This is the two hundred fortieth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our two hundred fortieth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality has just mailed us a coded message. It’s We Are Ciphers, by JOlympia, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

Desire, codes, and micro-missions- Oh my!

I can only assume JOlympia is referring to The Ultimate Code of Seduction.

We Are Ciphers is an epistolary story game for two players, made for the #SaveThePost game jam hosted by Ken Davidson between April 17 and May 19, 2020. The jam was conceived as a way to support the United States Postal Service during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, yet its message is still relevant today as we (once again) have the same fascist garbage running the country and threatening to dissolve the postal service. The idea was simple: design games that require sending things through the mail. In We Are Ciphers’ case, that means letters that are fully or partially written in code, as players collaboratively tell a tale of espionage.

The requirement for two players to actually send physical letters to each other means a typical game takes 2-3 months to play, an unrealistic timeframe for Scratching That Itch. So, as I often do with multiplayer tabletop games, I have simply read through the rulebook for We Are Ciphers and offer my thoughts here.

Play begins with the two players meeting (in person or virtually) to discuss the theme and tone of the game to come. I appreciated the focus on safety here. There is no expectation that the game will actually happen until after this initial discussion. Players must describe the experience they each wish to get from the game, and if those are not compatible for any reason, they’re encouraged to pass on the game for now. Only if both players are enthusiastic after the initial planning session should the game proceed.

As I started reading the rulebook, I imagined something like a spy thriller, with secret agents going undercover or infiltrating secret facilities. And players can certainly run a game like that. But there’s surprising room for other scenarios: play as animals looking for some magic food, or as absurd characters in a silly fantasy world if you want. All that’s required is that the player characters desire a Prize, and must track down where it is, who has it, and how they might take it for themselves. Naturally, to coordinate their efforts they’ll have to write in code.

There are some simple ciphers offered in the rulebook, allowing players to substitute letters for symbols or other alphanumerics. Other encryption options are provided as a web link too, or players can even avoid ciphers entirely if it sounds like too much hassle. The emphasis is on the joy of getting real, handwritten letters in the mail, and taking the time to relish that mode of communication, whether that means a bit of decryption or not. Players are encouraged to check in with each other out of the game as well, using whatever communication method they prefer (texting, video calls, etc.), but the story they’re telling together is shaped by the written letters they send each other.

There’s a lot of guidance for that story, too. A game of We Are Ciphers consists of six letters — each player writing three — and there are specific prompts for every one. Each letter’s prompts take up an entire page of the rulebook, offering a topic and several bulleted questions to guide the writing, as well as suggestions for the recipient. As someone new to storytelling games, I appreciate this predetermined structure, which nudges players along so they’re not struggling to come up with something to write, but still leaves room for creativity. It does mean that the two players will play slightly different roles depending on who writes the first letter, so it’s worth discussing which role they’d like during that initial planning session. And of course, experienced players can go off script a bit if they wish. As long as they’ve both agreed ahead of time that it’s OK to do so, of course.

We Are Ciphers sounds fun! I’m old enough to remember sending and receiving letters, and the satisfaction of knowing that someone put time and intention into sending me a physical message. Younger players may have never experienced this, which is a shame. But what better way to put intention back into communication than to plan out a story game based on mailing letters? The addition of coded segments of the message adds intention to the receipt of the message as well, but of course is not required if players don’t want to bother. If you, too, miss sending letters to people, or are simply curious about it, consider giving We Are Ciphers a try. If you missed it in the bundle, it’s sold for a minimum price of $5, including both the rulebook PDF and a Word document glossary of some spy terms.

That’s 240 down, and only 1501 to go!