Author in the Cafe

Welcome to “Author in the Cafe”, another adventure from JournalingGames.com. In this adventure, you are a published author who has enjoyed some success. It’s been d4 (roll this now if you like) years since your last book and your agent is getting anxious. Very anxious. In this adventure you will take on the roll of this author and spend your days in a cafe waiting and working for inspiration. Good luck.

• This guide
• A journal, notebook, or something to write in
• A standard set of adventure dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20)
• Your imagination

The journal becomes your character’s notebook – feel free to doodle, write, daydream, and make notes of things your character wants to remember or include in their book.

You need to complete 5 chapters of your book before meeting with your agent in Phase 3. You will stay in Phase 2, visiting the cafe each day until your 5 chapters are complete. See “Finishing Chapters” below for details on how to write chapters.

To finish a chapter, roll a 4 on your d4 progress roll. You get one progress roll each day, plus extra rolls from special conditions. Roll your daily dice in any order, but each die can only be used once unless an effect says otherwise. After completing 5 chapters, finish your day, in the morning you’ll be pitching these chapters to your agent in the final phase.

Rolling the highest number (critical value) on a d10, d12, or d20 roll earns you an Inspiration Point. These points represent unexpected moments of inspiration. Save these points – you’ll need them during your pitch meeting.

When your food and drink roll gives you a coffee drink (Latte, Cold Brew, Cappuccino, or Mocha), you gain a Caffeinated Reroll. Use this to reroll any one die during your next day’s rolls. You must use the new value from a caffeinated reroll. If you choose not to reroll the caffeine fades and cannot be used.

After completing a chapter (d4 = 4), you can attempt an “On a Roll” streak. Roll the d4 – if you roll less than 4, you complete another chapter. You can keep rolling as long as each roll is lower than your previous roll. The streak ends when you roll equal to or higher than your previous roll.

Bonus Inspiration Points:

• Earn 1 point for completing 3 chapters (4,3,2 or 4,3,1 or 4,2,1)
• Earn 2 points for completing 4 chapters (4,3,2,1)

This game has 3 phases: Setup, Writing Days, and Pitch Day. Most of your time will be spent in the Writing Days phase. Details for each phase are below.

1. Setup
   • Roll all dice at once to determine your character
   • Write your first journal entry “A letter to a friend.”
2. Days in the Cafe
   • Enter the cafe each morning to work on your book
   • Roll each adventure die once per day in any order you choose
   • Track your progress toward 5 completed chapters
   • Journal about your day’s events and feelings
   • Earn inspiration points and special conditions
3. Agent Presentation
   • Visit your agent once you’ve completed 5 chapters
   • Roll all pitch meeting dice at once.
   • Add accumulated inspiration points to rolls.
   • Determine your book’s success
   • Write a final journal entry about the outcome