was inspired by a number of games including, but not limited to, The Machine by Adira Slattery & Fen Slattery, One Day at a Thyme by Jei D. Marcade, and Alone Among the Stars by Takuma Okada. Literary influences include the Viriconium stories by M. John Harrison, the Ambergris books by Jeff Vandermeer, The Etched City by K. J. Bishop, and Thunderer by Felix Gilman.

A visit to San Sibilia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).