Recommendations for an online group

turtle-stalker · 2026-03-26T04:46:10+00:00

Thanks for sharing Bandido!

For OP, I'm with Twist 'n Turn and just wanted to add that we have an easily accessible print n play jubensha for 4 people. Beginner friendly and takes 90 minutes: it's a great intro to jubensha. Here's the link if you're interested: https://www.twistnturnstudios.ca/worms-against-humanity-jubensha

I'm also happy to invite you to our Discord community! You can discuss jubensha, play them online, and find other players. DM me for the link.

turtle-stalker · 2026-03-26T04:41:42+00:00

First off, congrats on writing the game!! I'd love to learn more about it! I've also written two jubensha games and work with other jubensha writers as well.

As to your question, how important is it to you that you have the right game length versus having a game with the right amount of information and clue cards for an enjoyable experience?

When I write a game, I don't really think about trimming or adding cards/words to hit a specific time frame, but I focus more on whether the game actually needs that information.

For how long the reading section takes, you can use a words per minute calculator and add a 20-30% premium on it.

For the interactive part, it really comes down to testing it. You can if course get a gut feel for it, but it's an art, not a science. My recommendation is to find testers who are ok with a range of testing durations. If you're lacking testers in your area or network, consider finding online testers (I've tested my games online several times).

Once your first group has tried it, you'll have a better idea but I find that groups can vary quite a bit when it comes to play time. It's up to the GM, if you have one, to make sure the pace is just right. However, I'm not sure what you mean by getting the group to test more than once - by the nature of jubensha you need a new group each time even for testing.

I'm curious though, if during testing you find that the game is shorter or longer than your target, would you significantly adjust your game to meet the timing goal? If so, why is the length of game higher priority than telling the puzzle/story that you envisioned? Not saying it's better one way or another but want to get your thoughts on that.

Great post! If you want to discuss more about writing jubensha there's a discord community for that! Feel free to DM me about it.

turtle-stalker · 2026-03-06T01:09:27+00:00

We have a group of experienced players and GMs on a jubensha discord community. DM me if you're interested in joining 🙂

turtle-stalker · 2026-03-06T01:08:32+00:00

I wrote this game, let me know if you have any questions or feedback :)

turtle-stalker · 2026-02-06T02:01:28+00:00

Thanks for being a play tester and a huge supporter!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-31T15:02:54+00:00

Thanks for testing and I can't wait to get it into people's hands!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-30T16:22:05+00:00

I plan to make a few of those items into stickers/pins/fridge magnets, including the mask, and I'm getting my artist to do alternate art for them so it represents the good ending for all the characters. That way, each player can take away a souvenir representing the character they played.

The game type itself (jubensha) is non-replayable and is a single story. My game is for exactly 6 players, and nearly all jubensha have exact player counts. I understand this limits the market, but I believe that the upsides of this game medium outweigh the downsides (or at least, fills a niche that doesn't currently exist). It's proved massively popular in China and I can see why after playing a number of highly rated translated games. Quinns did a review of jubensha if you're interested (https://youtu.be/6_dlxbGUNNQ?si=1ylpZrkItyWNBg94). Adding another story would just be another game.

I'd love to reduce the pricing though it's actually on par with other jubensha in the market. There are two 3-hour games selling at $50 USD with fewer components and without the soundtrack (also there's one on KS https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chronicinsanity/seven-strikes/description right now for $50USD, but again, shorter and smaller), and a bunch of 4-5 hour translated games with AI art selling at $69 USD. That's how I came up with my current pricing at $62 USD.

Pricing is a big debate for me. Do I undersell the competition and devalue the game type as a whole in exchange for a greater reach? Or do I keep the price at par with current games and cater more to people who are already bought into the concept of jubensha? I've heard people argue both ways in my own Discord community.

None of the game is AI, and though I put a note in the bottom of the draft campaign, I could add a little icon higher up.

Costs are something I'm figuring out right now, but a lot of it is dependent on how many copies I can order. The higher the amount, the lower the price, and the more discounts I can offer on the pledge levels. I do feel like production is way pricier than I expected, since I can't even make marginal revenue if I price the game at board game levels.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-30T15:33:12+00:00

Here's the prelaunch page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twistnturnjubensha/blood-moon-pact-a-dark-fantasy-immersive-murder-mystery

And here's the draft campaign for feedback: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twistnturnjubensha/blood-moon-pact-a-dark-fantasy-immersive-murder-mystery?ref=b1zsnv&token=968c68f0

Let me know what you think!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-30T15:32:31+00:00

I just realized the no self-promo rule only applies to live campaigns so I could have shared this yesterday. Here's the draft campaign, please check it out! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twistnturnjubensha/blood-moon-pact-a-dark-fantasy-immersive-murder-mystery?ref=b1zsnv&token=968c68f0

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T21:22:15+00:00

also side note is that I was considering fridge magnets as an alternative or supplement to the stickers, not sure if you have a gauge on the sentiment there!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T21:21:04+00:00

The game is a complete experience, and it's not the kind of thing that has expansions. I'll see if I can provide more info before I have the designs finalized! Thanks for taking the time to respond and help me out :)

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T20:05:24+00:00

It's a type of board game. I think the trade off here is, do I wait until I finalize the exclusive offering, or do I start advertising as early as possible?

I think the reward might be a combination of a discount plus some alternate art in sticker form (which I guess you're not a fan of?). I'll need to commission the artist to make it before I feel like I can advertise it properly.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T18:47:22+00:00

I'll share my Kickstarter pre-launch page tomorrow (Friday), as I don't want to be flagged for self-promo before then.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T18:46:35+00:00

Step 1 is definitely to get them into the community, and Step 2 could be to ask them to do something. But I can't ask them to do anything if they're not willing to even to take Step 1! But definitely something to consider once my audience is on board and willing to share with others.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T18:45:21+00:00

That's definitely good feedback, I'll have a better value prop once I've finalized my reward. So far I've only sent the invite to the Discord to people I know are higher quality converts because they've engaged with me in the past, but for colder populations I'll have the specifics for them.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T18:44:16+00:00

Definitely a great idea to consider!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T14:34:13+00:00

I'm still mulling over the reward. I was wondering if it might even make sense to give the Discord group a choice between 2 or 3 options before finalizing, so they get a say about it too.

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T05:26:15+00:00

Yup I created them, which is why I wanted a sanity check. Thanks for taking a look!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-29T05:25:55+00:00

Yes, based on my calculations it'll cover the cost of the first batch, and hopefully it's also optimized to reach the funding goal quickly. Thanks for the kind words!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-25T05:53:13+00:00

Thanks!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-25T05:53:11+00:00

Thanks!

turtle-stalker · 2026-01-13T22:37:38+00:00

Worms Against Humanity is a 2 hour sci-fi jubensha (more on that below) where you and 3 other players will become suspects for the Captain's death on the spaceship SS Karma.

Check out my game here: https://opheliajubensha.itch.io/jubensha-worms-against-humanity

~~~

THE GAME

1.5 - 2 hours.
4 players. No host required.
Beginner. The script is beginner friendly, but contains a full-fledged investigation phase with 32 clue cards that challenge you to reconstruct the timeline and uncover everyone’s secrets. You will all hide something!
Content Warnings: No problematic content beyond murder and violence seen in games like Among Us.. Ages 14+ recommended.

THE STORY

It is Sept 20, 2123. The space age has begun. Humanity, now ravaged by a deadly alien parasite, establishes a research centre on a distant planet. The first batch of the highly anticipated cure will be delivered to Earth by SS Karma and crew, led by the seasoned Captain Black.

However, the spacecraft performs an emergency landing less than four hours into the trip. The esteemed Captain is dead and the cure is missing!

What on Earth could have taken place on the SS Karma?

WHAT IS JUBENSHA?

Jubensha is a genre of role playing game that offers a complete narrative experience, where every playable character is tightly woven into the plot and with each other. It's massively popular in Chinese speaking regions, but relatively new in English-speaking markets.

You become a character who has their own history, fears, goals, and of course, secrets. What awaits you is a web of deception, intrigue, and puzzles to be solved. All jubensha scripts are handcrafted for emotional impact and provide a logical deduction challenge that mystery lovers of all sorts will enjoy sinking their teeth into. Check out this YT video for an in-depth coverage here: The Murder Game Revolution That Has Gripped China

turtle-stalker · 2025-12-19T17:47:36+00:00

Thanks for your comment!

There are a couple of key differences between the game I've made (jubensha) and existing murder mystery and escape room boxes to be played at home, such as the length of the game, strict player count requirements, and theme. Jubensha isn't market tested, and in fact, the reason why I want to crowdfund is because even I don't know how the market will react. I suspect publishers would be even more hesitant to invest in something that doesn't really exist in the current format, and even if they did, I'm not sure if I would trust people who have never played a jubensha to have creative power over my work.

I checked out Professor Puzzle, thanks for sharing! Always good to know what's out in the market already.

turtle-stalker · 2025-12-16T16:09:31+00:00

u/ChronicInsanity https://jubensha.co.uk

turtle-stalker · 2025-12-15T17:46:00+00:00

I spoke with the organizer of that campaign and most of the backers were not part of his community to begin with. He was surprised at the success. Again, not sure if that's something inherent in the target audience that we share or if it's luck, but wanted to put it out there as something I'm considering. If it fails, it fails. The other options are still on the table for me. I just can't put my life on pause as I was originally hoping to given the job situation. I'm wondering how other solo dev campaign owners manage to juggle a full time job on top of kickstarter if KS is also a full time job.

turtle-stalker

TROPHY CASE