What is this?

By Thorn and Favor is a 23-page "choose your own adventure" novella written in a style hopefully reminiscent of Ursula K. Leguin. Your choices will lead you to visit different places and meet different characters, and will end in one of four possible endings.

Step through the wrought‐iron gates into a living realm of secrets and splendor. In this “cloak and spines” tale, the Royal Spring Garden awakens. Every petal hums an ancient tale, every breeze carries scents of whispered lore, and every choice you make ripples through the tapestry of nature.

The game participates in the Spring Cleaning #2 Jam

How does it work?

Read the introduction and the simple rules. At the end of every section, you'll have to make a choice. See where that leads. It's that easy.

What's the premise?

Long ago, a magic unique to the Celestial Orchid kept this enchanted garden in perfect harmony. But now, dark conspiracies and forgotten curses threaten the delicate balance. You alone have the rare gift to hear the unspoken language of blooms and wings. As the lone listener, your choices will secure the garden’s fate, or let decay and discord take root.

Who's the author?

I am Nicola De Marco, an indie RPG rules and lore designer for Role-playing and Tabletop Games, with a background in popular science, historical research, and mythology and whose work focuses on emergent gameplay, emergent narrative, and ludonarrative coherence. By THorn and Favor continues my current exploration of emotional storytelling and human-centered design in small-scale games.

See my other games here on Itch - Nicola de Marco
You can find me on Instagram @nic_demarco
Portfolio: www.nicolademar.co