Once Upon A Time, 3rd Edition

By Atlas Games
Price $24.95
Age 8+

One of the many wonderful things about this game is the ease with which it stimulates improvisational storytelling while keeping everyone thoroughly engaged. The game is as much about listening as it is about storytelling. One player at a time actively spins the tale by placing Story Cards on the table while introducing elements found on those cards (a dragon, a witch, falling in love, etc.) into her story. The other players, however, are not passive listeners. They are actively engaged in seeking to take over the story, either by playing an Interrupt Story Card that matches a Story Card just played, or by playing a Story Card of their own that contains something just mentioned by the storyteller. The interrupter takes over the story, continuing the tale by playing Story Cards from his own hand. The goal of every player is to win the game by playing their Ending Card (e.g. 'The curse was lifted as had been foretold'). Doing so requires that a player first rid her hand of all other cards AND successfully steer the story to the conclusion found on her Ending Card. The beauty of this game is the ease with which it unfolds. There's no sense of pressure to be creative. It just happens, spontaneously and playfully, the mark of a very good game. For 2 - 6 players.