A Pocketful of Peril!

A Pocketful of Peril! is a collaborative story game for 2-4 players, inspired by four (4) adventure film serials, all released in 1929, and therefore all entering the public domain in 2025. It was developed for the Gaming Like It's 1929 game jam. 

Adventure serials were the precursor of low-end TV shows. Each serial consisted of 10 “chapters,” each of about twenty minutes; cinemas showed one chapter per week, before the feature film, along with short subjects and newsreels. Serials were designed to be quick thrill-generators, in and out in twenty minutes; this is where  the term “cliffhanger” originates. A Pocketful of Peril! uses elements and tropes from these serials in a randomisation structure, so that players can create their own thrill-a-minute adventure ride.

Included in the downloads are the 20-page A5 rulebook, and a set of optional game sheets that can be used for convenience. Also required: a standard set of playing cards and a six-sided die.