Happy Birthday to Me

My birthday is this month, and as a verified (yet questionably responsible) adult, I spent monies on some new printed solo TTRPG books from Tabletop Bookshelf. I was also gifted a sinus infection, so I have only been able to play one of them so far (Sanctuary & Sentinel), and a full review has been delayed until I can breathe properly again and it no longer feels as if a cloud has been shoved up my nasal passages.

The games I purchased were:

Sanctuary & Sentinel : This is two journaling games in one booklet that can be played in order or separately. In Sanctuary, you will build a small map using five to ten playing cards, creating a bastion, fortress, grove, or other such place where an important object or source of power is being guarded against a threat. Other cards overlayed on the map will trigger events, and every failure makes winning that much harder, until a final battle is triggered. It's not a game to be 'won'; it's an experience to be had, and I had a wonderful time with my first playthrough. The second game is Sentinel, where you can play as the last guardian survivor of the fallen fortress from your previous Sanctuary game, or you can make a whole new character and something that needs guarding.

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Odyssey of the Giant : In this journaling, hex crawl and mapping game, you will act as a guide to a giant who is on their way to an important meeting. Your choices matter greatly. The wrong move could end your journey, or have the giant refusing to follow you. I haven't played this one yet, but the artwork in the book is amazing, and it was a 2026 ENNIE nominee and CRIT Award winner.

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We Are Mushrooms : A unique journaling & map-making game where you play as a mushroom in a forest. You can't move, or talk, or interact with those passing through the forest. You observe, you grow, you spread, until winter comes. This game also includes a mushroom amigurumi crochet pattern.

The artwork in all three of these books is lovely. Printing games using my laser printer is convenient, and great for smaller booklets and supplementals like character sheets, but nothing beats a professionally published color print book.