Invention : Encounters
This story telling game has been played in many different ways, from
individual accounts to interconnected narratives, from straightforward
stories to performance with songs and dances, and once you have played
it you will undoubtedly think up variations of your own.
In the original version, with the map painted onto a large board, players
chose a character and a starting location and then threw a dice to move the
character a number of grid squares.
They could travel by any route
suggested by the content of the grid squares they chose to count in. As
they moved they described the journey.
As they met other players they
could hold conversations or be part of incidents, building up overlapping
stories - and of course the stories would be affected by each meeting.
Players were encouraged to tell stories, exchange gifts or sing songs at
these meetings, rather than indulge in gratuitous violence. In some
workshops the players would act out the meeting, agreeing a common
version of the event.
It is sensible to determine the method of recording - individual notes,
independant scribe, tape-recorder, - in advance, in order to record the
stories as they flow and develop, especially if the story is a group effort.
A map is provided, with the original locations and characters, but often new
characters were created and empty parts of the map were found to contain
interesting locations.
For extended sessions it would be better to enlarge
the map, or use it to encourage the players to design and create their own
map and characters from which to build stories.
For further information on this sort of game click on games listed under INVENTIONin the INDEX side bar.
