New Rule

Introduction: Somehow it seems harder to make a truly first-rate second-rate movie than it is to make a blockbuster. Limited funds, cheesy sets, fake blood, and goofy actors — sounds like a recipe for success! In this game players, take turns as the Producer, creating the most outrageous, ridiculous, and hilarious screenplay they can imagine, drawn from suggestions from their fellow players.

Players: 4-5+

Materials: None

Setting Up: Simply convene the players in a comfortable setting where all can speak and be heard conveniently. Designate a first player to begin the game.

How to Play: Play proceeds in rounds with one player acting as the Producer and all others offering suggestions of film assets. All players throw numbers (see below) with the Producer acting as the key. All players still in after this round proceed in turns (clockwise from the Producer) to name one of the following assets: character, prop, setting, plot twist, finale, special effect, and genre. Each film has exactly one of each asset, and each asset can be designated only once — once one player names something for a particular asset, no other player may name something else for that asset.

After the initial round of suggestions, all players who have not yet made a suggestion do so, completing all remaining asset types. If there are more remaining asset types than there are remaining players, the players simply continue to make suggestions in the same order until all categories are complete.

For example: Seven players are playing. Numbers are thrown and four players are knocked out. The remaining three each make a suggestion: Player 1 chooses to suggest a character, Player 2 suggests a plot twist, and Player 3 suggests a finale. When they are finished, the remaining four players make their suggestions, choosing from the remaining assets: prop, setting, special effect, and genre. Player 4 suggests a prop, Player 5 suggests a genre, Player 6 suggests a special effect, and Player 7 suggests a setting. If there had been fewer than seven players, these four would have continued to make suggestions (beginning with Player 4 and proceeding clockwise, as they did the first time) until all assets had been named.

Once all assets have been named, the Producer must then immediately tell the story of a screenplay using all the suggestions her fellow players have made. They may take as long as they like, but they must begin speaking immediately and not stop until the screenplay is finished. Once they have finished, all players rate their story by throwing numbers, except that in this case the number each player holds is their rating (one is lowest, three is highest). For each score of two or three a Producer gets, they score one point. Once the rating is complete, the next player clockwise to the Producer is the new Producer, and a new round ensues.

Throwing Numbers: This is a mechanic similar to rock-paper-scissors. On a count of three, all players raise a hand with one, two, or three fingers raised. One player acts as the key (usually the Producer): players whose numbers match the key’s number are in, and players whose numbers do not match are knocked out.

Winning the Game:  Play continues until all players have had an equal number of chances to be Producer. When all rounds are complete, the player with the highest score wins.

Next: Designing “B Movie:”

This game grew out of an interest in composing games along the “party game” lines — games that require no special equipment or preparation whatsoever, merely a knowledge of the rules and an enthusiasm for play. Charades is probably the best known of these, or Twenty Questions.

I considered the game Rock-Paper-Scissors, which is a beautiful example of “perception of meaningful choice” at work. In reality the outcome is random, or at least determined by psychological factors far too subtle to determine in such a short space of time. However, players find it engaging because there is the perception that one can “read” one’s opponent and make some sort of educated prediction about how they are going to throw. I modified this into a numerical gradation so that it would more easily apply itself to group situations of unknown quantities.

From there, the meat of the game is an adaptation of Once Upon A Time, or of Twenty Questions. Players are composers with no control, graded on their improvisational skills and enthusiasm for storytelling. Naturally, this game would only appeal to linguistically social and sophisticated — children might have trouble playing, for example. However, I feel that the game can succeed because all that is needed is one or two really solid storytellers, and all others in their presence will be entertained. The game fosters narrative creativity and offers a venue in which to exercise it.

Tags: Game Design //