Cosy Games

cosmicwimp · September 30, 2020, 8:40am

I’ve just been reading Under Hill, By Water
‘…an OSR(ish) game that’s about living in the cozy under-hill homes of the halflings’
and I love it!

With the change in season to autumn (in the northern hemisphere) and the ever present and increasing sense of dread that 2020 has brought, the idea of Cosy (or cozy) Games is very appealing to me at the moment.

I’ve also been listening to quite a bit of Comfy Synth over the past few months and I think that there are definitely some parallels.

Brindlewood Bay evokes the cozy crime drama/mystery TV shows of the 70s-90s (with an underlying cosmic dread).
What are some other systems or settings that you could describe as Cosy or Comfy?
This could include elements of nostalgia, whimsy, frivolity, sentimentality and picaresque or pastoral idyll but doesn’t necessarily exclude a degree of conflict/tension/emotion etc.

Nickwedig · September 30, 2020, 12:29pm

The recent thread on wholesome slice of life stories overlaps heavily here, and games mentioned there like Golden Sky Stories a d A Cozy Den might also apply here. What Do You Call Wholesome Slice of Life Relationship Drama, and How Do You Make It a Game?

cosmicwimp · September 30, 2020, 12:46pm

I absolutely should have read that thread before posting!

Airk · September 30, 2020, 4:29pm

Well, that thread was a little different anyway.

Another “Cozy” game recommendation I’d make is Cozy Town. It’s a Quiet Year hack, and it’s lovely.

DeReel · September 30, 2020, 5:16pm

Thank you, I didn’t know Jamila Nedjadi’s work. It’s so cool !

notKingCole · October 3, 2020, 9:19pm

If you’re looking for cozy, there’s a Lasers-and-Feelings hack based on Animal Crossing: https://samekindofnerdyasme.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/animal-crossing-rpg/
It actually has a very cute take on the system, seems like a chill way to spend an evening. Another game that fits the bill is Wanderhome, a BoB game about animal folk on a trip through the countryside. There are challenges, but there’s no violence. You can find the play materials here: https://possumcreekgames.itch.io/wanderhome

thairyn · October 6, 2020, 1:38pm

Autumn cozy game vibes:

soup! https://dancynrew.itch.io/to-make-and-share

home! https://andersdk.itch.io/home

knitting! https://handsofblue.itch.io/keep-warm-in-your-travels

cosmicwimp · October 6, 2020, 2:03pm

These are all great!

Soup is a game I was born to play.
I’ll definitely be playing Cozy Town.

Remember when everyone was going on about that fast food chain putting out an rpg?
What if herbal tea rpg?