Black Stories
Black Stories Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to Play
It's most fun to crack black stories together with friends. One player is the Gebieter (the "ringleader," or storyteller). This player knows the solution to the riddle and must answer all questions asked.
At the start, the Gebieter takes a card from the stack, reads aloud the story printed on the front, and asks: "Why do you think that happened?" On the back of the card, the Gebieter finds the answer, which of course they keep to themselves.
The rest of the players — the guessers — now begin asking questions. These questions must be phrased so that the Gebieter can answer with "yes" or "no." With skill and persistence, the guessers slowly work their way toward the answer.
Of course, it keeps happening that the guessers are completely in the dark and phrase questions that…
Asking Questions
Not every question is a good question. The rules describe three ways a question can go wrong:
- Questions that in principle cannot be answered with yes or no — for example, the question "Was the man tall or short?" With questions like this, the Gebieter must insist on a new phrasing.
- Questions that don't allow a simple yes/no answer because they rest on a false assumption — for example, the question "Was the man tall?" when the black story doesn't involve a man at all, but an animal. In this case, the Gebieter generously points out to the guessers that the question is based on a false assumption.
- Questions that lead the guessers astray — for example, the question "Had the man been to church earlier?" If it makes no difference whether the man had been to church or not, a question like this can lead the group completely astray. Naturally, this can be hard to judge in an individual case, and sometimes it's also fun to let the others squirm. A Gebieter in a forgiving mood will point out to the guessers that the question doesn't matter to the story.
The Gebieter's Ruling
The Gebieter is always right. This is especially important when the guessers think the story could have happened differently. The answer on the back of the card is the only correct solution.