Tag Archives: Fiasco

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 2

The story we created together is a bit exaggerated and outrageous. There are many details that I can’t remember now. Some of the turbulent plots are provided by game mechanics, which are rationalized by us and unified with other plots. There are also many of our own ideas.

The board games that Fiasco and I usually play are quite different. There is no winning or losing, only the story and the process. We are doing improvisation. The framework of the game gives us an era background and venue to freely exert our imagination. These are not available in ordinary board games. We played for about two hours. These are two hours of attentiveness, because everyone else must listen carefully when telling a story and try to integrate it with the story of their character. I play it a bit rigorously, and think of myself as a script writer. The script is written for others to appreciate and evaluate, not too outrageous, it must be convincing.

I am a lady with an underground casino and drug smuggling business. My partner is Xin. I need him to help me transfer and sell drugs. My casino is underground in the prison. This is a risky and creative decision. Our story is very funny but it continues very wonderfully. I once went to prison to bail my partner, because when Xin went to the prison to visit Jack, he was discovered by the police. Jack escaped from prison, but my partner Xin was arrested. This is an exaggeration, but we are all in the play and enjoy the game.

All in all, this is a heart-stringing game, and I hope we can do better.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 1

Today we started playing Fiasco, my friends Kate, Jack, Jingyi, Xin. We enjoyed this game very much, but in fact we were not familiar with this game at the beginning, but I found that this game has to be played many times. It is a long story, just like a TV series. This game can be played for a long time. Fiasco has a basic rule structure. In addition to these books, each time you play, you have to choose a scene, and the scene has its own content. The basic game provides some scenes, and there are many, many other scenes besides the basic game, including scenes created by players. The game is played for four rounds. In each round, each player has to tell a story from his character’s point of view. The story is over, the player can choose to set up a crisis by himself, and then other players decide the result, or choose other players to set up a crisis for him, and he decides the result. The whole game process is that everyone is creating a story together.

At the beginning of the game, you have to set the roles and relationships of the players. Part of this setting is decided by rolling the dice, and part is chosen by the player. Various story elements are listed on the setting table of the scene. Each element has a value (between 1 and 6). All the dice must be thrown together to form a common dice library. When the player sets up the character and the relationship between the characters, he must remove the dice from the dice library, and then select the story element that corresponds to the number of the dice. The elements in the setting list of the scene are naturally related to the age of the scene and the background of the story. There are also some general plots that allow players to use their imagination. The setting of the scene will make the players have a stake, and some characters will have goals or tasks. The content of the story is not very detailed at this time, only one or two key points. Players must try to string these elements into a coherent and logical story.

I like this game very much and hope that the next story can be more exciting.

fiasco week 2

This was week 2 of playing fiasco and I really felt the progress and got into it this week. It was so much fun that I decided to do the fiasco playset assignment. I’ve been on a bit of a kick for both westerns and space things so  it works out that I got to play the western and make a space fiasco. It went a bit less smoothly than I expected and the instructions on the tilt were a bit messy but it was so much fun the entire time!

It took a bit of effort to start the story-telling aspect. I think it was a bit easier for me than the rest of my group as I’ve been a dungeon master for my friends for I think about 3 years give or take. I’m used to setting the scene, building up the characters and giving motivation, it’s a requirement for DMs to be able to do that. Fiasco was even easier because I didn’t need to plant things for others to find or set up things before and after, it was just the one scene. Once we went once around the table we all got really into it and came up with some elaborate and engaging ideas. We were even talking about it during the tilt and where we thought we’d go with act 2.

The leadership aspect in this game is knowing when to take the lead but also knowing when to step back and let another person shine. I think everyone thinks that leadership inherently makes others follow, and while yes to an extent someone will be “in charge” I think leadership is really about coming together and finding each person a part to take charge of in a given project. Fiasco really highlights this idea in a way beyond words.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 1 Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 1

For this week in class, we started playing the game Fiasco. We are going to be playing this game over a span of three weeks. For the first week, my group was only able to set up the game. In the set up we had to roll dice to create our world and characters. As we progressed through the dice we realized our choices were becoming limited and made it harder for us to decide where we wanted our story to progress. In the end several characters had the same needs as we rolled a large proportion of one dice number. Our set up took longer than most. It took a bit of time to get everyone one the game page to get our story running. 

Fiasco is a game about co-leadership. You can’t play this game quietly or by yourself. Each person has to put something to the table in order for your story to work. Collaboration is the key to making this game succeed. If only one person is talking, asking the questions, and giving ideas for how the story could progress, then the game is not being played. Everyone has to put an effort into creating the world this game lives in.

I think my friends Sarah, Laura, Sam, and Gavin would enjoy playing this game. All of them enjoy playing games like DnD. At times the sessions of DnD they play almost end up in a Fiasco type journey. They love building worlds that could end up going horribly wrong based on the players actions. It as if chaos runs in their veins during the game session.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 2

This week, we continued playing the role player game which is called Fiasco. Last week, our group just finished the setup, so this week we begin to create several scenes, and we just get to the tilt.

During the class session, we have only 4 players which we normally have 5. So, we decided to skip the person’s role who is not here. And we started to make scenes, which I think is the hardest part for me, because in this part, you need to be creative so that the whole story can be interesting and making sense. However, I am not a very creativity person and English is not my first language, so this part is the hardest for me. After we finished this part, we decided to stop because we want to wait for the person who was not here to caught up.

For the leadership during this week, I think it is about tolerance and being helpful. For example, when I could not figure out what should I say to create my scene, my group members helped me a lot, they give me some good advice. And we decided not to end the game because we want to wait the last member who was not here. And I think this is relevant to the leadership.

After this week’s class session, I think I dislike this game a little bit, because there are some parts that make me feel awkward. Hopefully the situation will be changed next week!

Game of the Week Blog: Fiasco Week 2

This week we continued to play the role-playing game of Fiasco again and this time my team got through the tilt and next week we will be wrapping up with the aftermath. We were kind of thrown off track but the loss of one player who was absent this week and the inclusion of a new player. However, it was kind of a blessing in disguise because the new player transitioned into the group without a problem and really developed the character assigned to them. The tilt is the part in the game halfway through where the players with the most dice so far in the game get to add another category and make the game even crazier.

We decided to add two new tilt categories just because and they included role reversal and someone panics. I’d say that once again the hardest part of the game is being creative and coming up with an exciting plotline on the fly. There were moments where I felt inadequate because I thought the other players had much more fun things to say than I did. But we did hit our stride as a team and concluded the tilt with a dramatic flair.

I’d say empathy and the ability to inspire and convince others were the biggest leadership ties this week. Empathy played a key role in this week’s game because the reason we had a new player was that they did not feel welcome in their last group based upon the different identities they hold. So we as a group listened to this person, affirmed them, and then adjusted our RPG consent form so that everyone was felt safe and comfortable. The ability to inspire and convince others was the other leadership skill because those players that had that ability were able to take over the story so that it kept developing and moving forward, we were all able to inspire each other’s scenes, and that lead to quite a Fiasco. I can’t way to see how it all gets resolved and ends in the Aftermath next week!

fiasco week 1

This week we played fiasco! At first I wasn’t too interested in it but once I watched the videos and read a bit it really got my wheels turning. It is a fast-paced diceless RPG which revolves around snap choices and improv. It seems more complex than it is at first glance but we really hit a stride and found our groove eventually.

Online connection was still a struggle but we got together in 15 minutes instead of 30 this time! Progress! The most difficult part of the game was following the dice guidelines, we really wanted to use some specifics but we were really limited by the dice we rolled which was a little disappointing. I also think we had some organizational issues and that concerns me for our next round of playing.

I think this game has an interesting view on leadership, that being co-leadership and collaboration. The entire game needs you to lean on the other players and to work with them and build the story. This has its predicted troubles and successes like having difficulty with having different motives or ideas but also the success of working together and having different viewpoints.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 1

This week in Tabletop Leadership we played Fiasco. Fiasco is a role-playing game in which 3-5 players develop characters, relationships, objects, and locations together to create a scenario. These scenarios will either end good or badly, depending on how your mates perceive your situation. In my opinion, the hardest part of the game is understanding the point of it. It is very different from any game I’ve ever played. I struggled to understand what the overall goal is. Even when I knew how to play the game, I would get lost in the set up phase because there were a lot of characteristics to remember and keep track of. That is why it is good to write notes while you play!

Fiasco ties to leadership because it requires a lot of thinking ahead. If you are on top of everything then you can manipulate situation so that it goes well for your character. Leadership is all about influencing others. In Fiasco, your characters can be very influencing and you can steer the direction of the story to your favor. That is why I believe my friend Alex would enjoy this game. I see him as a natural leadership and he would want to get a full grasp on the situation within the game. He would be good at influencing others to help his character out and find the best possible solutions for the end.

In week 1, my group was only able to complete the set up phase. The session ended as soon as we named our characters. It wasn’t hard to figure out how to pick die and develop the characters, so we went faster as the game went on. None of us have played before which is why it took longer for set up than some other groups. I believe the session went well and we are all excited to see how it goes next week. I don’t have a complaint about the game, however I am worried about how well I’ll do while playing. I’m not particular skilled on improvisation, so coming up with scenes might be a bit difficult for me. Luckily the rest of my group seems to have a good handle on the game and I’m excited to see how crazy this story can get.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco Week 1

This week, we played another game called Fiasco, which is also a roll player game. In this game, we need to create and define our own relationships, needs, objects, locations and so on. And we need to make all of these into a story, which is fun. However, the hardest part for me is also to make a story by this information, I am not a very creative person, so it was very difficult for me to put all this information together and make up a story that worked.

I think for the leadership in this game, the most important is every player should actively communicate their ideas, because every choice they make affects not just them but everyone else, and every decision affects the direction of our own story. I think me and my roommates might be able to enjoy this game because we always play other games together, so it is easy and comfortable for us to communicate our ideas.

During the session, there were 4 group members besides me. After we all connected in, we chose Boomtown and set the boundaries which we did not remove anything actually, and we just finished chose and defined our relationships, needs, locations and objects. The session went pretty good since all my group members actively communicated our ideas. I like this game because I never played this kind of game before, it requires people to exchange their ideas to others so that they can make their own story which is cool. Since I am not a creative person, my personal value in this game is to take note so that things will no mess up which is also very important. Because if people do not remember what they chose, they will waste time to redo it, and it will cause us to fall behind schedule.

Game of the Week Blog Reflection: Fiasco

This week in class we played another role-playing game called Fiasco. In our first session, we set up the game in Boom Boomtown and established boundaries that we were not comfortable crossing with the consent checklist. I really liked the fact that this game required us to have an open dialogue to express things we did not want to see play out in the game, I think this is an important aspect that should be included in all types of games. Our group was pretty open to anything with a rated R rating but we would not allow things like sexual assault, self-harm, etc. Once we completed the checklist, we rolled dice and took turns picking aspects like relationships, needs, locations, and objects.

Compared to last week’s game of Roll Player, I greatly enjoyed Fiasco more. Since the players have such a large degree of freedom in determining the course of the game the plot twists are both unexpected and humorous. I think that’s what I liked the most, never knowing what to expect next and laughing at whoever is currently establishing a scene. The only thing I struggled with the most was definitely the creativity aspect of the game. It is harder than you think to come up with ways to both keep the plot interesting but also ensure that it makes sense.

I think the most important leadership aspects in this game were trust, creativity, and active listening. Trust because you have to believe the other players won’t violate the consent checklist. Creativity and active listening because most of the game is playing off of what the other players do or say so you have to be present and engaged to help steer the narrative. It can also be argued that another leadership element is the fact that players get to decide who they want their characters to be in the beginning so free will is present. I would recommend this game to both friends and family because it seems like a game that could function as a fun night in or at a party.