Trains are great. Arts and crafts are great. So naturally, a TTRPG that combines both is going to be great. Along the Journey is the perfect example of this, as it takes the idea of looking out of the window as you embark on a long train journey and turns it into a wonderful journaling game.
To play Along the Journey, players need a diary along with writing and drawing implements. The game is split into eight turns. During each turn, the player will consult the prompt table and receive two prompts, one to draw and one to write. The player does this and then moves on to the next phase, continuing until they’ve completed all eight turns.
Riding The Rails
Along the Journey is packed with lovely touches that make it a wonderful experience. For example, the game comes with a quick guide that teaches you how to turn a sheet of A4 paper into a little folded zine. Not only is this great for accessibility (as you don’t need a dedicated journal), but I think it is actually the best way to play the game. Writing in a tiny journal really made me feel like an old-timey Orient Express passenger, making notes in their pocketbook as the train pushes its way across Europe.
Plus, starting with a totally blank book gives you total control of your journal, letting you shape it to perfectly reflect your story. Plus, when you finish, it makes an excellent prop that you can show off or even use in other games.
The game also features some excellent prompt writing. Like all good solo-TTRPGs, this game rides the line between descriptive and open, giving you just enough to push your story and train journey forward, without ever railroading you down a single path.
The game’s drawing prompts actually take this one step further. Each prompt either contains several options (The station, your luggage, the
city/village disappearing) or asks the player to draw something that captures a specific mood rather than depict an object (Something calm). This is a fantastic decision as it allows players of all skill levels to complete the prompt in a way that feels satisfying to them and fits the story they’re trying to tell.
A player with artistic skill could spend an hour creating a detailed drawing of the train, complete with shading and a grand landscape sitting atop the horizon. However, a player who struggles with drawing could quickly scrawl a couple of rectangles to represent their luggage and call it a day, without it ruining the overall experience. Because of this, Along the Journey sidesteps the main issue many TTRPG fans have with drawing games, as the quality of your experience isn’t decided by how skilled you are at drawing or how well you can render a specific style or type of image, as the pictures are placed alongside the writing prompts, allowing the player to express themselves in the manner they are most comfortable.
Beauty In Simplicity
While some players, especially those who are fans of crunchier TTRPGs, may find Along The Journey’s lack of narrative control a downside, I felt like it fit the story the game was trying to tell. Aside from choosing their final destination, a person riding a train can’t influence the trip. Once they’ve boarded, they are at the mercy of the train and its crew.
It is this lack of control that makes long mass transit journeys such a good place for rumination and emotional revelations. The lack of control allows your mind to wander, which often leads you to think about the things you have been pushing down in favor of other, more pressing commitments. Because of this, Along the Journey’s decision to not allow the player to influence the game progression once they start playing enhances the experience by allowing players to more easily put themselves in the headspace of someone embarking on a long train journey.
My only big issue with Along The Journey is that there isn’t enough of it! In a hypothetical future update, I would love to see more prompt lists added to this game, especially ones that reflect different types of journeys people take across their lives.
Along the Journey is a shining example of how well-thought-out ideas can create TTRPGs that are way more than the sum of their parts. While Along The Journey is mechanically simple, its well-written prompts and combination of writing and drawing lead to some deeply impactful, yet natural-feeling, storytelling. Because of this, Along the Journey is one of those games that sneaks up on you as you play. At first, you’ll treat it like any other role-playing game, but as you write, you’ll start pulling on threads that resonate with you, and before you know it, you’re tackling a big topic that has been biting at the back of your mind for months, making it the perfect game for both train fans and solo-journaling lovers.
