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Paper Apps

gladdendesign.com

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 )

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.

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.

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.

https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Bones#Description

Nothing like finding your own bones and being attacked by your ghost.

Sounds like the nethack equivalent of seeing bad code, running

  git blame

and finding out it was me.

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.

You're going to be blown away when you hear about DRM free eBooks and LibGen...

I believe he was being sarcastic and talking about old fashioned, actual paper books.

Nothing gets past you!

Reminds me when in school I had to do a presentation about ways to defend against malware. I showed a few software examples (among other things) and ended with "the most powerful anti-malware ever, compatible with every other anti-malware, adds a strong security layer to them, protects your passwords, prevents you from opening spam, from clicking unknown links, from replying to phishing, almost impossible to uninstall by a hacker, and lots of other powerful features: Common Sense™".

One of the other students came to me after class and said "hey, that last software seems really promising, but I never heard about it. What was it again?"

You should have asked them how they managed to uninstall it.

As the sort of absent-minded human who (no matter how much I learn) will always have a deep-seated irrational fear of being "that student", I must say: sick burn

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIW2tBpnDI

You can give away Kindles too.

Yes. But that would be more like giving someone a bookshelf.

A bookshelf where all the books disappear unless you also give the person all your household purchase history.

Scrawl it! *thump. clap. thump thump clap thump*

Erase it! *thump. clap. thump thump clap thump*

Pass it! *dun dun dun dun dun dun*

I've seen this in the wild: for sale at Gamescape in San Francisco.

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/

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.

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 :))))

>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 !

Skeuomorphism: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/skeuomorphism/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Don't think about the elephant

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love paper tools and games.

Another one that i use is: https://davidseah.com/productivity-tools/

This looks incredible.

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.

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?

The d6 pencil is a very elegant design

I used to do something similar in high school, with Bic pens and pencils that have a hexagonal section.

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 :)

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)

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.

Pretty much love all the Simply Solo games from Button Shy Games.

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...

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!

This looks a lot like the hipster PDA from two decades ago: https://lifehacker.com/printable-hipster-pda-104799

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

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....

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...

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.

Well, acetate sheets are pretty easy to find and cut. Consider it an optional DIY project? =)

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.

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...

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNghPlwbYe8

If you found this interesting, you should also checkout the Sidekick Notepad from CGP Grey / Cortex [1]. CGP Grey has talked about this before in earlier videos [2] but recently updated a video discussing new designs [3]. The idea of 'Paper Apps' and the 'Sidekick' seem to be in a similar vein.

[1] https://cottonbureau.com/p/XT9MRF/journal/sidekick-notepad

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSwpe8r50_o

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk4lBV5wgGM

Hi Tom!

I went to school with Tom. He's one of the first legit nerds I ever hung out with. Glad to see his business featured on HN!

Perfect site design, concept and pricing, much luck, forget the haters.

I love writing and continue to explore various writing tools (pen/paper), and digital. Right now, I use a mix of digital and physical tools — fountain pens, paper notebooks, and devices (iPad/iPhone/Mac).

- Commonplace Notes: I almost always start in a physical notebook. I then transferred (typed) this to my digital version for more permanent reference.

- Journal: I write a lot. I moved to all digital about 10 years ago but moved back to physical about 5 years ago. I really love the tactile feel of the paper kicking back to my fountain pen, and I believe I will maintain my journal in a physical notebook.

- Temporary Notes/Quicknotes: I used both a pocket notebook and the usual digital notes on the device available with me at that time. These notes are considered ephemeral and the useful info is moved to the Commonplace Notes or the Journal. I write almost all physical meeting notes in a physical notebook with a pen. They usually end up being the reference that gets circulated to the participants.

These are neat, I’ve been seeing them around the web for a week or so now. That said, I’ve actually come around in the other direction. I was big on paper for lots of things, but have recently begun using my phone more for things like notes and todos.

The main reasons are searchability and archivability. My todos are always there, I can modify them, and they reach out to yell at me at the appropriate times. My notes done get lost in my desk anymore and take up no space.

I still like paper for fast writing and then I just port that over to my digital notes later.

I’m sure these are great for limiting distractability, but I’ve found that switching to an iPhone and not having my notifications in the top bar of my phone, along with having some type of focus enabled most of the day helps me not get distracted while taking care of something separate.

I would love if the pencil had a spinning sort of top instead so you can quickly and discretely make rolls instead of having to throw it around and make a bunch of noise and commotion.

$4.99 impulse buy. I bought a pdf to put on my remarkable 2 for my next plane trip. I hope that doing it this way doesn't violate the spirit of using paper :)

I think the reMarkable is very much in the spirit of using paper, despite it being electronic. It's quite a fun little gaming device: https://hyperpaper.me/blog/fun-and-games-on-eink

If the creator shows up (or if anyone else knows), can you shed some light on how exactly the Print and Play editions work? The product pages do not have enough information, unfortunately. After you pay, do you just get a static PDF with X number of pages? Or do the PDFs contain Javascript to generate new levels? Or does the website generate your PDFs for you, with a random seed if you ask it to? If so, how many times can you do it?

the pdf are all seed 0 for each game so a static pdf same thing you would get if buying a printed book but set to seed 0

Ha, this is awesome! Reminds me of "Real Apps" from New Girl [0]

  [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_(New_Girl)

I brought the print-and-play GALAXY PDF for my son - he loved it and spent the next ten hours playing it, barely stopping to eat. Seemed like a good mix of mechanics and modern videogame progression rewards.

The shipping to Australia is a little pricy, but I aim to buy a set of the physical versions (they're each randomized) to use as flashbangs for future boredom.

Reminds me of 6x6 tales[1]. Also anything sold on the PNPArcade.[2]

[1]: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/307996/6x6-tales [2]: https://www.pnparcade.com/

Not paper but maybe some readers of this thread could find interest in Simon Tatham's Puzzles:

https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/

and we have officially come full circle

I made the digital version of the golf game https://paper-golf.netlify.app/

The dungeon one "procedurally generated" reminded me of https://xkcd.com/221/

They didn't say what procedure was used to generate the dungeons :P

The key part is you need a "pencil dice" to play these.

Or regular dice, presumably. Or a regular pencil with 1..6 written in its sides with a sharpie. You can also make a spinner with just a few lines and a paper clip.

If you watch the "Galaxy" demo video you see that there are some "pre-rolled" numbers built in.

Not unlike "AI". I know a few companies that just sort of rebranded their old process or service as "AI" ... it hasn't changed in 10+ years.

I wonder what the trademark situation is on apps named paper…I’ve had at least 1 Dropbox owned paper app and a drawing/painting app of the same name

The games are conceptually neat but I find the randomness added by die rolls a detraction these days. Just give me puzzles I can perfectly solve!

I found that Into The Breach really scratches that “give me a puzzle I can perfectly solve” itch.

Definitely worth checking out if you’re into puzzle games. If you have a Netflix subscription you can play for free on iOS and iPadOS (unsure about other platforms).

Yea, I uh, already have that one =)

> Paper Apps™ are a fun, smart alternative to screen time.

But I need to reduce chair time, not screen time.

I have several of these. They are great on the go.

Very clever idea, looks like fun!

The idea is interesting.

“Paper Apps” seems like an overly snobby and infantilizing term for something we already had a term for: Puzzle Books / Notebooks.

It does on the surface just seem like it's selling those sudoku and crossword puzzles you see at the grocery store checkout to people who aren't grandparents. But also, that's like comparing the modern board game scene to Monopoly and Candyland.

"Apps" is just our current Zeitgeist term for products. Facebook, Reddit, newspaper... are now "apps". You don't have to like it (I don't either), but just like the term "meme" has evolved from an "animal/person with bold text on it" to mean any joke or popular concept, "app" has transcended the phone realm.

“Meme” predates the internet, with both animal/comic captions as a means of culture and popular jokes/concepts being examples.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

> the term "meme" has evolved from an "animal/person with bold text on it" to mean any joke or popular concept

It's actually the other way around, "meme" existed in the general sense for many years before internet-image-macro-memes became a thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme#Dawkins

sure, let's take advice about words from the person who doesn't know the definition of the ones they are using.

It's a satire about the world of app-everything we live in today. The notepad of the past is a non-software Notes app today

When I hear Paper Apps, I'm expecting something with a decent bit of complexity. Likely some number crunching, maybe needing an external source of RNG, using multiple pages. It says to me that this is something significantly more than what I would find in a puzzle book. If I open it up and it is a standard puzzle book, I would be disappointed.

If it makes it stand out from all the other puzzle books, then it's great marketing, isn't it?

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