Paper Apps
97 comments
·February 6, 2025lifefeed
jacoblambda
Subnautica has a somewhat related concept which is that at the end of the game you have the ability to send a single time capsule to the maps of new players. They contain text, a picture (taken with the in game camera), and a handful of items.
It's a cute little feature that allows you to send something helpful (or just amusing) to the next generation of players.
lifefeed
I got a little fish in my first capsule (along something useful that I can't remember, maybe a suit). I kept it the whole game, then passed it on in my own capsule. It's silly, but I still think about that fish.
cbm-vic-20
Sounds like a NetHack "bones level" that gets created when you die, and may appear in someone else's game. Full of cursed items, of course.
IgorPartola
Nothing like finding your own bones and being attacked by your ghost.
mhb
Wait until you hear about PaperBooks. They're like a Kindle download except, once you finish reading one, you can give it to anyone else to read. And BookNotes are completely portable - anything you write in it stays with the PaperBook and can be read by any other person.
rchaud
This reminds me of a scene in Parks and Recreation where a local fashionista in a small town is pitching the latest evolution of almond milk and oat milk....beef milk.
benbristow
You're going to be blown away when you hear about DRM free eBooks and LibGen...
tutuca
I believe he was being sarcastic and talking about old fashioned, actual paper books.
itishappy
Scrawl it! *thump. clap. thump thump clap thump*
Erase it! *thump. clap. thump thump clap thump*
Pass it! *dun dun dun dun dun dun*
julianeon
I've seen this in the wild: for sale at Gamescape in San Francisco.
rel
Found these a couple weeks ago and bought the golf PDF for my <7y/o nephew and he was initially hesitant but then thrilled once he understood the basic premise. Didn’t have the heart to start teaching him A* and manhattan distance, that’ll come later.
I’m glad the creator made this and am looking forward to seeing more of these
Side note, these reminded me of pocket mod which I absolutely loved using 15 years ago https://pocketmod.com/
AstroJetson
I still make them. Most are todo list things. I have the rule subset for my Robotics competitions for the kids to use since not all of them have phones. I also use them for trips to do plane flights, rental, hotel, dinner places, etc. I’d rather accidentally forget a pocketmod on a rental counter than my phone.
pmkary
This is both very funny and very sad :)
Paper is its own thing. if you think about it, the todo list in the computer was first a skeuomorph of the paper one. Now people have become so alienated from the paper that someone has brought their computer todo to the paper :))))
Not only this does not promote the paper, but is a huge promotion for the computer! By being a constant reminder to the notebook's owner: "this is not a computer", one will have no choice but to keep thinking of all the things they miss in their todo from a dynamic medium :))))
viccis
When it comes to skeuomorphism, this really is the last stage in the precession of the simulacra. First you have the original thing based in reality (writing todo notes on paper). Then you have the first order unfaithful copy (skeuomorphic imitation). Next you have the second order version that masks the absence of the original thing (removal of skeuomorphism and integration of other functionality, you're no longer using a computer to replace writing down notes, you're using it in its own right). Finally, you have the pure simulacrum with no relation to reality whatsoever. That todo notepad pretending to be a computer app that doesn't exist when actual notepad-like games (like crosswords) still exist.
Not so much sad as just kinda funny I think.
cowsandmilk
I don’t think this is sad at all. And I’m not sure how this can be described as bringing computer todo to paper.
Retr0id
It's just a matter of framing. If "paper" is your starting point, a computerized todo list is "paper, but smarter". If a computerized todo list is your starting point (which for many it is), then paper is "computers, but dumber".
It is a little sad (in a nostalgic sense) that paper apparently becomes more marketable when contrasted with the features of computers (apps specifically), rather than as a product in its own right.
svrtknst
for given values of "smarter" and "dumber". i've yet to encounter a smart digital to-do system. most are terrible and pretty dumb. a paper todo is pretty much as smart as you make it.
nyclounge
Don't think it is sad at all. Glade to the reverting from digital to analog. To be honest we don't need digital stuff, a lot of just makes people lazier.
Hope in the future people will always have a physical counter part (Certificate of Deposit) for their IMPORTANT digital assets such as money.
Projects like this help people to move some of the important items to physical medium. If needed they can take a pic of the notepad as a history. Seems like the ultimate killer app to me.
null
Xorger
I'm honestly annoyed by the whole "anti-digital" thing. Like sure, it's good to take a break, but what's wrong with technology? It being more efficient is a good thing. It's like saying glass windows are bad because you can look outside without having to open them.
Raztuf
>A skeuomorph is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original.
Thanks for the new word !
andsoitis
Skeuomorphism: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/skeuomorphism/
FrustratedMonky
A skeuomorph (also spelled skiamorph, /ˈskjuːəˌmɔːrf, ˈskjuːoʊ-/) is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original. Skeuomorphs are typically used to make something new feel familiar in an effort to speed understanding and acclimation.
paxys
We had something else before paper, and we'll have something else after the computer. Being sad over technological progress is a fool's errand. It'll happen whether you want it to or not. And you always have a personal choice to use whatever tools you want.
wwilim
Don't think about the elephant
ggbjr
So much hate. These are great for those of us interested in introducing a little more analog into the lives of our teenage kids. I’m re-upping now.
hugs
Speaking of teenage kids, these could also be useful in places where computers/phones are not allowed (like backpacking/camping trips or in school). Most likely, they'd rather play card games, but this might provide a nice alternative and is easier to pause and get back to a task than card games.
hexmiles
I love paper tools and games.
Another one that i use is: https://davidseah.com/productivity-tools/
SirFatty
I posted the same link then had to delete because I didn't see your comment. Been a fan of David Seah for about 10 years.
hassleblad23
This looks incredible.
flpm
We (me and my 8 year old) loved the Dungeon one and really enjoyed, as a carry-with-you-for-when-you-are-bored item.
Also cool is their d6 pencil, so you can roll a dice without having a dice, very smart idea.
I am really inspired by ideas like this: you can generate engagement with simple things like a piece of paper and a pencil. And despite some of the comments, I love that they call it an "App" because it makes you think what is an app after all: the code? the fact it runs on a phone? or that fact that it is readily available to engage when you are bored?
ajot
I used to do something similar in high school, with Bic pens and pencils that have a hexagonal section.
nonethewiser
The d6 pencil is a very elegant design
johnwayne666
Interesting idea. There are also solo board games that can be carried in your pocket. Some of them listed here: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/273744/small-box-solo-gam...
Recommendations are welcome :)
WillAdams
Interestingly, that was one of the original considerations for _Magic: The Gathering_ --- but somehow, my main (Commander) deck has become an unpocketable behemoth which is tedious to shuffle and which requires a box containing:
- play mat
- dice
- counters
- tokens
(and constant supervision since I had to add a rider to my insurance policy 'cause while my Elvish Archers are no longer in it, some rather valuable cards from when I first started playing are still in it)
2mlWQbCK
There is also a geeklist for just dungeon-crawling games played with pen and paper:
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/274219/pencil-swords-and-...
And some "Roll and Write" games in general:
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/213815/roll-and-write-gam...
iimblack
Onirim is good but the phone app is better since there’s so much shuffling. Cursed?! is one of my favorites. Galdors Grip is really cool in that you can play it in hand, you don’t need a table, so you can play it anywhere.
Skinney
Pretty much love all the Simply Solo games from Button Shy Games.
bencyoung
Personally I think this is a really cool idea: https://experiments.withgoogle.com/paper-phone. Both mildly mocking and thought provoking at the same time!
jldugger
This looks a lot like the hipster PDA from two decades ago: https://lifehacker.com/printable-hipster-pda-104799
threeio
I realize its insane, but I used that Hipster PDA workflow for about 3 years before moving back to a digital workflow..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_PDA for more details
taude
I suddenly feel old. I would have thought the hipster PDA was like a decade ago, but wow, 2005 and LifeHacker. Memories. And the start of Ruby on Rails....
robbomacrae
I wish there was a bulk buy discount then these would make for awesome party bag fillers at my kids birthday parties. Much better than giving out candy...
latexr
I really like the idea. I have some notes/suggestions.
I only saw the GALAXY video and my immediate thought was that I wouldn’t want to scribble over the levels. I understand that’s kind of the point but I’m confident I’d enjoy replaying the same level to “speed run” it or giving the books away to someone else later. What I think could work is a detachable acetate sheet to place over pages. This way you can play it over and over.
I would ask that you make it obvious somewhere the places you ship from. Reason being I’m in the EU and having anything shipped from the US always bites me, to the point I just refuse to do it now because it’s never worth the cost and stress. Things often get stuck in customs, and if I can get them unstuck at all I need to pay insane taxes. Being able to verify the shipping origin would help.
One game that could be fun is something inspired by ChuChu Rocket. I remember as a kid liking to solve the puzzles, and once I imagined drawing the harder ones on graph paper so I could solve them on the go.
jldugger
Well, acetate sheets are pretty easy to find and cut. Consider it an optional DIY project? =)
tunesmith
The best "Paper Apps" concept I've ever experienced was the "Ace of Aces" series of books, published by Nova. Two books, one for you and one for a friend, in a airplane dogfight, where through a complicated page-flipping mechanism, you each see your own first person view of the other person's plane.
jamesgeck0
This is part of an entire genre; solo roll-and-write board games. Here's some other popular titles you can print off yourself:
PNP Arcade's Dungeon Pages [1], Dangerous Space [2], and Power Creep [3] (each of which also have year-long sets). They're sort of one-page tactical dungeon crawlers. Each successive set iterates on the theme, with Dangerous Space being more tactical and Power Creep introducing a crafting system.
Anything from Postmark games [4]. Most of these can also be played with a group, competing for a high score. In particular, Voyages simulates sailing the high seas looking for treasure, Aquarmarine is about diving as deep as possible to see sea life, and Waypoints is about choosing optimal routes on a hike in national park.
Bargain Basement Bathysphere, which has a long campaign. [5]
This Shut Up and Sit Down video has a good overview of some others, too. [6]
1. https://www.pnparcade.com/products/dungeon-pages-core-set
2. https://www.pnparcade.com/products/dangerous-space-core-set
3. https://www.pnparcade.com/products/power-creep-core-set
4. https://www.postmarkgames.com/
5. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mWjzWDWmzcPDCPeCkZ1LAD7ZLRl...
I had the Dungeon Notebook. It was fun. I played it until I got bored, which was quick, then gave it away.
The ability to "give away" these little games are part of the fun. I'd like to see a game like this where "giving it away" is part of the game. Something you can pass around a school or a con. Like an analog version of Chain World, which was a mini-Minecraft-on-a-USB-stick that you were supposed to pass on. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_World )