Koriko: A Magical Year

Koriko is the name of the city in Kiki’s Delivery Service, and also the name of an exciting new TTRGP from Jack Harrison, who made the wonderful games Artefact, Bucket of Bolts, and Orbital. The gameplay uses tarot cards and dice, and keeps mechanics simple to make storytelling the central aspect. It is primarily a solo game but can be played as an epistolary shared world. I couldn’t be more excited to dive into Koriko: A Magical Year when it releases next year and backed it with no hesitation knowing the creator’s track record.

Koriko is the name of the city in Kiki’s Delivery Service, and also the name of an exciting new TTRGP from Jack Harrison, who made the wonderful games Artefact, Bucket of Bolts, and Orbital. The gameplay uses tarot cards and dice, and keeps mechanics simple to make storytelling the central aspect. It is primarily a solo game but can be played as an epistolary shared world. I couldn’t be more excited to dive into Koriko: A Magical Year when it releases next year and backed it with no hesitation knowing the creator’s track record.

There are also optional rules to play the game as a group asynchronously, telling your individual stories in solo play and then writing letters to each other each season about your experiences. You play witches from the same town—childhood friends, awkward lovers and petty rivals. It doesn’t change much about how the game works, but it’s a fun little extra if you’ve got some friends who enjoy playing at the same pace as you.

Koriko: A Magical Year

This is a game for one player, designed for contemplative solo play. It’s a bubbling cauldron of simple rules and writing prompts, stirred together to produce the story of a teenage witch spending a year away from home in an unfamiliar city—Koriko.

You’ll use this book, a deck of tarot cards and a teetering tower of dice to explore the city, work to improve your witch’s fortunes and meet some of the city’s weird and wonderful residents.

The game’s primary inspiration is Kiki’s Delivery Service, both the Studio Ghibli film and the Eiko Kadono novel. I’ve watched the film countless times as it’s one of my son’s favourites, and its story and themes have burrowed their way deep into my soul.

Koriko: A Magical Year

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