lava flows from Mauna U'lu in 1974 pouring down Hilina Pali in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
lava flows from Mauna U'lu in 1974 pouring down Hilina Pali in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Popoki (cat)

A combustive solo adventure about a feral cat walking across lava on the Big Island of Hawai’i

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Orange tabby cat

Game Market West

the playmat for playing in-person

There will be limited-edition copies of Pōpoki available on Sunday, September 27, at the Guild Hall in San Jose CA.

Come by, talk story, and try look!

Game Market West is a biannual independent market for unpublished game designers to show off their work.

close up of the journey from a step with rock to a step with incandescent glow

Cats and Dice

Each die represents a particular step in your cat’s journey.

You might land on normal temperature rock or incandescent glow or flow from magma.

And beware of trapped, flammable gas!

Smart cards

sample of three akamai cards, including kama'aina, wiki wiki, and lawe aku

Each round brings more experience, and that means your cat is learning from its mistakes.

Akamai is the Hawaiian word for “smart, clever.”

It means with each step, you are getting better at avoiding danger.

Prototype

The interface at Playing Cards with a dice tray and a hand of cards.

Learn how to play Pōpoki using an online prototype hosted at Playing Cards IO.

Disclaimer

Greg (left) in nomex shirt standing next to an active lava flow field at Kamoamoa.

Please do NOT try this at home! 🤙🏽

This game is based on my experience as a geologist and wildland firefighter on the Big Island of Hawai'i, and in both cases it was part of my job to walk near an active lava flow field.