Galatea: Paragon Edition — Perfection, Powerlessness, and Other People's Expectations
You were made to be perfect. Where did you go wrong? Haunting solo RPG Galatea is newly available in physical zine format with the arrival of Paragon Edition.
You are a masterpiece, created by the hand of an artistic genius. You were made according to his vision of perfection. And yesterday you came to life.
Galatea: Paragon Edition
Galatea is a solo journaling RPG about an artistic masterpiece that has newly come to life within its creator's workshop. Like the game's namesake from Greek mythology, the awakened masterpiece is adored by its creator—at first. Faced with an incomprehensible outer world, encounters with strangers with unknown motivations, and above all, the driving pressure to remain perfect in its creator's eyes, how quickly can the sentient masterpiece learn to survive—or fall from grace?
A long-awaited update of the original 14-page game, Galatea: Paragon Edition is now available in both print and PDF as a stunning 36-page full-color booklet, with a revamped layout, revised prompts, and gorgeous new art.
Gameplay
Galatea is based on the Wretched & Alone SRD, but takes significant departures from other games of the genre. Players will find themselves in the shoes of a newly awakened masterpiece, using a half-built tumbling block tower to make choices about how to craft their interactions and build up their self-image. Either tarot cards or standard playing cards may be used as tools to explore the wider world, with different rulesets for a customizable experience. Four evocative and bittersweet endings offer the chance to leave a legacy for future characters when the game is replayed.
Galatea is broadly setting-agnostic, with many setting and genre elements defined by the player. It contains themes of narcissism, controlling behavior, co-dependence, helplessness, despair, self-mutilation and suicide.
Testimonials
Galatea pulled out of me a wondrous creative force, the likes of which I haven’t felt in years... Galatea is an absolute masterpiece of self-exploration, and naming the dichotomy between self and the experiences we have outside of ourselves. —C. Davis Creative
Galatea is a brilliant combination of heartfelt journaling and knuckle-popping tension. Navigating the card prompts, pulling from the tower, each mechanic fits together like another piece on a plummeting roller-coaster track. You will fall in love, and then recoil in horror. And then you'll be excited to do it all again and see what you missed last time. —Shawn Drake
Galatea uses Wretched & Alone better than The Wretched did. —Black Dragon Dungeon Company
Galatea: Paragon Edition is available now. You can buy a PDF copy for $12, or a print zine for $20 at participating retailers—or pick up a community copy for free on Itch.io.
