Ever wish you were a mushroom?
Announcing a new solo journaling game from Exeunt Press: We are Mushrooms. Be the mushroom you've always wanted to be. You might be eaten, but that's okay. You'll grow back.
I’ve been working on a new game, and the test prints arrive next week. It’s called We are Mushrooms, and if you’ve enjoyed solo journaling games like You are a Muffin, I think you are going to really like this one.
We are Mushrooms is a solo journaling game to play together.
You will begin by choosing what type of mushroom you’ll be and creating a basic map of your immediate area. Then, over the course of twelve turns spanning three seasons, you will silently observe what happens in the forest. Knights, rogues, merchants, monks, and animals will leave their mark on your surroundings. New features will be added to your map. The weather will change.
You might even be eaten, but that’s okay.
You’ll always grow back.
Growing and releasing spores
Each round of the game you’ll have a chance to grow. Some forest visitors may cause your growth to decrease (e.g. if they eat you), but don’t worry too much about being picked or eaten. Most of your mushroom structure is safely underground. You’ll just take a short break and then grow right back.
If you ever reach your maximum Growth (three dice stacked, each at their maximum value), you will disperse your spores and spread to nearby areas. When that happens, you’ll choose two adjacent locations on the map and draw your mushroom in them. Then you’ll begin the growth cycle again.
Rolling the same visitor more than once
Each round, a new forest visitor appears. The visitor could be an animal or a person. They might just be passing through or they could leave a lasting mark on the forest clearing. It is possible (and expected) that some visitors will return later in the game (i.e. rolling the same value again). Return visits often have different details or effects. Some visitors will even interact with things other visitors have left behind.
A solo game you can play together
You can play We are Mushrooms as a group — sort of like a silent book club.
All players start and end the game at the same time. When rolling for an encounter, all players (i.e. mushrooms) will experience that same event. How players react to and imagine events, however, will be an individual experience for each player. The Monk (one of the forest visitors) might enter the forest clearing and build a shrine, but each player can imagine what that shrine looks like as they see fit.
The goal is to provide a framework where any number of players can have a shared activity and yet feel comfortable exploring their own creativity and imagination.
When is it going to be available?
We are Mushrooms is written, edited, and laid out. I sent it to the printer to have a few test prints made to make sure it’s perfect. They are due to be delivered the week of July 14, 2026. I’m excited/nervous to see what they look like!
Assuming they are good, I’ll send the full print order to the printer. Those usually take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Then We are Mushrooms will go on sale at shop.exeunt.press.
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- E.P. 💀
P.S. If you love tabletop games, you should check out Tumulus. It’s a print-only, quarterly zine packed with Skeleton Code Machine game design content.
Play some weird and wonderful games at shop.exeunt.press.
Written, augmented, purged, and published by Exeunt Press. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission. Exeunt Omnes is Copyright 2026 Exeunt Press. For comments, questions, reports from the EZ, or pro tips: games@exeunt.press
Very appealing! Will it also be available in digital form?
Neeeeeeed! Also want to run this as a group event with students!