I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
{{Short description|City-building tabletop role-playing game}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox game
| name = I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
| image = I'm_Sorry_Did_You_Say_Street_Magic_cover.png
| designer = Caro Asercion
| illustrator = Shannon Kao
| publisher =
| date = 2019
| players = 2–6
}}
I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic is a city-building tabletop role-playing game created by Caro Asercion in 2019, based on the system in Microscope.{{Cite web |last=Donlan |first=Christian |date=24 October 2023 |title=The game that lets you imagine a city |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/the-game-that-lets-you-imagine-a-city |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}
Gameplay
Unlike most city building games, I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic specifically prohibits creating a map due to the historical connections between map-making and colonialism.{{Cite web |last=Myerscough |first=Kaelan Doyle |date=3 May 2021 |title=New indie board games build worlds without capitalism or colonialism |url=https://theconversation.com/new-indie-board-games-build-worlds-without-capitalism-or-colonialism-154246 |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}} In rounds, players take turns adding neighborhoods, landmarks, and residents by writing information on index cards. Rounds end with significant events to mark the passage of time. The game does not use a gamemaster.{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=13 December 2023 |title=The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 |url=https://www.polygon.com/23989775/best-tabletop-rpgs-2023 |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}
Publication history
Asercion self-published the digital edition of I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic on Itch.io in 2019 as an indie role-playing game. A print edition was released in 2020 after a Kickstarter campaign raised $21,379.{{Cite web |title=Track i'm sorry did you say street magic's Kickstarter campaign on BackerTracker |url=https://www.backerkit.com/projects/caro-asercion/im-sorry-did-you-say-street-magic-a-citybuilding-storygame |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=BackerKit |language=en}} It was part of Itch.io's 2023 Games for Gaza bundle, raising funds for the charity Medical Aid For Palestinians.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=30 October 2023 |title=Games for Gaza bundle on Itch.io supports Palestinian medical aid by selling 200 RPGs for $10 |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/charity/deal/games-for-gaza-bundle-itchio-medical-aid-for-palestinians-charity |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}
Reception
Madison Durham for Polygon named I'm Sorry Did You Say Street Magic the best game she played in 2023, writing that, "It’s a perfect game full stop, but especially for those seeking to rekindle their creativity." Chase Carter for Dicebreaker called it "evocative." Declan Lowthian for Comic Book Resources listed it as one of ten tabletop role-playing games with incredible art, praising the "surreal images blending the natural and the artificial to make for a landscape of dreamlike beauty."{{Cite web |last=Lowthian |first=Declan |date=28 October 2021 |title=10 TTRPGs With Incredible Art (& The Artists Behind Them) |url=https://www.cbr.com/tabletop-rpgs-best-art-incredible-artists/ |access-date=4 November 2024 |website=CBR |language=en}}