Into the Woods

I just finished running Into the Woods in Bristol at igfest and it went really well. The game mixes street games and social games with a bit of theatricality to hopefully deliver a compelling experience. I envisioned the game as a series of linked fairy-tale games. I had playtested all of the elements of the game at Eyebeam and as The Duel out in COaP SF last fall. But I had never run them all together as a theatrical experience. MCing the game as the character of Robin Goodfellow was an exciting challenge.

I really wanted to deliver all instructions for the game in narrative as the character. In order to do this I had to keep the games simple and focused so that we wouldn’t get bogged down with players asking questions about rules and how to play. Instead I wanted them hurled directly into the game where they had to figure out what to do. For the most part it actually worked in play. Plus the games are short enough and repeated several times, so players have a couple chances to watch and figure out what to do.

Here’s the description of the game:

Into the Woods takes players on a fairy-tale like journey into the darkness of the forest and their base instincts. The event is suite of five short interconnected games that pit a group of Villagers against a pack of Wolves in a contest for control of the forest. Players will find themselves exiled from the village, cast into a whispering forest and blindly dueling one another as they try to shepherd their kind to safety or hunt down intruders to their dominion.

At the beginning of the game players will be assigned roles, which they act out over the course of five games. Some games find players working alone, while others involve the cooperation of the entire village or pack. In the end though, only one player will be crowned king of the forest.

To read the script of the game download the the full script here :Into the Woods Script

Some photos outlining the play of the game:

Before the game, I talk to each of the players and stamp a claw or bone into each player's palm. This is the player's identity.

Little Devils gather players for the start of a round of "The Bell in the Forest"

The Children hunt the Wolf in a round of "The Bell in the Forest"

The circle collapses on the Children chasing the Wolf in a round of "The Bell in the Forest"

The Wolves and the Villagers strategize before a round of "The Whispering Forest"

Player navigate the player trees in the "The Whispering Forest"

Watch a video of a round of The Duel at COaP SF. The Duel is the climactic final game of Into the Woods. It can play like a slow burning terror for the blindfolded shepherd or a fast-paced almost martial arts-like game, depending on the players: