VOID 1680 AM
A downloadable game
Now a 2023 ENNIE Judges' Spotlight Winner!
Also an Indie Groundbreaker Awards nominee for Most Innovative!
Pick up physical copies at my shop and Indie Press Revolution.
Speak into the Void
Night after night, you sit alone with your thoughts, your music, and a microphone. Whether you come to your radio show with somber attitude or joyful spirit, you use the music that moves you to etch something fleeting and beautiful into the big empty.
You never know who is listening
There are other voices in the darkness. With a deck of cards, a six-sided die and a stack of music, you will build a playlist, invent and interact with Callers to your show, and evolve their stories over as many broadcasts as you like. No matter their motivations, they simply must be heard. In that way, you are very alike.
VOID 1680 AM includes rules for single-session and ongoing play, instructions to have your show broadcast on the airwaves as an Affiliate, and even a way to add your voice to a library of Callers that other DJs can use in their own games.
In this game, you can...
- Build a 12-song playlist
- Invent and interact with Callers
- Evolve the stories of your Callers over multiple shows
- Have your show broadcast on AM and YouTube
- Add your voice to an archive of Callers for others to use
"Voices in the Void"
Some desire a Caller experience where the strangers are a little bit.... stranger. This free expansion replaces the Caller sheet in the main game with tables that have a weirder edge to them. The nature of that strangeness - supernatural, purely human, or something else entirely - is up to you.
Press, Interviews, Actual Plays and More
Tune in to official broadcasts hosted by either the Program Director or Affiliate stations.
"Fill the late-nite airwaves with music and meaning in playlist-building solo RPG VOID 1680 AM," Dicebreaker
"VOID 1680 AM creator talks comic books and tabletop RPG similarities and exploring the lonely airwaves," Dicebreaker
"7 indie tabletop RPGs released this year that you shouldn't miss," Dicebreaker
An End of Year selection on Dice Exploder's 2023 Year End Bonanza
"10 TTRPGs We Want To Play in 2024," The Bad Spot podcast
Check out my interview about VOID 1680 AM's origins and various play styles on EN Live's Not DnD show!
Watch Black Dragon Dungeon Company's Lonely TTRPG Actual Play!
VOID 1680 AM is a 28-page zine written by Ken Lowery, with cover art by Jordan Witt and custom radio diagrams by Dylan Todd.
VOID 1680 AM by Ken Lowery is licensed under the Creative Comrades License Agreement 1.0.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $10 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Exclusive content
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copies
You've all been very kind in your reception of VOID 1680 AM, so I'm throwing out a few Community Copies to say thanks. If for whatever reason you can't (or shouldn't) pay full price, just grab one of these.
And if you like the game, please consider leaving a comment, rating, and/or review! That really helps people find it out there in itch-land.
Pre-Order Print Edition + PDF (U.S. SHIPPING ONLY)
At this level, you'll receive the 28-page print edition of VOID 1680 AM with full-color cover and black & white interiors, in addition to the PDF. The print edition is expected to ship in mid April.
This reward only applies to U.S. addresses. Please do not forget to enter your address!
Download demo
Development log
- New cover for Voices in the Void!54 days ago
- "Voices in the Void" free Caller expansionJun 05, 2023
Comments
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I'm from China and I'm planning to start a broadcast in Chinese. And I also like to become a "Caller", but it's difficult for me to make that call... So I come up with an idea. Is it possible to make a website or leave an email address so people who from different coutries could send their recorded audio files to be a Caller? And, maybe there could be a website with the function to choose languages, so DJs around the world could choose the callers who speak the same languae. What do you think?
That's a good idea! Making a website for it is something I'll have to look into, but if you want to email your recorded file you can send it to bannerlessgames@gmail.com!
I have done two shows so far and LOVED them! This game was the first ever solo trrpg that I have really resonated with, that didn't feel awkward setting up or playing. I have made a tumblr to "archive" my shows if anyone is interested - it's wwjd1518am.tumblr.com. Much love and gratitude for this awesome project!
That's so cool, I'm so glad you like it! I just followed the Tumblr. If you ever get the urge to submit a show for broadcast, you know where to find me.
Curious if this game has appeared in any charity bundles to date? Budget is rather tight, so I'm wondering if I already have it! :)
Yes, this game was in the TTRPG Bundle for Trans Youth!
So much love for your participation in that! <3 I ended up buying a copy anyways because I have no impulse control, whoops. Can't wait to record this!!!
hi there,
I hate to ask, but are there likely to be any more community copies made available?
Just added 10, have fun!
You're a legend. Thank you so much.
When I was locked up in quarantine with COVID, I played this game and found such a comfort in a lone broadcaster sending out music on the airwaves to anyone who may be listening. And to top it off, now I have my very own playlist to reminisce to!
That is simply wonderful and devastating to hear (in a nice way). I'm glad you made it through that, and I'm glad the game was able to help. If you ever get an itch to broadcast, I'll be happy to send your show out on the airwaves.
have fallen in love with this game and been listening to the affiliate broadcasts while doing desk work at my job. it has inspired me to try my hand at doing my own broadcasts and releasing them for others to hear!
I love hearing this, and if you're ever willing to share, I would love to hear them.
Got to play this on my podcast/on stream! Had such a great time, I'll be playing again.
Hi, my name is Johannes, I'm from the Rollenspielverein Biberach e.V. rpg club in Biberach, Germany. We want to play it perhaps with publishing the results of the play and writing a review on our homepage. I contacted Ken via Instagram and he lead me to this site. May we use the cover page and/or other pictures for our article? Many thanks in advance!
our homepage is rollenspielverein-biberach.de (all in German unfortunately...)
Yes that's me, I'm Ken! You can find assets for use here, it's all a free download and there is also a dropbox link with the same files: https://bannerlessgames.itch.io/void-press-kit
Awesome, you're the best!
I've played three sessions of these and during my second official session, things got really heavy while I used the Voices in the Void sheet. I didn't expect myself to breach those topics for myself but it's cathartic in its own way. I honestly love the whole "continued broadcast" bits and it really is a good way to stimulate my creativity and to show not only the humanity in people's stories but to let out some feelings. Seriously a visceral and beautiful game.
Side note: Do you plan on having an expansion for music prompts? I kinda feel a bit restricted, but at the same time, I think that's the point? Hahaha.
Thank you for your very kind words!
I have, in fact, debated that very question. It's a tough line to walk: I want the prompts to be specific enough to get your mind searching (without being overly prescriptive) and broad enough that they're open to endless interpretation (but not so broad they're basically useless). I think I erred on the side of the former, which is fine for a single session but obviously gets constraining over time.
Before I settled on the suits/song blocks format, I wanted to use cards to sort of build a "formula" of songs reacting to the previous songs on the list, but couldn't quite get my head around it. Still thinking about it.
Either which way, I'll see what I can do - more supplemental material is on the way!
Okay, so I cannot afford your game as of today. BUT. I wanted to say thank you for the great broadcast I've heard up until now, it makes me smile and relax :)
Much appreciated. I just put up 20 community copies - please take one with my compliments.
This is one of the most unique games out there right now (and well deserving of its newly awarded ENNIE!). The interactivity across the airwaves evokes play by post/epistolary gaming in a really cool audio medium. I looked up "unique" synonyms when writing this post because I've never seen something that does what this game does and I want so much more of it in my brain.
I'm excited to dig into Voices in the Void and see how weird and creepy this game can get.
Such a great Game. had the pleasure of playing and being an Affiliate Broadcast already and I cant stop talking about it to my gaming friends. such a cool game
it was a great show!
Probably the coolest audio-log format solo game I've ever read. Anything that leaves a real world artifact of play is awesome, but the tone coupled with the performative aspect has me itching to give this one a go.
Hope you're alright with transmissions from space.
Just been tuning up the tower, ready to receive signal...
"Nothing but Blues and Elvis, and somebody else's favorite song."
Hell yeah Steely Dan
“An independent station
WJAZ
With jazz and conversation
From the foot of Mt. Belzoni
Sweet music
Tonight the night is mine
Late line
Till the sun comes through the skylight”
ahh sad I discovered this so late! missed out on the print edition
just the pre-order - print copies will be available soon via Knave of Cups and Indie Press Revolution! I expect mid April.
Having now read through the PDF I'm looking forward to dipping my toe into solo games with this once I find the time!
You mention you stream broadcasts on Youtube (for as long as Youtube allows it) - do you have a link for where on Youtube they're streamed? Or is this an ad-hoc thing?
Great concept, great execution, great game all around!
Sure do - it's at https://youtube.com/@bannerlessgames. A few of the first broadcasts are there, but copyright makes keeping them online a tricky proposition.
I've been scrolling through the PDF. Hella excited to get set up and play! Now I just need to organize some songs well enough to draw a library from.
Can't wait to see what you come up with!
i can’t wait to start playing this! Ive been getting into cassettes and music more lately so this feels like a natural extension? amazing concept. btw, how can i make sure i get the physical copy that i ordered?
Glad you're excited! I'll be ordering the print run next week, and if you entered your address you're set. If not I'll email you to get it. I expect these will ship mid April.
Just picked this up today, a quick read through and I am excited to play. Real solid idea, and I am curious to see what sort of things cone from yhe community of this game.
Me too! Thanks so much for checking it out, hope you like it!