Story War card game
by :
Cantrip Games
players 3 - 8, ages 8+, 20 - 60 minutes
[barcode 859605004001, BGC stock id 5093]
Description of Story War card game
Story War is a storytelling party game for 3 to 8 players. Players split into teams and take control of classic characters like Puss In Boots or a fire-breathing Dragon and use creativity and humor to defeat the opposing team.
In most other games the difference between victory and defeat has a lot to do with numbers; the story itself is secondary. But in Story War controlling the narrative is the only way to win. There are no numbers or rules on the cards, only artwork and hilarious descriptions. It's up to the players to decide how to interpret their powers, which means that every game tells unique stories based on the collective creativity of everyone involved.
Each turn represents one battle between two teams of players. The setting is defined by a randomly drawn Battlefield card. Players then look at the Warrior cards and Item cards in their hands and try to come up with a clever strategy. Once every player has played their Warrior cards face-down, everyone flips their cards over simultaneously. Then players must quickly describe, in an open discussion, how their team would defeat the opposing team.
Each battle is moderated by a judge that rotates every turn (similar to Apples to Apples) so the shared pop cultural context of everyone in the room is very important! Harry Potter fans might play the Basilisk card differently than Percy Jackson fans. Pokemon fans can cite obscure typing match-ups to explain why you can't punch a bird. Dungeons and Dragons players will often overlay D&D rules onto the game - don't even try to convince a D&D-playing judge that the Giant can defeat the Dwarf!
Players are also free to make stuff up, as long as they can be convincing! Everything is being moderated by a judge so if your opponent claims their character is unrealistically powerful, you can challenge that claim. Once a challenge has been issued the judge has to immediately decide whether or not it's a valid move. This means your characters are able to do anything as long as the judge lets you get away with it! The player acting as the judge and the grouping of teams changes after every turn, so the social dynamic is always shifting! Each battle ultimately evolves into an organic story and a memorable shared experience.
