Retail.Therapy

It’s a Saturday afternoon. You’ve had to pee for the last twenty minutes but Correl is still not back from his thirty and you are the only other cashier scheduled today. There’s at least ten people on line. The lady at your register is complaining about someone smoking in the doorway. You watch as two people load canvas bags with the display you put together. A drunk teenager puked on the floor.

You are having a bad time.

Retail.Therapy is a game about the challenging life of working retail while trying not to succumb to apathy. This is not about purchasing your sorrows away. No. You are the retail. And you will, most likely, need therapy.

This is a Bad Time Game

Retail.Therapy is a “Bad Time Game.” Which means this game was designed with the “Bad Time Game System,” by Kyle Tam at Urania Games, as the mechanical foundation with tweaks and a little bit of prodding to better fit the theme.

But what exactly is a “Bad Time Game?” To put it simply, a “Bad Time Game” is a game where we, the players, attempt to have a good time telling stories about characters having a bad time.

That’s right, power fantasy is out; schadenfreude is in!

Why Would I Want This?

Look, there are plenty of stories about bad asses triumphing through adversity. There are enough games about lucky bastards stumbling to success. We have seen characters whose hubris triggers their demise.

This is the time to tell a different story. The story of the poor souls who work five days a week but not enough to qualify for benefits. Whose days off are Tuesday and Sunday. Whose primary responsibility is to be the punching bag for the whims of “the consumer.” You know what really sounds awful? Working sixteen hours in a grocery store that is purposefully understaffed because someone called out. Let’s take the time to tell the stories of these often mistreated workers.

By Purchase This Game You Will Receive

A digital PDF copy of Retail.Therapy in both single page and spread formats to download and use as you wish.
My admiration

General Information

Number of pages: 22
Number of players: 3-5
Typical session length: 2-5 hours

play sheets can be downloaded at the bottom of this page in the Download Demo Section!

Community Copies

I have made available community copies for those who cannot afford Retail.Therapy. For every rating given I will add an additional copy.

Feel free to take a community copy! All I ask is you leave a rating to help spread the game and give other's the chance to find enjoyment in this little game.