(EDIT: I did fix a couple of typos.)

Okay, so, I have to confess that I probably would not have found out about this game if not for learning about a video game called Stray. You can see gameplay videos of that on Youtube.

When I found this game, I decided to pick it up and have a look just to see how it worked. PWYW makes it easy to take a look at some of the stranger games like this.

In most RPGs where you play as a cat, you get to play as a magical cat who goes around dealing with supernatural crises that humans are blind to. This works in the standard RPG style of adventure gaming, and while you theoretically could do the same in a game like this with a few house rules, that's not really what this game is intended for. It's not a cat adventure game. It's a cat simulator. You can take that as either the "simulation" style of a game like The Sims, or in the much wackier style of something like Goat Simulator. And for a simulation of the feline lifestyle, it's actually amazing.

Your kitty doesn't really have rolled or point-assigned stats. They have things they can do and things that they know which can tweak the dice, but ultimately, if you want to learn about the world or try anything, you roll two dice and read each one separately, One tells you whether or not your succeed, and the other tells you whether things were better, worse, or about the same as you hope. But it's not completely statless.

As a cat, you need to keep track of three things. One is how bored the kitty is, which can also be read as frustration. Get that too high, and your kitty'ss gonna have a bit of a fit. You can also track Calm and Stimulation, which are accrued values for how soothed or energetic your kitty is. And that's really all there is for rules.

Now, if you're used to PbtA games where you only roll dice under very specific circumstances, you might find the dice rolling overwhelming. You get to roll dice for just about everything interesting/dicey that your kitty tries, from chasing mice to exploring the kitchen. But this also means that you can practically play without a GM. Likewise, if you're used to more traditional games like Dungeons and Dragons, you might find that there's not much defined in the system. Either way, this is room to let your imagination scamper around like it has the zoomies.

But if you just want to chill with friends and pretend to be kitties for a while, this might be up your alley. Seems Purr-fect to me. (Because obligatory puns are obligatory).

And one last note; there is no experience system. While that would be a bummer in most games, I think that's just fine here becausse the slice of life nature of the game is generally not well suited for long term campaigns anyway.

In the manual there is not a single example showing the core game system mechanics. It says you need to roll 3d6 but there isn't even one example of this specific roll happening let alone being possible in the entire manual, quite unbelievable if you ask me, anyway, I had to resort to reddit to understand at least the basics. On top of that the manual lists three "oracle modes" being: narrator, actor and prophet, but then again, not showing how to select these modes (that are, by the way, not mentioned anywhere else in the manual). And finally, even the Mystery Flow patch (most important aspect in a detective game!) is unclear: if a mystery requires two or more steps to be solved I must convince myself that my first theory is incorrect in order to justify continuing the investigation? WTF is that? Will my Detective always come up with an incorrect theory first? I really like the the setting of No angels live here, but the manual is horrible.

UPDATED REVIEW: I had initially expressed some minor concerns in this review and they were all already addressed. This is a truly living document and Thought Police are actively taking interest in the feedback they are getting. My score didn't change as I was already a fan of the product, but I wish I could give it more. Kudos to the entire team. They're doing what few indie devs have the gumption to pull off.

Okay, so having just got through my second read of the SRD I have to say this is a very well thought out way of handling an SRD and is decidedly different than any I've partaken in previously.

The Great

• Extremely clear legalities at the start without having to have a law degree to understand
• Very fair definitions of use and what can be done with the engine
• A different style where the SRD is more of a walkthrough of methodology instead of a ripped down system
• Detailed definitions of how to handle some of the more unique oracle concepts
• The exclusion of hateful content in the legal definitions
• PDF linking and bookmarks are fantastic
• Updated Strength Die documentation is really well thought out and a particularly great improvement
• Seemingly a living document that takes feedback including some that was previously noted in this review.

The Good

• The 3d6 system is easily understood and easily accessible due to d6 being available pretty much anywhere
• Instructions on templating and how to create them for release of your own products
• Included patches are a very generous add on
• The discussion of Bleed & how it's okay
• New Advancements updates helped clear that up for me

Possible Areas of Improvement

• A concise glossary of terms could be beneficial

My overall feeling is that this is a strong entry into the Motif Engine and allows for a lot of power to create my own systems from it. I'm interested in how this could expand given time, but for now it has driven me to think about content that could be created within it. Considering that should be the point of an SRD I feel as though this accomplished its goal quite well. Great work to the Thought Police team. This is a great expansion to the Motif Engine and truly something unique for an indie team.

For the past few days I have soloed my way through Murder Party at Dark Manor A Mork Borg Adventure (medieval fantasy/12 pages - free/ pay what you want). I needed it to be in a more modern setting, so I changed Keftar to be a bank janitor, Urma to be a cult leader, and Haragha a pharmacist. The game system I used was Like I Give A Bleep. This RPG is 82 pages long. It is solo rules to play a mad scientist. It contains numerous solo charts and advice for solo play. Most of this could be used for any setting. The character I created was a combination doctor/psychic medium. His weapon of choice was his Soul Stealer Pistol. He had been in the process of moving into his new estate when he got an invitation to a dinner party at his neighbor's manor. He decided to go by himself. Big mistake. When he got there he was introduced to the other guests. He noticed right away that Elsa was "bad". So, there was a murder. The survivors explored three areas of the manor and then found the secret passage that led to the boss fight. Well, that was taken care of. I thought the adventure was going to be over, and then the "twist" rules came into play. It introduced a new problem. So, the Porcelain doll, which I had been ignoring, came to life, gave us the finger, and said some nasty things with its potty mouth. It ran up the stairs and we lost it. I used the "clue" rules to find it. That nasty doll had found a corruption spell scroll and successfully used it on my scientist. It then took control of him. Next, my scientist got a hold of his Soul Stealer Pistol and aimed it at his head (yes, my dice hate me). Bam! Soul gone. Game over. Sigh. What a ride. Maybe you will have better luck. Give it a try!

Truly this is an excellent solo roleplaying engine. I haven't put it through its paces but in theory this could be the best I've seen and I've purchased most of them.

Finally someone has pushed the format forward instead of rehashing the standard mechanisms or making an engine that is either to minimal or too complex for your average gamer. Awesome!

I am what they call in RPG circles, a "soloist". I relish in not only playing RPGs alone but using that structure to map out my stories, and occasionally even my novels.

Thus, I have seen a lot of solo/GM-less engines, from Mythic, FU to Bivius. While they are great, it is Motif Solo Engine that achieves are near- perfect One-Roll-Engine. In my opinion, that is the holy grail of gaming- one roll that resolves it all.

With only three six-sided dice, simple tables and numerous hacks (which the author calls patches) a solo-player can have a complete GM experience with twists and turns in story and plot.

All I ask, if I must ask anything really, is that there be a way to push the results depending on the characters abilities. In essence, how can the character influence the rolls?

In conclusion, this is the best GM oracle I have ever come across. It is a wealth of both imagination and suspense. Highly recommended for anyone that finds themselves playing alone.

And these days, most of us do!

Honestly, this is an amazing solo system that has helped guide me more than the many other systems out there. Thank you for taking the time to make this engine! Appreciated!

This Engine is a system I would describe as a true "Ask the GM" system. Instead of a simple Yes/No, or even a series of tables providing different context clues where you have to pick the right table, it asks the users to roll 3 standard d6 based upon the "theme" of the question and then consult the tables. These themes are very broad (Like "Danger" for example), and so allow for a very broad series of applications.

These three rolls provide more than just the Yes/No, they also provide context for things like: density, size, positivity, relevance to you, rarity, and even scope. This allows you to easily read through the results and immediately apply them to any system or game environment without needing to wonder how to twist a word or phrase to match your setting.

It also allows you to "Ask the GM a question." Since your roll isn't a simple "No, and" the responses feel more natural. You instead get answers like "No. It's small, weak, and easily avoided," which is much more inspring than "No, and...please roll on one of the tables on Page 12." You will still want to consider phrasing your questions in a way that could be answered as a "Yes/No," but instead of the binary you will get a very thorough answer in one roll. This makes it incredibly useful for things like pick-up games, where you have minimal planning or preparation, since you (as the GM in this case), can start answering a question before you have even come up with all the details. It guides you, rather than you having to guide it.

There are also elements for adding in twists and turns (my favorite part personally), ratcheting tension, NPC behaviors, Countdowns to Midnight, Chaos, Momentum, etc. It is a thorough, versatile, and easy to use system, that I highly recommend for GM-Lite or GM-Less sessions.