Hi! At some point we crossed paths, and you signed up for an occasional email from me. Today is that occasion!
Meet me at PAX Unplugged
If you’re coming to “PAXU” this weekend, come find me in the Unpub Hall. I’d love you to try…
🖍️ ColorJam, a delightfully strategic, deceptively simple coloring-book game
🦝 Dumpster Heist, a story-making game that’s as approachable as Mad Libs or Apples-to-Apples
🌻 BeTween, a biographical game about the last summer of childhood
Plus: get a copy of The Bonsai Diary at the Indie Press Revolution booth in the Expos Hall, or from Side Quest Books & Games at the PAX Together Intersection Lounge in room 201C.
Get a free copy!
I’ll send you a free copy of The Bonsai Diary, Naptime Sweet Phone, and Never Left Home — anywhere in the world! Just be one of the first five people to…
Post a review of The Bonsai Diary on Tabletop Bookshelf
or Share one or more pics of your playthrough on any social media platform
… and email me your name, shipping address, and a link to your review or post before December 15, 2025.
Journaling games as a group activity
I’ve been playing The Bonsai Diary at public events all year and have discovered that journaling games make for great group activities. They provide a space to be in community while preserving everyone’s own scope of imagination.
The Bonsai Diary’s random card prompts, found at the back of the book, worked really well for parallel creative play. Here’s how I ran these sessions:
Follow the single-player instructions to “Create new bonsai stories.”
After everyone has had time to draw and journal, ask for volunteers to share their picture or story.
Take time to listen and appreciate.
Draw the next card.
Stop after 2-3 cards — a lot of emotions can come out in just a few pages!
Here’s other journaling games that I know work in group settings:
Anamnesis by Barking Birch Games: Recover your memory by interpreting tarot cards.
Vampyres are People Too by Paul Czege and Son: Journal your life as a vampyre. Much lighter in both tone and rules than Thousand-Year-Old Vampire, probably the most well-known journaling game.
Necromancer Heretic by Junk Food Games: resurrect your lover, the prince, playing blackjack against the house. Just adjust the rules so you make hit/stay decisions as a group while journaling what happens separately.
These are the only ones I’ve either run or seen played myself — but I suspect that most journaling games are actually great group activities, like role-playing games that don’t need any prep or a GM. I’d love to hear about your experiences with journaling games and any tips you can share.
The Bonsai Diary, everywhere!
Find The Bonsai Diary at your friendly local game shop or bookstore
I’m delighted to see The Bonsai Diary popping up in retail stores across the United States thanks to Indie Press Revolution. It’s also newly available at Tabletop Bookshelf!
Finally, to my delighted surprise, The Bonsai Diary was available at SPIEL Essen in Germany and sold out!
Coming soon…
Next time I write, I hope to share with you a standalone, card-driven version of The Bonsai Diary… and perhaps some surprises.
Wishing you joy, peace, and insight,
Gene Koo
StickerDoodle Games