For around the last 18 months, I’ve been working on a side-project: a gameshow called the Literal Flow Test. Born out of pandemic ennui, it combines elements of the BBC radio show Just a Minute with the scoring system and structure of a poetry slam.
On Sunday, I made the rulebook available to buy from a dedicated website for £1.99.
My Hotchpotch open-mic pals have been vital in helping to bring this project to life. Since its debut around a year ago, their help in real-world testing has prompted the addition, removal and redrafting of rules. Indeed, the version for sale contains a hasty rewriting of the tiebreaker section. When it was staged last month, we were kicked out of the venue because it went on too long.
I’m realistic about my expectations for this game. Josh Wardle, for example, was incredibly fortunate to have Wordle quickly picked up by a large audience, while Richard Garfield held onto RoboRally for almost a decade before a publisher would take it.
It’s time to see how the Literal Flow Test goes for a while, then decide what to do with it next.
Gavin Cameron 