Philosopher's Quest : Plato's Dark (Cave) Edition

You're a student at the Academy. Your project: to establish your schoolmaster's ideal city, the Republic. But how can you achieve this in an ancient Mediterranean world where those dedicated to wisdom and Truth are counted in the dozens?

Are you a metaphysician obsessed with perfect forms who convinces the Corinthian oligarchs to give way to the philosopher-king ? Or are you an ethicist who knows only the Good and is busy proving the moral guilt of a sophist? All this and more is possible in...

PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST: Plato's Dark (Cave) Edition !

This game is a shortened "trifold pamphlet" version of a project I've been working on for a long time, which would straddle the line between Mage: The Ascension and Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Created for the One Page RPG Jam 2025, I chose to simplify its system by following “Cthulhu Dark” to see what stories could be told when playing ancient philosophers. 

It's obviously not a complete game, and I don't even know what a great philosophers' quest might look like. Does their knowledge of metaphysics allow them to navigate the web of reality and interpret it as they see fit? Or is it better to stay grounded? It's up to you to find out!

If you feel like it, I'd love to hear your comments and stories about your play attempts!

*S'il y a de l'intérêt, une version française pourrait être publiée*

Sources of the images used :

• https://www.nga.gov/artworks/137880-setting-sun-chariots-apollo-and-diana
• https://www.nga.gov/artworks/53500-academy-plato
• https://www.nga.gov/artworks/62539-funeral-scene-imaginary-architecture

“PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST: Plato's Dark (Cave) Edition” is an independent production by Simon Veilleux (tante_Gertrude) and is not affiliated with Graham Walmsley or Cthulhu Dark.