The Walden Paradox
A new transcendental solo journaling game about Henry David Thoreau, Walden Pond, and time travel. Made for the One-Page RPG Jam 2026. Available now.
You are Henry David Thoreau.
You came to the woods because you wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if you could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when you came to die, discover that you had not lived.
The Walden Paradox is a solo journaling game about Thoreau’s final months at Walden Pond from May 1846 to September 1847.
Each month, a new visitor will call upon you. Converse with them. Keep a keen eye for both peculiarities and signs of time paradoxes. Record everything in your journal. The game ends either at the 6th time paradox or when your time at Walden ends in September — whichever comes first.
Then, you will write a final letter to your friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
This is a journaling game for 1 player that plays in about 1-2 hours. All you need to play are a pencil, paper, deck of cards, and two six-sided dice.
Free community copies are available!1
Join the One-Page RPG Jam
The Walden Paradox was created for the One-Page RPG Jam 2026 hosted by Unknown Dungeon.
It’s an annual jam that encourages participants to get creative by imposing a tight constraint: the game must fit on a single sheet of paper. I’ve found the concept so intriguing that I’ve published a guide on how to Make Your Own One-Page RPG.2
Exclusion Zone Botanist, Eleventh Beast, and Caveat Emptor all began as jam submissions. Last year’s submission was Ghost Beacon.
This year’s jam runs from July 12, 2026 to August 16, 2026, so there’s still time to join!
- E.P. 💀
P.S. I also published Cemetery of the Silent Monks this week for the Appendix N Jam — a zonecore one-shot for MÖRK BORG, inspired by Roadside Picnic and Stalker. Investigate the Black Egg that landed in Graven-Tosk! 👽🛸🪦
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To claim a free copy, scroll down to the bottom of the itch.io page and click the Claim Access button.