(Hiki komor i )

A solo role-playing game (And created in 24 hours) By Ewen Cluney

Translated by Guishe

“ Cause I'm busy with me, myself and me

I can't be understood by someone I don't know well.
So I lock myself away from everyone just to play Nintendo. I have many games but I'm afraid
you can't join me.”
– Millencollin, “Bullion.”
Introduction (By the author Ewen Cluney)

The term hikikomori refers to a phenomenon that is becoming a problem in Japan, where adolescents and young adults
(mostly but not entirely male) begin to seek social isolation, hiding from normal human contact as much as possible in
favor of staying in their homes. bedrooms. Some of them have hobbies that keep them busy, while others just stare at the
ceiling. I could go into detail but (1) this is a 24 hour RPG and it's already 2:20 PM PST on a Monday, June 12, 2008,
I'm already on time and (2) I'll probably blow it, especially since my knowledge of what a hikikomori is comes from the
novel NHK ni Youkoso ( Welcome to the NHK) by Tatsuhiro Takimoto (who I recommend reading for reference... If you
are able to read Japanese). For more information that is much better than anything I can write, Google it or look at this
page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

Jhonen Vásquez's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac may have played with this a bit too, especially with the imaginary
friends.

Anyway, this is a “Solo RPG”, which is actually kind of an oxymoron. But I figured if it was going to be a game for
closeted antisocials, it might as well be a game you can play by yourself. In this game you will roll dice (several ten-
sided dice) and follow instructions to generate events, make decisions about them and roll more dice, and at the end
write a fictional journal based on the results. By necessity it's not as open-ended as a regular RPG, but it's more of a
writing exercise. You can write it on paper, type it, or put it on a blog. Needless to say, I'm curious what the results will
be like, but you can do whatever you want with them.

By default, the game ends after your character goes through seven strangely eventful days. One of the ways it's a typical
RPG is that there's no particular way to "win." If you have the character leave his hut and re-enter society, stay the same
or kill himself, or whatever, you can push him towards that fate, but a lot will depend on how the dice fall. The real
game is transforming all that nonsense into coherent writing.
Translator's Commentary (Guishe)
The experiment that was Hikikomori: A Solo RPG Thing is undoubtedly curious. Although it all depends on the player,
on more than one occasion it feels like a psychological test that examines your sanity in a situation as stressful as being
alone doing nothing. There are several stories posted around the internet of the results of various games played, and it is
a fairly general consensus that Hikikomori is depressing (even when you do everything possible to keep your character
afloat), and yet very engaging.

I could say that the most interesting thing is that the author has managed to capture the mild and/or severe dementia of a
shut-in , a shut-in, a nerd who lives by himself, for himself, in his own world. I say “dementia” because it is actually a
behavior outside the common mind. An enormous autophobia develops, the hiki disappears from the world because he
fears the world, and at the same time, he becomes the reflection of loneliness, a slave to his own fear of looking in the
mirror and realizing that he has spent fifty days in front of watching television, watching pornography on the Internet, or
tensely looking out the window, watching “normal” people pass in front of him.

Certain details must be recognized, however: the author exaggerated several traits (perhaps a lot, perhaps a little) of what
a person can develop under isolation. Illusions and “imaginary friends” are very advanced stages of schizoid and/or
schizophrenic phenomena, which although they can develop in minds disturbed by lack of communication, this is not
usually the case, even in Japan, which Westerners see as “ the land of the strange.”

Some personal recommendations I make about this game are the following:

1. Keep calm. Depending on how you take your character, it may end up affecting you. Take a breath. It may
seem ridiculous that a fictional character can affect your life, but as I said, this game sometimes seems like a
psychological test. In certain instances you will not feel that it is an external character that you are controlling,
but rather yourself, trapped in a lonely, messy and upset room.

2. Be imaginative, not only with what you develop in your character's story, but in the medium in which you will
mark his story. It can be something simple from the journal written as the author recommended to a fictitious
video log.

3. I think it is better to use a Japanese or South Korean character, at least in the first game. Hikis are an almost
purely oriental phenomenon, since the cultural background of the West makes the development of this
phenomenon very difficult. The West tries to help people in this condition. Not in the East, as it could be a
“family shame”, a stigma that persecutes the person, or that ultimately is a problem that they must solve on
their own.

4. Have fun.

With this explained, I will proceed with the rest of the manual. I hope you enjoy this interesting project.

Creation of a Hikikomori
The first step is to think about your hikikomori character as a starting point. Although the hikikomori phenomenon is
most common in Japan (there are approximately 50,000 cases there), similar issues are happening in South Korea,
Taiwan and Hong Kong, and it is not impossible for it to happen in any post-industrial country. So your character doesn't
have to be Japanese precisely if you don't want him to be. Otherwise, it doesn't have to be a “he,” although the average
hikikomori is male. Come on, he could even be an androgynous alien monster with psychic powers if that's what you
want. Whoever or what it is, imagine several or at least a few biographical details, however you want: you are the one
who is going to write about this person.
You start with a status called Hope , which starts with 3 10-sided dice (3d10). Write it down somewhere wherever you
plan to write it down, but like anything else from here on out, it should be somewhere you can delete/change it later.

1-2 Obsessive Hobby

3 Rescuer
4 Imaginary friend
5 Perversion
Next, you will need some Traits. These are various “things” that will affect your 6 Suicidal thoughts
character's life, and are the substance of the game. Some are good, some are bad,
7 Vice
and some are a little of both, it depends. Look at the table next to you; Pick one
you like, and then roll a ten-sided die twice to get two more. If it repeats, pull 8 Delusion
again. Go to each Trait page to see how to start it at the beginning of the game. 9 Health problems
Most Traits start with three dice. 10 Real Friend

You gain additional Traits and the ones you already have change throughout the game, although you don't have much
control over this. Although you cannot have more than one of these traits at the beginning of the game, they can be
developed throughout the game, although they will be different instances. For example, if you already have Obsessive
Hobby and you gain Obsessive Hobby again, there will be two different hobbies that control the character.

Game mode
In this game you go through seven days in the life of your hikikomori. Each day you have three actions to do, and three
of your Traits will try to influence you in some way. (NdT: It's not that you have to play it for seven days, literally, but
that each “day” of your hiki is those three rolls and the three actions of your traits. You may as well finish the seven days
on the same actual day you start it).

Throwing Dice
Throughout the game you will be rolling a lot of ten-sided dice (or d10s, as they will be referred to from now on) to see
what happens. Sometimes the game will ask you to roll a die and look at the result. Others will ask you to roll the dice in
your Hope or Trait pool. And others will ask you to roll dice with various traits and compare the results between the two;
This is called an “opposite roll,” and the margin by which one exceeds the other is generally important.

His actions
Go for your Traits, roll their dice, and arrange them from highest to lowest. The three with the highest results will be the
ones who will perform that day. For each of them, see the Trait Actions section in their entry in the Traits section. If
you have more than ten Traits, remove the minor ones that are exceeding ten.

Your actions
Every day, you have the opportunity to do three things. You can choose between Generic Actions or Trait-Specific
Actions that are listed in the Traits section under the “Player Actions” entry in each Trait description.
In both cases, some of these actions can be used to counter actions used against you by your Traits.
Additionally, each action can be used only once per day. The only exception is if you have two or more of the same
Traits. For example, if you have two Imaginary Friends, you can use the Appease action twice a day, once on each of
them.

Narration
Once you have all your actions and results figured out for this fictitious day, it is time to write your diary. The system is
made to give you a line and a couple of clues: it is at your discretion how you will develop it and give narrative weight
to what comes out according to the tables and numbers and rolls.
I haven't actually tried this yet (being a 24 hour RPG), so it's hard to say much more than "tops", but one thing I will
point out is when you delete a Trait and then gain another Trait of the same characteristics, you can treat it as something
that's gone and come back. Let's say that Izumi, the girl who was bothering you to leave the house (A Rescuer), finally
got scared of your lolicon fetish and left. If by the Do Nothing action you end up gaining the Rescuer Trait again, in the
story you can treat it as if Izumi had decided to return (and if the Rescuer archetype is different, it may mean that her
attitude changed, and perhaps something happened in the meantime).
Additionally, although you have to determine the actions of your Traits first and then your actions, you can give them
any order you want in the narrative.
(NdT: Except for one issue that will be explained later, everything works fine, in fact, the rules can be inferred or
interpreted freely. Part of a role-playing game is that the rules don't interfere with your fun)

The end
At the end of your simulated seven days, look at your character's Hope dice pool. If you reached zero dice, he/she lost all
hope and will never recover from his/her condition. If you want him to commit suicide you can go that route, but any
Rescuer or Real Friend has the chance to intervene as usual (NdT: The rules for this are explained later). Either way
he/she will end up wasting away until he/she has no relatives to hang on to. If you have ten or more dice, you are
automatically “cured” of your hikikomori condition, and move on with your life.

If you have 1 to 9 dice, roll all the Hope dice, add the digits and refer to the following table.

1-9 Nothing changes, and you feel hopeless to change it.

10-19 Nothing changes.
20-29 Nothing changes, but maybe it will happen one day.
30-39
You manage to take a few small steps out of the door, and maybe one day you will go further.
40-49
You are still very unsociable, but you have found a way of life that suits you.
50-65 Having people around still bothers you, but you can manage a relatively normal life as long as
you have some quiet time once in a while.
66-79
You feel completely lost, but now you know that the answers are outside your bedroom.
80-89 You can finally move forward. You're not sure what you want to do with your life, but you won't
give up.
90 You can finally move forward. You have already thought about what you will do with your life,
what will make you happy, better than many others, you will go and do it.

Once you have all this arranged, write an epilogue. When you finish that, take a moment to come back to reality as
carefully as you can. Even if you have been thinking things you wouldn't ordinarily do, you are the same person as
before you started. Now think about what you can do to improve your life. It's in the rules of the game so you have to do
it.
Generic Shares
Do nothing
You decide not to do anything at all. You lie on the floor to look at the ceiling. Or the wall. Or any other conveniently
inanimate object. It's boring. Roll 1d10.

You gain a nasty new Trait. Roll 1d10:

1-4: Illusion
5-8: Imaginary Friend
9-10: Suicidal Thoughts
2-9 Sep. Nothing happens.
10 Someone is knocking the door. Roll 1d10:
1-5: You hide until they leave.
6-8: You open the door and they have a very awkward conversation.
9: You gain a Rescuer.
10: You gain a Real Friend.

To go outside
Somehow you try to make an attempt to go outside, albeit at a time where there aren't many people around. This action
refers specifically to leaving for the sake of leaving: you don't have to use it for other actions that send you outside. You
must make a Hope roll and get a result above 25 to be able to set foot outside. Once you're there, roll 1d10 and add the
number from your Hope dice pool (for example, if you have 4 Hope dice, it's 1d10+4, don't roll 5d10) and review the
table below:

1-2 You run into someone you knew before you were a hikikomori and you run away in terror. You
lose a Hope die.
3-8 At most you can walk through an open store without making eye contact with anyone before
returning home.
9 You meet someone you knew before you were a hikikomori. You manage to have a real
conversation.
Roll a dice:
1-4: They talk for a while and go different ways.
5-7: Turns out they have a couple of interests in common. You gain a Real Friend.
8-9: This person decides to be a pain. You gain a Rescuer.
10: This person makes you feel better about yourself, even if it's through how pathetic they are
themselves. You gain a Hope die.
10-11 You buy a couple of things and surprise yourself by enjoying shopping around. If you have a
Perversion, Delusion, Imaginary Friend, Suicidal Thoughts, or Vice, you can choose to reduce one
die on one of these Traits.
12-15 You spend a good time outside the house, and surprisingly, the fresh air does you good. If you
have a Health Problem, reduce it by two dice.
16+ You experience something transcendent through the stars in the sky. Or whatever. You gain a hope
die.
Suicide attempt
You decide to try to commit suicide. If you have any Rescuers and/or Real Friends, roll their Trait dice. If anyone has a
result of 14 or higher, they discover your suicide attempt and will automatically prevent it.
Make a Hope roll. If any of your Rescuers or Royal Friends intervene, add their result to your Hope dice.

• If the result is 4 or less, you commit suicide and the game ends.
• If the result is 5-10, you take damage but do not die.
• If the result is 11-16, you prepare the suicide instruments but end up not doing it.
• If the result is 17 or higher, you can't even prepare anything, and you may not be quite sure what's
stopping you.

Waste time
You satisfy yourself in meaningless activities of some kind. You play video games, read manga, watch TV, masturbate,
or something equally unproductive.

Make a Hope roll:

1-4
You are severely depressed by the meaninglessness of everything. You lose a Hope die.
5-8 You have too much fun in whatever you're doing. You gain a new Perversion, Obsessive Hobby or
add a die to an existing one (your decision).
9+ You kill time, maybe you think a little about your life. That's all.
Traits
This section is in a way the substance of the game: It gives you information on the various Traits and what they can do to
you and what you can do with them.

Delusion
Your mind begins to get tangled, and you have begun to believe things that are not real, dangerous things.

Initiative
If the nature of your illusion is determined by some other rule, you will have to go for it. Otherwise, you can choose any
of these three, which in turn will determine the initial dice pool:

• Paranoid (3d10): You are convinced that something or someone wants to attack you.
• Messiah (4d10): You are convinced that you are destined for something great.
• Illogical (2d10): You are convinced of something strange or meaningless, which makes you adopt certain
strange customs.

Player Actions

Attempt to cope
You have a sneaking suspicion that something is wrong with you, and you try to do something about it.
Make an opposite roll between your Hope and your Illusion.

Esperanza wins by
12+ You get over it and feel better for it. Remove your Illusion trait and you gain a Hope die.
Esperanza wins by You come to your senses, but you're still depressed. Remove your Illusion trait.
8+
Esperanza wins by Your sanity is rattled a bit. Reduce one die from your Illusion.
4+
Tie Nothing changes.

You're still crazy as a goat and that's it.

Illusion wins by 4+
Illusion wins by 8+
You're there, and the way events are unfolding makes your little mind a very depressing
place to be. You lose a Hope die.
Illusion wins by
12+ This backfires: you end up going deeper into Pueblo Loco. Your Illusion wins a die.
Trait Actions
When your Illusion tries to act on you, it tries to send you to do crazy things. Make an opposite roll between your Hope
and your Illusion.

Esperanza wins by Sanity defends itself. Eliminate this Illusion completely.

10+
Esperanza wins 5- Your sanity is rattled a bit. Reduce your Illusion by one die.
9
Esperanza wins 0- You decide to hold back from doing something stupid.
4
You decide to go out and do something crazy. People make fun, and you go home.
Illusion wins 1-4
You decide to go out and do something crazy. People make fun of you and make you
Illusion wins 5-9 depressed. You lose a Hope die.
Illusion wins 10-
14 You go out and fool around, someone notices and cares about you. If you have a Rescuer,
gain a die. If you didn't have one, now you do (see Rescuer rules to see its nature)
Illusion wins by
15+ You go out and do something completely crazy that ends up on the news and
everything... And you get your way. It feels great. Your Illusion wins a die.

Health problem
Staying in your room 24/7 is not exactly the healthiest thing for your health, in many ways, and it is starting to show in
some way. Maybe you have a real illness, it's psychosomatic, maybe it's malnutrition, or some hereditary medical
condition that has arisen and been made worse by your lifestyle. Whatever the case, it is there and it is a problem.

Initiative
Decide the nature of your health problem, and then decide what your character thinks it is (assuming he even notices it).
Start with three dice.

Player Actions

To look for help

If you're smart, you'll go to the doctor. Except that means leaving your shelter and going to a hospital, where there are
always a lot of people. Sick people, moreover. Make a Hope roll: If the result is below 8, you decide to stay home. If it is
between 8 and 14, you go to a pharmacy and buy medicine, reducing this Trait by one die. If the result is 15 or higher,
you are able to go see a doctor, and the problem is fixed (The problem disappears completely).

Suffer
You decide to stay with the pain that your condition causes and sit around and suffer. Make an opposite roll between
your Hope and your Health Problem. If your Health Problem wins, add a die to it. If your Hope wins, subtract one die
from your Health Problem.

Trait Actions
A Health Problem will try to do one of two things, depending on how many dice it has.
If you have 4 or fewer dice, you will attempt to Cause Pain . Roll the dice for this Trait: If the result is 14 or greater, the
Health Problem gains one die. If the result is 20 or greater, along with the above you lose a Hope die.
If you have 5 or more dice, you will attempt to Cause an Emergency . This means that your condition is so serious that
you end up being taken to the hospital. Emergence times all your actions, including yours and your other Traits. The next
day your Health Problem will disappear forever, but you lose a Hope die.
Imaginary friend
There is someone who wants to talk to you, and it's not very real. It may be purely your imagination, or your utensils or
furniture may begin to speak to you.

Initiative
Write “Imaginary Friend 3d10” in your Traits list and add a brief description of your Imaginary Friend's appearance. Roll
1d10, and re-roll any rolls exceeding 6, to determine your Imaginary Friend's initial Behavior .
The following table is the Behavior scale, a value that determines the attitude that the Imaginary Friend will have towards
you. Some actions will affect Behavior, pushing it up or down, which in turn influences how your Imaginary Friend will
try to influence you. The higher the number, the friendlier it will be. If it ends up being too low... You could be in
trouble.

1 Killer 6 Indifferent
2 Furious 7 Grateful
3 Angry 8 Productive
4 Paranoid 9 Happy
5 Depressant 10 ecstatic
Player Actions

Try to Fade
Make a Hope roll, then a trait roll for your Imaginary Friend. If the Hope roll is higher by at least 4 points, eliminate the
imaginary friend completely and gain a Hope die. If the Imaginary Friend's roll is higher by 5 points or more, you lose a
Hope die and reduce your Imaginary Friend's Behavior by 1, if the Imaginary Friend's roll is higher by 10 or more points,
reduce his Behavior by 2.

Conversation

You decide to talk to your Imaginary Friend. It is not a good sign. Skip to the “Trait Actions” section to see what
happens.

Placate
You try to be kind to your Imaginary Friend through dialogue (“You know, Lord
Toaster, you make the best toast I have ever tasted!”). Roll 1d10:

1 He is not convinced. He even feels very offended! Your Imaginary Friend's Behavior is reduced by
two and they gain one die.
2-5 Your Imaginary Friend ignores your pleas and continues with his imaginary routine.
6-9
Make an opposite roll between Hope and Imaginary Friend. If Hope wins, your Imaginary Friend's
Behavior goes up by one. If Imaginary Friend wins, Behavior drops by one.
10 Your Imaginary Friend listens carefully. Your Behavior goes up to link 7 or goes up by 2 points,
whichever is higher.

Trait Actions
An Imaginary Friend can only influence you through speech. What you aim for will depend on your Behavior.

1 It makes you try to commit suicide. Make an opposite roll between Hope and Imaginary Friend. If the
second one wins, make the suicide attempt according to the rules above. If he tries to get you killed
but fails, you only lose one Hope die.
2-3

(NdT: This entry in the original document only said “ Starts making threats, really thick stuff that ”
and it is cut, so I will take the liberty of writing something that makes sense)
He begins to threaten you in some very graphic way that begins to affect your mind in such a way that
it will make you feel physically ill. Make an opposite roll between Hope and Imaginary Friend. If
Imaginary Friend wins, he adds a Health Problem, which will be psychosomatic but will deal damage
as if it were real. Also, add one die to Imaginary Friend.
4 He starts whispering to you that something is chasing you or that your tap water is contaminated with
evil chemicals or something. Make an opposite roll between Hope and Imaginary Friend. If Imaginary
Friend wins, you gain a die and add an Illusion
 (Paranoid).
5 Your Imaginary Friend seems to be trying to bring you down.
6 He's still talking to you, and not necessarily when you want him to, but without saying anything that
affects you. Roll 1d10: If the roll is 1-5, lower his Behavior by one. If it is 6-10, raise its Behavior by
one.
7-8
Surprisingly, your Imaginary Friend begins to encourage you. Make a roll for this Trait: if the result is
16 or more, you gain a Hope die and your Imaginary Friend's Behavior goes up by 1.
9
Your Imaginary Friend loves you for a reason, and does everything possible to put you on the right
path. Make a roll for this Trait: If the result is 10 or more, you gain a Hope die.
10 Your Imaginary Friend may love you too much. Make a roll for this Trait: If it is 16 or greater you
gain a new Illusion (Messiah).

Obsessive Hobby
You have a weird hobby that you are hopelessly obsessed with, it probably takes up some of your time and maybe a good
chunk of your parents' money.

Initiative
Decide what your hobby is. If you can't think of any, roll a die and refer to this table. Write down your hobby, which
starts with 3d10.

1 Anime
2 Sleeve
3 Hentai Games
4 Plastic Figurines
5 Models and Maquettes
6 Trains
7 Military Simulation
8 Draw
9 Video game
10 Music

Player Actions

Resist

You try to get away from your hobby, and get rid of the things that tempt you to take up it. Make an opposite roll
between your Hope and your Obsessive Hobby.
 win You get through it and feel better for it. Eliminate Obsessive your trait of Hobbies
Hope for 12+ and you gain a Hope die.

win your trait of Hobbies

Hope for 8+ You cope with it, but you miss it a little. Eliminate Obsessive.

win You decide not to give him so much time of your life. given your trait
Hope for 4+ Reduces an Obsessive Hobby.
Tie You complain about this and that about it. Nothing changes.
Hobbies win by You decide to continue with your hobby after all.
4+
Hobbies win by
8+ You decide to continue with it, and you feel hopeless to stop it. You lose a Hope die.
Hobbies win by You decide to continue with it, and you become even more with this hobby. You
12+ obsessed. Obsessive Hobby wins a die.

Share

You decide to try to share your Obsessive Hobby with someone you know; This person has to be represented by the
Rescuer or Real Friend trait. Make an opposite roll between the two.

Person wins by They think your hobby is stupid and they say it to your face. It depresses you. Reduce
12+ two dice from your Obsessive Hobby.
He thinks your hobby is stupid and says it to your face. It discourages you a little. Reduce
Person wins by 8+ your Obsessive Hobby by one die.
Person wins by Think that your hobby is uninteresting.
4+
Tie They think your hobby is fine, but they don't care that much.
They think your hobby is something cool, but they don't care personally.
Hobby wins by 4+
They think your hobby is awesome, but not something they can do. You gain a die in
Hobby wins by 8+ your Obsessive Hobby.
Hobby wins by
12+ It is completely enchanted by your hobby. If the person was a Rescuer, they become a
Real Friend. Either way, you gain an extra die for your Obsessive Hobby.

Use for Good

Satisfying yourself in your hobby or trying to get others interested is easier than trying to help others with it, but it's
worth a try. Throw in your Hope and Obsessive Hobby, and add the results of both. Then review the following table.

You can only use this action once in each Hobby you have.
1-10 You end up very discouraged: Reduce your Hope by one die.
11-20 It does not work. Discourages you: Reduces your Hope and your Obsessive Hobby by one die
each.
21-30 It works in a certain way, but nothing that will change your life.
31-40 You make some orphans happy or something, and it makes you feel really good. Increase your
Obsessive Hobby by one die.
41+ You truly touch lives, in a way that makes you evaluate your life. Increase your Obsessive Hobby
and Hope by one die each.

Trait Actions
The biggest problem with an obsessive hobby is that it takes up a lot of your time. As long as
try to act on you, take a shot of your Trait:

1-9 Nothing happens.

9-18 You spend some time on it: You lose one of your regular actions on this day.
18+ You spend a lot of time on it: You lose two of your regular actions for the day, and the Trait gains
one die.

Perversion
You have an obsession with something at least a little unpleasant. We'll leave it up to your imagination what exactly that
is, but assuming your character is Japanese, lolicon is a common candidate. You scum.

Initiative
Decide your character's object of perversion. No, it can't just be "perverted." It is the idea that makes you uncomfortable
as a player and produces self-hatred to the character. It must also be something that can satisfy itself. Start at 3d10, or if
you find something that's particularly disgusting you can start it at 4d10 if you feel like it.

Player Actions

Satisfy
You throw your hands in the air and decide to satisfy your perversion. Make a roll for this Trait and compare the result
with the following table:

1-4 You think perverted things for a while, and you get it out of your system.
5-8 You look at pictures on the internet about this for a while.
9-12 You look at pictures on the internet about this for a while and feel guilty.
13-16 You download several gigabytes of material related to your perversion, and you feel like scum for
it. Make a Hope roll: If it is less than your Perversion result, you lose a Hope die and your
Perversion gains a die.
16-20 You end up leaving home with the intention of doing something to satisfy your perversion. You
fail and end up somewhat depressed.
21-14 You end up leaving home with the intention of doing something to satisfy your perversion. You
chicken out at the last minute and get embarrassed. You lose a die
Hope.
25+
You end up leaving home with the intention of doing something to satisfy your perversion. You
get it, possibly a lot more than you'd like to know. Add one die to your Perversion.

Suppress
Knowing that what you want is perverted and bad, you try to tear it down. Make an opposite roll between your Hope and
your Perversion. If your hope wins by 5 or more, reduce your Perversion by one die. If you win by 10 or more, remove
the Perversion entirely. If you lose by 6 or more, use the result according to the Satisfy rules in the table above.

Trait Actions
When your perversion rises and acts on its own, you feel the urge to do something related to it out of the blue, possibly
dangerous or problematic. Choose whether you Satisfy or Suppress this need, and resolve the action according to the
corresponding rules.

Real Friend
At least in terms of being a flesh-and-blood human, you have a “real” friend, although this person is probably as much of
a misfit as you. They usually don't care if you are a hikikomori or not, as long as it doesn't affect them personally.

Initiative
Roll 1d10 and look at the result on the table to determine what type of friend you have made, which in turn will
determine the number of dice in your Trait pool.
1-3 Otaku (3d10): Your friend is someone who has an obsession with something. Anime/manga and
related matters is the cliché, but there may also be otakus obsessed with trains, computers, military
simulation, etc.
4-6
NEET (2d10): Acronym that means “Not in Education, Employment or Training”, or in Spanish,
“Sin Educación, Empleo o Training”. In essence, he is just like you but more sociable.
7-8 Part-Time (2d10): Although an adult, he has not taken any higher education classes and survives on
part-time or similar jobs.
9-10 Loser (1d10): Your friend is unpopular and inept. Maybe you have it around to make you feel
better?

Player Actions

To abuse
Sometimes you just want to be mean to someone, and tell them to fuck off. Make a Trait roll: If the result is 9 or less,
reduce the trait by one die, and if it is 4 or less, remove it.

Lean on
If something is bothering you, sometimes you can call on the help of a friend. While Rescuers will automatically try to
support you, getting a Friend to do so is a little more difficult. Roll the dice for this Trait: If the result is between 12 and
16 you can
add half (rounded up) of this number to a Hope roll. If the result is 17 or greater, add the complete result. Either way, if
Hope's roll wins over any action you were using it on, the Royal Friend Trait gains one die.

Trait Actions
When a friend acts on you, it means that he wants to bother you with something. Roll the dice for this trait and refer to
the following table.

1-5 Your friend finds a reason not to be your friend anymore. Remove this trait.
6-10 Your friend asks about something trivial. He doesn't get upset if you refuse.
11-15 Your friend asks about something that involves you moderately. You can accept or decline: if you accept, this
Trait gains one die. If you refuse, lose one.
16-20
Your friend is having his own existential crisis. Roll your Hope dice: If the result is less than 12, you cannot
help him in any way and you lose the Trait. If you roll 12 or more, you manage to help him: both the Trait
and your Hope gain one die each.
21-25
You manage to make your friend's life better. Your Hope and Real Friend each gain one die.
26+
Your friend grows up. Get a real job, a girlfriend or similar. You lose this trait.

Rescuer
Someone has made it their mission to get you out of your “hikikomorishness.”

Initiative
First Or, roll 1d10 and the general archetype of your worshiper will be determined based on the table below. This
Rescue also determines the initial dice pool:
1-5 Persuasive (3d10): This person may be from some aid organization or have a similar motivation, and will
gently try to persuade you out of your condition, and knows not to pressure you.

6-9 Crusader (2d10): This person has a deep-rooted need to get you out of hiding at all costs, and will not take
“no” for an answer.
10 Hypocrite (1d10): This person really just wants to associate with someone more pathetic and screwed up than
him/herself.

Player Actions
Ignore
You emphatically ignore your Rescuer, and wait for him to leave. Make a roll for this Trait:
1-7 is discouraged, reduced by one die.
8-16 Keep doing your thing. Nothing happens.
17+ He only becomes more convinced of his mission. Increases your dice by one.

Probe
You try to figure out why this person is doing what they do. This is where Archetypes play a role. Roll the dice for this
Trait and follow the instructions below. This action can only be used once per Rescuer.
• Persuasive: If the result is 9 or less, he becomes discouraged and loses a die. If the result is 10 to 14, it
turns out to be a person who helps you out of the kindness of his heart. If it is 15 or more, their story is
 inspiring and you gain a Hope die.
• Crossed: If the result is 8 or less, you become discouraged and lose a die. If the result is 9-13, explain your
intentions without hesitation. If the result is 14 or more, it is fully explained and you gain a die.
• Hypocrite: If the result is 7 or less, he reveals himself to be the hypocrite that he is, so you can decide to
send him to hell (get rid of this Trait) or make him a Royal Friend (the type is chosen by you and the dice).
will be equivalent to the one you choose). If it is 8 or more, he will convincingly divert the topic and avoid
answering your questions.

Lean on
When another trait wants to do something that hurts you, you can add your Rescuer's dice pool to your Hope pool, but
this Trait will automatically gain a die.

Scare away
You deliberately try to do something scary and bizarre to get your Rescuer out of your life. Choose one of the other
Traits – anyone except Rescuer or Real Friend – and make an opposite roll between Rescuer and the Trait you have
chosen:
Trait wins by 10+
Your Rescuer is horrified and runs away never to return. Or at least decides that saving you isn't
worth it. Emboldened by this achievement, your Trait gains one die.

Your Rescuer is scared but does not give up yet. The Rescuer loses a die. If the trait reaches zero,
Rasgo wins 5-9 then it is removed forever.
Your Rescuer is surprised, but remains just as determined.
Rasgo wins 1-4

Tie Nothing happens.

Your Rescuer is not affected.
Rescuer wins 1-4

Rescuer wins 5-9 This backfires: Your Rescuer is much more determined. Add one die to this Trait.
Rescuer wins by
10+ It backfires violently: Your rescuer becomes much more determined (adds one die to this Trait) and
embarrasses you enough about your Trait to fix it in a certain way (the Trait used is reduced by one
die).
Trait Actions
The goal of a Rescuer is, obviously, to get you out of hiding. Roll your pool of Hope and Rescuer dice together, add
everything up, and review the table below. No, you cannot combine this action with the Lean action.
1-8
In his attempts to reform you, your Rescuer manages to make you feel like shit. You lose a Hope die.
9-16
Your Rescuer annoys you to no end, and you try to get rid of him/her. This Trait loses one die.

17-24 Your Rescuer's attempts to cheer you up don't have much effect.
25-32 You feel better about yourself. You gain a Hope die.
33+ You feel better about yourself, and your Rescuer feels more motivated to continue in this task. Both your
Hope and your Rescuer gain one die.
Suicidal thoughts
Something has you thinking about taking your life. Obviously, you don't leave the house much, so it seems like no one
would notice.

Initiative
Suicidal Thoughts start with a 3d10 reserve. While you have this Trait, at the beginning of each day you must write down
a possible method of suicide.

Player Actions

rejoice
You try to convince yourself that your life is not so bad and that killing yourself is not necessary. Make an opposite roll
between your Hope and Suicidal Thoughts. If Hope wins by 8 or more, Suicidal Thoughts loses a die. If Suicidal
Thoughts wins by 10 or more, you lose a Hope die.

Trait Actions
When your Suicidal Thoughts arise, you will naturally begin to seriously consider committing suicide. Make an opposite
roll between your Hope and this Trait; If Suicidal Thoughts wins, use the Suicide Attempt action as usual.

Vice
You've gotten hooked on something you probably shouldn't, some kind of vice. As a hikikomori this means something
you can do in private, usually a drug, legal or illegal.

Initiative
Think of a vice, preferably something that by any standards would be foolish to do. Start with 3d10, or 4d10 if you think
it's too addictive.

Player Actions
Say Enough
It takes a lot of willpower to kick the habit, which makes it very difficult for you. Make an opposite roll between your
Hope and Vice.

Esperanza wins by In an incredible display of mental strength, you are able to quit your habit cold turkey. Remove
10+ the Vice and gain a Hope die.

Esperanza wins by 5+ It will take you a while to let go, but you are getting there. You lose one die of your Vice.

Anyone wins between You don't get anywhere, but at least you try.
0-4

Vice wins by +5 You manage to put it aside until you have a relapse. You lose a Hope die.

You can't stop your habit, even for a couple of hours. You lose one Hope die and gain one Vice
Vice wins by 10+ die.

Satisfy and Forget

You try to use your vice in a way that blocks other things that are bothering you in your life. Choose any other Trait, and
make an opposite roll between these two. If your vice wins by 5 points, reduce one die in the opposite Trait. If it wins by
6 or more points, your Vice gains one more die.

Trait Actions
Your vice tries to satisfy you, no matter the cost. Make an opposite roll between Vice and Hope.

Vice wins by 12+

You spend a lot of time in your vice. Your Vice gains a die, and you also gain a Health Problem
because of it. If you already have a Health Problem from your Vice, it gains one die.

Vice wins by 8+ You have a good time in your vice, and you become more hooked. Your Vice gains a die.
You spend a good time on your vice, which takes up some of your time. You lose one of your
Vice wins by 4+ actions for the day.

Tie You spend some time in your vice, but you take it carefully.
You resist your vice, but you spend a good time in temptation.
Esperanza wins by 4+
You resist your vice and you get better. Vice loses a die.
Esperanza wins by 8+

Esperanza wins by You resist your vice and you are overcoming it. Vice loses two dice.
12+
Epilogue (By the author Ewen Cluney)

The first time I heard about the term hikikomori was in the manga version of Welcome to the NHK, of which I also read
the original novel. The most I can say is that Takimoto is a very emotional writer (and that in his afterword he said that
he went through a huge block after he wrote it), but he is not a hikikomori. I've read several articles on the matter (not
just Wikipedia), but this game definitely has something more to do with the novel. The week of a real hikikomori is
probably much calmer and much less crazy. I could try to make social commentary and other hullabaloo, but as an
American who has spent just two weeks on Japanese soil, I hardly feel qualified. From a thematic standpoint, what I
wanted to achieve with this game was a sense of isolation and helplessness. And madness. You get the idea.
I came up with this idea of doing a solo RPG before Jeff Moore's suggestion that was posted on 1KM1KT about the same
thing, and to play with it in GURPS Third Edition Core and a couple of Choose-Your-Adventure books is the greatest
experience I have had with such a topic. This game has a bit of these elements along with... Something else (CCGs,
perhaps?). Is having sticky tables normal for this kind of thing?
Anyway, a friend suggested I do a multi-player Hikikomori Role Playing Game that would play out various elements of
the introvert's personality. Despite the fact that I liked certain ideas that came out of it, I'm sure that kind of thing has
already been done. Maybe another time.
Anyway, I had convinced myself not to write anything here following the idea of “not planning” when creating an RPG
in 24 hours, except that a lot of this was already in my head, I think. It helps that the idea for a hikikomori game first
came to me about six months ago. I think next time I'll start without any concept in mind... In any case, I finished this
pretty quickly, although I see plenty of room to work on it more, with more Traits and Actions, and give it new ways to
interact. I had an evil thought of making a similar game where you play as a game designer, but that road is paved in
madness.

Ewen Cluney http://neko-

rpg.blogspot.com/
http://yarukizerogames.com/

PS: Yes, the font is intentional (NdT: I have no idea what font he used. This is Batang, which is what was most similar
among the default ones).
PPS: Nyo.
Last Note from the Translator (Guishe)

The translation of this wasn't that difficult, and to be honest I'm surprised not to find someone who has done it before on
the internet. I admire the work that was put into not only this game, but also other projects the author did (such as the
English translation of Maid RPG , his own games like Tokyo Heroes , and one I really like, Thrash , among others).
Several fans of what the Role Playing Game is (always underground but always alive) expect various games with the
most intrinsic or extrinsic themes that exist, and Cluney has done it.

As far as Hikikomori: A Solo RPG Thing goes, I would consider it a little game worthy of respect. It's an original idea,
and despite how rough the final product was, you can see the genius within the diamond in the rough.

Something that I never tire of repeating is the psychological aspect of this game, because there are actually times when
you are getting involved instead of the fictional character you proposed. As an amateur writer, I go very deep into what I
write, and my character Amane Keiji was definitely something that got me right into its socks. Personally, although I am
somewhat introverted with people I don't know, I am usually someone who is quite known for my eccentricity and rather
extroverted personality among my friends, and people are surprised that I have gone through a period like that (for
various reasons), and Even more so, that he is as fond of these matters as he is of role-playing games. But I don't regret
it, because these types of experiences are very precious mental stimuli, and as for my own shut - in experience... well, it
takes willpower to overcome it and I'm glad I achieved it, because it made me grow as a person. .

This would actually be the first document I have translated in its entirety. This is because for a long time, although I
shared it with friends, many did not understand it due to the language mishap. I decided to translate it so I could share it
with my role-playing friends and exchange experiences.

As the author said, I could give some social commentary on the matter but there is not much I can contribute. All I will
say is that this phenomenon makes me wonder if life is becoming harder or we are becoming less resilient.

Although it may sound cliché to send dedications, I dedicate the translation to Ewen Cluney for creating this game and
to the introverts of the world, who I hope are improving or, if they like their lifestyle, enjoy it. Each to their own.

Guishe
http://el-guishe.deviantart.com/