Astrologaster

Astrologaster is a narrative comedy set in London in 1592, during a plague that drives doctors from the city. You play as Simon Forman, an unlicensed astrologer and medical practitioner who treats patients by reading the stars. Help him earn a medical licence from the University of Cambridge while the licensed doctors who call him a fraud try to bring him down.

Simon Forman’s cases

You explore Forman’s life, work and relationships with his clients by performing astrological readings and choosing how to advise them. You examine the sky, select interpretations and diagnose problems ranging from medical complaints and romantic entanglements to Elizabethan terror plots and stolen pies. Your choices affect the story and your clients’ satisfaction, with consequences and unpredictable side effects.

The description gives two different client counts: it says 13 clients visit 5–7 times, and also describes 14 characters who return 5–7 times. Their personal stories can overlap, and gossip from some characters can help you guide or manipulate others. Satisfied clients may write letters of recommendation; collect enough to exchange them for a medical licence.

The presentation

Forman’s cases appear in a pop-up book, with pages to turn as you follow the patients’ stories. Character dialogue is fully voiced by a cast of over a dozen actors, and Renaissance-era music includes a theme song for each character.