posted
Geoff, I was wondering if you could help me with something. On your father's recommendation, we recently got the card game "Once Upon a Time". Have you played it? (Anyone else here who has played it might be able to help me out too.)
We love the game, but I have a question about it (if you or anyone else have played). We seem to have trouble with out-of-hand storylines because each of the players is trying to pull the story in different directions so-as to meet the particular ending in their hand. We end up with a very convoluted story with items introduced then later dropped because another player had no desire to take the story in that direction. Sometimes it is fairly obvious that a person just wants to get rid of a card and didn't have a plan in mind for how to use it.
I am not sure how to avoid this. I feel unsettled after every game. Often I either I win and I feel like it was quite a stretch trying to maneuver around the useless (to me) points other people introduced for their goals, or I let someone else win (because I feel bad about attempting it) and they do the same thing.
I have considered from now on allowing every player to have two "Happily Ever After" cards so that if one of the endings just does not match the current story, they have another option, another motivation to keep playing for a win. Otherwise, often I feel like, "This ending will never fit this story, so I am just going to stop trying for a win and try to go with the flow."
Do we just lack the creativity and mental capacity to play this game the way it ought to be played? That's probably the real issue here. Do we just need more practice? The game says that the object is not to win but to tell a good story. But it is a game! We always get competitive and to play to win.
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posted
Thanks, Raia. It really is a brilliant game. Kinda like an embellishment on the game where someone starts a story and the next person continues it, etc. Those games always intimidated me, but with the cards in your hand, you have ideas for what to do.
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posted
You asked one of the Cards a question? Didn't anyone tell you that you're not supposed to do that? Do you have any idea how many rules you're breaking? I shouldn't even be talking to you right now. You're going to destroy us all! Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
"Sometimes it is fairly obvious that a person just wants to get rid of a card and didn't have a plan in mind for how to use it."
In my experience, "Once Upon A Time" works better with more than two people, not least because it's easier to steal and the stories get more convoluted. I also enjoy the ORIGINAL form of the game, in which all players actually write down one ending and eight "aspects" and shuffle them out randomly; we actually played this at the first Hatrack get-together in Wisconsin, and I think it allows for some interesting flexibility (as well as the potential for duplicate/synonym cards, which produces interesting effects.) To address the problem you describe, the makers of the game suggest using two ending cards -- as you mention -- in their "optional rules" section.
Don't forget, too, that one of the rules is that a sentence which contradicts earlier events or does not make any sense -- i.e. is just "silly" -- can, by majority vote, be rejected; control then passes to the next player. If it's obvious that someone is just trying to get rid of cards without working them into the story, the other players can vote to overrule the attempt.
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"Hi! I'm Tom Davidson! You may know me better from such threads as, 'I know everything, including the most inconsequential crap!' and 'Don't even think you know more than I do.'"
(I like pissing off the people who unaccountably don't like you by being unabashedly fangirly. )
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posted
Tom, I didn't realize that having two ending cards was part of the optional rules. (Edit: Though we always allow new players two ending cards, we don't allow ourselves that priviledge.) I think we will try playing that way most of the time to see if it helps with my concerns.
So are you saying that you think convoluted stories are a good thing? I guess that is another way of looking at it. I just find it so hard when a player's ending card so obviously doesn't fit what has already been laid out. The person ends up trying to "erase" elements from the story that someone else has put in. Perhaps we need to be more strict about what we allow and what we don't. We are still beginners after all.
I didn't realize that many people here are familiar with the game, nor have I heard of the original version. That is really cool! Maybe there will be some more people here who can offer us advice on how to play it so I am not left with this lingering frustration.
posted
Maybe you could penalize a player if he takes of in a completely different direction, ignoring what has been said in most of the story.
Like if you spent most of the story talking about how a princess and beggar traveled through the forest to some ancient ruins to meet a giant who told them about a witch...
And then the next person starts going on about how back at the castle there was this other guy who was in love with a sheperdess, so he disguised himself and laid a trap...
Maybe non-sequitir should count as silly.
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posted
That's what happens when kids move away from home before the real fun starts. Sorry Geoff!
Beverly -- I think with this game you already know that problem, you are playing with people who just play to win! Now, I'm usually one of those people myself -- but when we just cooperate and tell a great story, it's wonderful fun.
posted
Another variant that I've seen used, although I haven't tried it myself, is to allow a player to "play" his ending card on his turn instead of telling a story; control then passes to the player on his left. When "played," that ending -- which is left face-up on the table -- becomes the official ending for the entire group. The most recently "played" ending replaces any previously played ending.
Another version I've heard about allows a player to draw four cards on his turn in order to force all players, including himself, to draw new ending cards.
The first variant here seems to encourage cooperation, although it'll lead to bizarre stories; the second one is more cutthroat.
posted
Tom, that is a great idea! I want to at least try it out. I like cooperative efforts, since competition often leaves me feeling ruffled.
Kristine, thanks for the advice also. I haven't figured out yet how to play without "winning" being the overpowering of the two goals. The above version might help us to focus more on telling a good story.
Geoff, I honestly thought you were giving me a hard time! I was confused. Hope you get a chance to play it soon, I think you would love it!
Synesthesia, since you have played and enjoyed the game, do you have any suggestions?
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Do we just need more practice? The game says that the object is not to win but to tell a good story. But it is a game! We always get competitive and to play to win.
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