Slash: Romance without boundaries
Slash: Romance without boundaries Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to "Print" slash
You could print the following 39 pages on standard paper, but that would be a shame for a game as elegant and dignified as slash.
GPD recommends purchasing a pack of heavy stock linen paper and using that for your base material. Alternately you can take the file to any retail print shop and simply request a card stock or cover stock paper of sufficient weight. Cover stocks of 110lbs (or higher!) or cardstock of 11pt or better will have a similar snap and feel to regular playing cards and will stand up to the wear and tear of repeated shuffling and handling fairly well. If you can't have the deck trimmed along the dotted lines provided, hit a craft store and pick up a razor-bladed paper/photo trimmer. The embedded ruler will make all the difference in accurate cutting.
Print note: the printed rules say "39 pages", but the file supplied contains 36 pages (page 1 rules plus 35 character card pages). This is a minor inconsistency in the source and not a missing page.
How To "Play" slash
Each player draws ten cards from the slash deck. The person who last suffered a breakup is the first matchmaker for the round and chooses which mode to play.
Casual Fling
The matchmaker selects a character from his hand and plays it face up in the center of the table. Each of the other players selects a character from his own hand that he believes pairs best with the matchmaker's choice. These cards are placed face down around the matchmaker's card. Once everyone has played a card, the matchmaker turns them all face up, revealing them to everyone, and chooses the one he feels makes the One True Pairing with his own card.
Hardcore
The matchmaker selects a character from his hand and plays it face up in the center of the table. The matchmaker then provides a story prompt to the rest of the table such as "Tell me about their meet-cute" or "Describe their first date." Each of the remaining players selects a character from his hand that he believes pairs best with the matchmaker's choice. These cards are placed face up in turn and each player, clockwise from the matchmaker is given a chance to narrate the story as prompted. Once all players have made their pitches, the matchmaker chooses the one he feels makes the One True Pairing with his own card.
Winning the Round
The player who submitted the winning character receives both cards of the One True Pairing, while the remaining character cards are shuffled back into the deck.
Challenging the Matchmaker
Players may also challenge the matchmaker's One True Pairing judgment by betting a card from their score pile. The challenging player must narrate a scene between two of the revealed characters. If, within a reasonable amount of time, the majority of the players at the table like the story, then the challenger receives the score cards and his bet card. If the table remains unimpressed by the challenger's OTP story, then the challenger forfeits his bet card to the discard pile and the matchmaker's choice stands. Don't be a brat; if somebody spins an entertaining tale, give them the points.
Replenishing and Ending the Game
All players replenish their hand of cards back to ten and the matchmaker role moves clockwise to the next player. Play continues until one person has scored 20 points' worth of characters! Yay! That person is the winner!
The slash FAQ
Is this going to take forever? For groups of 5 or more players we suggest you reduce the score needed to win to 10 pts.
What if I don't know who this card is? Don't freak. Just discard unknown characters between rounds and draw replacement cards. Try not to cheat; if you recognize somebody even a little, stick with them.
What if we end the game and the score is tied!?! The tied players select a pair of characters from their hands and place them face down on the table. Then they reveal them to the group. Players vote on which pair is the truest OTP played and that person is the winner.
What if somebody is being a big jerk or a creepy weirdo? Stop playing games with them. Also tell them that I think they are a jerk/creep.
How do I decide what an OTP is? That is up to you. While slash is a game inspired by the "romantic" fanfiction that seethes through the internets and fan culture, this is by no means a binding contract. Remember that the most canonical pair of characters is rarely the most interesting, though. Choose the pairing that feels right to you, no judgments (ok, well, maybe some judgments).
How can we take this game to a dark place? slash is fully equipped for whatever relationship scenario can imagine, but you will be expected to put your money where your mouth is.
Can I add my favorite characters to this horrible game? Lucky for you we've included five blank cards for players to fill out with their favorite characters or friends! Assign point values between one (popular) and three (obscure) based on the prominence of the character chosen. Or, if you are lazy, wait until we release a few expansions!