StoryLine: Fairy Tales Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Double Banners
• The End
• Family Variant

Game Overview

The goal of all players is to tell the best story possible. During the game the players lay out a story and contribute various cards representing characters, objects, features, and other story elements. Each time an element is added to the story, the player who contributed that card gains a token. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins!

Components

• 30 Narrator Cards
• 100 Story Cards (categories: Character, Place, Feature, Object, Action)
• 21 Tokens

Setup

Before playing, set up the game as follows:

1. Prepare Story Cards: Take the five story card decks and shuffle each category separately. Place each of them in the center of the table within reach of all players. Then, each player draws one card from each story deck.
2. Prepare Token Supply: Place all tokens facedown in the center of the table and thoroughly mix them.
3. Prepare Narrator Deck: Choose one of the two unique Narrator decks and make sure that the cards are arranged in numerical order with card number "1" on top.
4. Determine First Narrator: The player who has most recently finished reading a book takes the narrator deck and places it facedown within easy reach. He or she will be the Narrator for the first turn of the game.

Playing the Game

StoryLine: Fairy Tales is played over 15 rounds. At the start of each round, the current Narrator draws the top card of the Narrator deck and places it faceup on the table. Then he or she reads aloud the text on the card. The colored banner identifies the story card category for the round.

Then, each player except for the Narrator draws one story card from the deck of the matching category, after which each player must choose one story card from his hand of the matching category to play facedown in the center of the table.

After all players have placed their cards facedown, the Narrator shuffles them. Then he or she reveals and reads each story card aloud. The Narrator chooses one of these cards to advance the story. He or she places that card next to the narrator card so that they resemble an open book.

The Narrator should feel free to embellish the story as appropriate for the chosen story card, such as providing a name for a character or a description for a particular place or object.

When the Narrator chooses a card, the player who contributed that card gains one facedown token. Players cannot look at their facedown tokens until the end of the game.

The remaining story cards not chosen by the Narrator are shuffled and placed on the bottom of their respective decks.

Then, the current Narrator passes the narrator deck to the player on his or her left. That player becomes the new Narrator and begins a new round.

Double Banners

Certain narrator cards show two colored banners. These cards are played as normal except that each player except for the Narrator draws one card from the deck of each matching category, and the Narrator chooses one card for each banner on the narrator card. It is possible for a single player to gain two facedown tokens during one of these rounds.

The End

The game ends when the narrator card that says "The End" is read. Then, all players flip their tokens faceup. Tokens showing a number are worth that many points. Four tokens show unique images and have the following effects:

• The Old Boot: This token does nothing.
• The Scales: If the game ends in a tie, you decide which of the tied players wins.
• The Bear Trap: You randomly return one of your other tokens facedown to the supply.
• The Crown: You gain two additional facedown tokens. Flip those tokens faceup and resolve any revealed effects.

Players resolve their effects in clockwise order, starting with the last Narrator. If a player has multiple effects, he or she resolves them in any order. The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player who has the Scales token chooses which of the tied players wins.

If no player has the Scales token, the player with the most tokens is the winner. If all tied players have the same number of tokens, they all share the victory!

Family Variant

When playing with young children, you may wish to simplify the game. At the end of the game, tokens are not flipped faceup. Instead, the player with the most tokens wins.