Four Against Darkness and why it's the perfect night-time game (for me!)
How I've been staving away my night-time anxiety and insomnia
Disclaimer: I’m not a mental health professional!
Just wanted to share that I've recently found 4AD (Four Against Darkness) to help a lot with my night-time anxiety. I suffer from severe anxiety and insomnia, but lately I’ve been sleeping a lot better thanks to this awesome game!
4AD isn’t my usual fare - it’s honestly more of a board game than a solo RPG, due to the lack of creative interpretation.
I still love my free-form solo RPGs (and have been hacking up my own options with Scarlet Heroes and Ironsworn Delve!) but I thought I’d share that if you suffer from anxiety due to overthinking, 4AD may help for several reasons:
Mapping. Probably the most important part for me. The physical act of mapping grounds me, and prevents me from overthinking, which causes a lot of my anxiety. The maps also have a lot of variation and give a sense of satisfaction of a pretty map after.
Micro-managing. It's complicated, not complex. The rules are simple to learn but over time you have more and more stuff to manage and while its still manageable, it does make sure you don't overthink about unrelated things.
Variety. I have been playing this everyday, and due to the amount of supplements I keep getting vastly different adventures. This helps keep my interest over time.
4AD has helped me sleep better at night for the past week, after months of night-time anxiety and insomnia. I used to do daily meditation, and I found that this has a very similar effect, but actually lasts longer for me!
I thought it would be inspiring to share how much solo RPGs can help with personal mental struggles. Of course, it’s different for everyone - 4AD may not be the game for you in that regard! Feel free to comment below if you’ve had similar experiences!
PLEASE if it doesn't stress you out, make a video of 4AD for your channel. I hope this request doesn't impede on something that's mentally helping you. Thanks brother. Also, what supplements have you picked up? I only have the core book and I'm now making the decision of adding some more goodies, I'd love your recommendations!
Thanks for sharing. Glad you found something that helps you and that you enjoy. I do agree that it has a meditative quality to it. Be well, friend.