Mallowstead is my first text RPG. It is still actively in development.

The game itself is free, but you need an OpenRouter API key to play properly. Without AI, the characters are basically paralyzed: the world still exists, but nobody has a mind.

For now, Mallowstead is a peaceful game focused mostly on conversation, relationships, exploration, and everyday life. There is no combat system yet. Trading is intentionally simple: you talk to people, negotiate normally, and exchange items or money through the same actions available to everyone else.

The world is slow and turn-based. AI controls the characters.

NPCs can use essentially the same actions as the player: they can move around, talk, use items, give things to each other, sleep, work, and react to what happens around them. They do not know which character is controlled by the human player. As far as the inhabitants of Mallowstead are concerned, you are just another person in the world.

For debugging, the game currently includes a soul-transfer feature: you can take control of another character at any time. I should warn you that I have not tested this feature nearly as much as the normal game.

Passing time

To skip the night, sleep in any bed. You can rent a room at the tavern or convince somebody to let you stay at their place.

To skip the day, you can ask the witch or the blacksmith for work, or go hunting squirrels near the stream behind the witch's garden.

A traveling merchant visits Mallowstead on Monday and Woodsday.

The people of Mallowstead

Characters remember what happens and their relationships with you depend on your actions.

At the beginning, you are simply an unfamiliar, tired traveler. They do not have a predetermined opinion of you, and I genuinely have no idea how any particular relationship will develop.

So it is probably a good idea to be polite.

Both in Mallowstead and in real life.

Git link