The Trouble with Rose

The Trouble with Rose is a co-operative story telling game with role playing and hand management. Players can collaboratively build a world, use an existing setting, or select one from a number of play sets.

Components: A standard deck of playing cards and a set of double six dominoes are required for play. Note taking materials for player created worlds and characters is suggested if a play set is not used.

Game Play: Each player is dealt a hidden agenda and either creates a character on the fly or uses one from the selected play set. Players then pull four to five dominoes (depending on the number playing.) The game begins with playing one of the dominoes from your hand and creating a scene based on the pips and their matching values for that character. After the scene, the remaining people at the table can embellish the scene and vote to determine if the player earned the points on the domino and can add it to their score. Play continues around the table until all the dominoes in hand are used. At that time, the hidden agendas are revealed and any bonus points are awarded. High score wins and gets to describe the fate of the players and any NPCs that were created.

Theme: TTwR started out as a Game Chef 2011 entry and was expanded and polished after the contest. The theme for GC'11 was Shakespeare and TTwR is designed to create character driven stories that tend to take tragic and comedic turns. Game play is wide open, but the rules provide the structure for story telling among strangers and play testing/con games have shown that the system delivers on the fun.