Deadbolt: A Virtual Guide

NOTE: This is not a playable game. This is an educational resource.

Since the very first time I ran Deadbolt in 2012, people have been asking me to release it for sale. This is impossible for a number of reasons:

• there's only one copy in the world because I handmade everything
• it's a game about intense emotional vulnerability that requires sensitivity when facilitating, which makes me worry when I consider releasing it into the world without my control-freak eyes on it
• it's partially performance art; I'm not going to make a game and then ask people to do things I wouldn't do myself

This document is a compromise. For the first time literally ever, this walks readers through a game of Deadbolt step by step, with photos and scans of every physical component, as well as commentary and description for how the game is taught and played, and how play affects the mood of the room and the players.

It took me a long time to decide to release this document (initially created for the 2013 Indiecade Awards, at which Deadbolt was a nominee)— but ultimately, the demand from curious enthusiasts, academics, and other developers pushed me over the edge.