If you enjoy solo RPGs, interactive storytelling, or creative writing exercises, Threshold: Mirrors & Smoke offers a unique way to explore all three. This “write-to-play” game booklet drops players into a tense, noir-inspired city where every decision can change the outcome of the story.
Characters and Choices
Players select a character and navigate a web of intrigue, danger, and secrets. For example:
- The Former Associate: A former enforcer trying to leave a crime family behind… but old allies and the law have other plans.
- The Reluctant Witness: Saw something they shouldn’t have and must survive long enough to tell the story.
Each character comes with motivations, secrets, and stakes that drive the story forward, encouraging players to think creatively while exploring narrative structure, decision-making, and character development.
Settings
The city itself is full of atmosphere and story hooks:
- The Underground Club: Jazz, shadowed conversations, and deals that can’t be overheard.
- The Rain-Slick Alley: Dim streetlamps, echoing footsteps, and danger lurking just out of sight.
These locations provide context, tension, and inspiration for the story as players navigate the plot, uncover clues, and make choices that matter.
Intriguing Conflicts
Players face challenges that test their wits and storytelling instincts, like:
- The Frame-Up: Evidence points to you — can you clear your name before it’s too late?
- The Vanishing Heist Crew: A robbery goes wrong, and the crew disappears… one by one.
The booklet provides guided prompts to explore these conflicts in depth, helping players practice creative writing and problem-solving while keeping the story exciting and unpredictable.
Why It Works for Creative Learning
Threshold: Mirrors & Smoke isn’t just a game — it’s a tool for developing critical thinking, narrative exploration, and storytelling skills. Teachers, tutors, and writers have found it especially useful because it:
- Encourages players to create complex characters and motivations
- Develops decision-making and cause-and-effect thinking
- Provides a structured yet flexible framework for narrative writing
Whether you’re a solo RPG enthusiast, a creative writer, or an educator looking for interactive classroom exercises, Threshold: Mirrors & Smoke offers a hands-on way to practice storytelling, explore suspense, and build imagination through play.
Check it out here.
Or try out Threshold: Broken Orbit or Threshold: Hollow Vale.