The Eldritch Diary is an escape game consisting of 30+ interlocking puzzles that tell the story of the disappearance of Mary Foster. Solving it will take anywhere from an evening for a group of clever detectives or a week of evenings for a lone-wolf.

The game includes the diary, ephemera, and a set of envelopes containing additional artifacts to unlock.  You will need to think laterally to solve the mystery of Mary's disappearance. In case players get stuck, clues are provided in the accompanying case notes of Detective Mike Ross.

The Eldritch Diary is inspired by a love for puzzles and the beautiful sense of immersion that can come from a well made escape room. While I’ve played through several great escape books/games, I wanted to create something that was truer to the experience of entering a different physical space and where non-linear puzzles build upon each other to end in a satisfying conclusion.

The setting and tone of the mystery are inspired by movies with similar objects like Se7en, Summer of Sam and The Silence of the Lambs. My goal is that the Eldritch Diary will feel like a found object from a different world.

NOTE: To avoid spoilers, the puzzles and artifacts shown have been created specifically for this campaign to show off what you can expect to receive, but are NOT the same ones you will receive in the finished game.

• May - June: Kickstarter Campaign

• June - Aug: Art/Design/Playtesting

• Aug - Sep: Printing/Packaging

• Sep: Shipping

I am Robert Jamison, an independent writer, artist and game designer. I love crafting worlds that people can live in for a time, and I especially love telling stories through physical games.

My past projects include:

• Homeward - A story-rich tabletop survival sim for 1 player.

• Archetype - Four decks of character roles, quirks, motivations and goals to help writers, artists and GMs create memorable characters.

• Field Guide to the North American Mommy - A children’s book about the secret life of a working mother.

The Eldritch Diary is my third Kickstarter project. My first two (Archetype and Homeward) both involved print manufacturing and delivery of hundreds of physical rewards.

My goal in this project is to bring you a high-quality book and puzzle components. If faced with the dilemma of shipping on time or delaying the project to achieve better quality, then I would choose to delay the project, but I would do so with complete transparency about what is happening and why.

I have completed a rough draft of all the puzzles in the book, but there is still some risk of a delayed timeline due to:

• Completing the remaining art/design.

• Playtesting of the completed book and any improvements or adjustments this discovers.

• Unusual print manufacturing, as the book includes uncommon features.