Tale Weavers is a collaborative storytelling game, with cards that you might find in Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, in which a group of players builds a narrative by drawing from a deck of character, setting, and plot cards to create and build a story amongst players.
Rules
Setup
- Gather 3-8 players.
- Shuffle the Character, Setting, and Plot decks separately.
- Each player draws five cards from the Plot deck. These are the cards you’ll use to move the story forward.
- Place the Character and Setting decks face down on the table.
- Make sure the Storymaster keeps track of points.
- Designate one player to be the Storymaster for the first round. This role will pass clockwise each round.
Objective
The main objective is to come up with the most convincing or funniest story picked by the Storymaster. The player with the most successful plot cards wins the game. While there isn’t an objective winner, the game allows all players to judge what the best narrative is. The best part is it leaves all players laughing.
Actions Players Take
- The Storymaster’s Turn:
- The Storymaster draws one card from the Character deck and one from the Setting deck.
- The Storymaster then begins the story, using the two cards they drew to introduce a character and the location of the story.
- Example: If the Storyteller drew a Character card for “A paranoid squirrel” and a Setting card for “The inside of a shopping mall,” they might start with: “Once upon a time, a paranoid squirrel scampered nervously through the fluorescent aisles of a shopping mall, __(Filled in the blanks by the rest of the players)__.”
- Adding to the Story:
- Starting with the player to the Storymaster’s left, each player takes a turn.
- On your turn, choose one of the five Plot cards in your hand and play it face-up on the table.
- Read the card aloud and integrate its concept into the story, building on what the Storymaster said. You can add new characters, introduce a conflict, or reveal a twist.
- After everyone has played their plo,t the Storymaster will look through the pile and choose their favorite plot.
- After you’ve played a card, draw a new one from the Plot deck to replenish your hand.
- Example: A player might have a Plot card that says “A mysterious package arrives.” They would then integrate this into the story: “The squirrel, in its haste, bumped into a mysterious package left in the food court. It began to tick.”
- Round Progression:
- Players continue adding to the story, going around the table until everyone has had a chance to play a card.
- The role of the Storyteller then passes to the next player to the left.
- The new Storyteller has the option to start a new story by drawing a new Character and Setting card or building on the previous story that can introduce a subplot, depending on the group’s preference.
Ending the Game
The game can end in a few ways, decided by the group:
- A Grand Finale: When one player feels they have the perfect Plot card to end the story, they play it and declare “The End.” The group then votes on whether the ending is satisfying.
- Time’s Up: The group can agree to stop after a certain number of rounds or once a specific number of stories have been told.
- Spontaneous Conclusion: The story naturally reaches a hilarious or dramatic conclusion, and the group decides to stop there.
Examples of Cards
- Character: A reclusive gnome, an astronaut who loves disco, an overworked accountant, a talking teacup.
- Setting: A haunted laundromat, the moon’s dark side, a wizard’s tax office, a very dusty attic.
- Plot: A long-lost sibling appears, a cursed object is found, a sudden rain of frogs begins, a terrible secret is revealed.