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Entry tags:
Inversus
For two or more players who trust each other and who have paper and pencil.
One of you is The World, or Culture, or Society. The others represent a beast.
Together, the players should feel free to define the parameters of the setting if necessary, although they should do as little as possible before play. There are some essential assumptions: a) beasts exist in this world; b) they are known by and coexist with humans; c) this coexistence is uneasy; d) the players represent one individual beast. The World draws a silhouette of this beast on paper, large enough for the other players to add details to the drawing, but leaving space around the edges for writing. This paper is passed to the beast players.
The game proceeds in rounds. The World stars a round by describing a feature of the beast (or the beast’s species, depending on whether such has been stated beforehand) that it finds abhorrent, ideally dangerous but unpleasant will do. The description should include both the feature and The World’s perception of it. Any setting details they add should exclusively be based in public perception.
One of the other players then narrates a moment in the life of the beast, in which they use this trait in a moment of love and gentleness. In this, the player is free to add whatever details to the setting are necessary, although they should all be in service to this moment. Other players who are not The World are free to suggest additions or help out if the narrating player is stuck, but the narrating player has ultimate veto power. At the end of their narration, this player draws this trait on the diagram of the beast and adds a short phrase describing the trait in positive language.
Once the narrating player is done, The World starts the next round, and a different player narrates a moment in the life of the beast. Play continues until each beast player has at least one turn narrating. When a beast player fills up the last of the space on the diagram, the game ends.
All players build the setting together through what they say. Contradicting previous details is in poor form, but beast players may interpret previous statements as opinions or incomplete observations, and must do so with The World’s statements. It is recommended to write down setting details instead of relying on player memory.
Notes:
You might want to add some support tools to this - the x-card, for example.
This game has a very different feel if there are only two players.
Inspirations: all things bright and beautiful, a new heaven and a new earth, every kind of touch, on being raised on fairy tales in which you are the monster, “it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it”
Thanks to my wonderful partner for reading this over.
One of you is The World, or Culture, or Society. The others represent a beast.
Together, the players should feel free to define the parameters of the setting if necessary, although they should do as little as possible before play. There are some essential assumptions: a) beasts exist in this world; b) they are known by and coexist with humans; c) this coexistence is uneasy; d) the players represent one individual beast. The World draws a silhouette of this beast on paper, large enough for the other players to add details to the drawing, but leaving space around the edges for writing. This paper is passed to the beast players.
The game proceeds in rounds. The World stars a round by describing a feature of the beast (or the beast’s species, depending on whether such has been stated beforehand) that it finds abhorrent, ideally dangerous but unpleasant will do. The description should include both the feature and The World’s perception of it. Any setting details they add should exclusively be based in public perception.
One of the other players then narrates a moment in the life of the beast, in which they use this trait in a moment of love and gentleness. In this, the player is free to add whatever details to the setting are necessary, although they should all be in service to this moment. Other players who are not The World are free to suggest additions or help out if the narrating player is stuck, but the narrating player has ultimate veto power. At the end of their narration, this player draws this trait on the diagram of the beast and adds a short phrase describing the trait in positive language.
Once the narrating player is done, The World starts the next round, and a different player narrates a moment in the life of the beast. Play continues until each beast player has at least one turn narrating. When a beast player fills up the last of the space on the diagram, the game ends.
All players build the setting together through what they say. Contradicting previous details is in poor form, but beast players may interpret previous statements as opinions or incomplete observations, and must do so with The World’s statements. It is recommended to write down setting details instead of relying on player memory.
Notes:
You might want to add some support tools to this - the x-card, for example.
This game has a very different feel if there are only two players.
Inspirations: all things bright and beautiful, a new heaven and a new earth, every kind of touch, on being raised on fairy tales in which you are the monster, “it is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it”
Thanks to my wonderful partner for reading this over.