Embers

Embers: A Group World Building Game is a table-top game about coming together to create new futures. Though Embers is a single player game, each players’ play sessions throughout the showcase come together to create a new world.

 

Players will try to define and build a community through adversarial environments, in the midst of a climate apocalypse. How will you weather the end of the world?

 

RULES

The following is the rules of the game. They are printed out at the table, but are also printed below to read at your own pace. The audio version of the rules are also available here.

 

Embers is a game about imagining a new community, in the face of a climate disaster. What kind of world would you like to build?

 

This is a one-player game. A play session takes between 5 - 15 minutes.

 

(Discussing and playing with other people is allowed, but optional).

 

HOW TO PLAY

You, along with your fellow attendees, will work together to build a small community by creating and writing down its Aspects.

 

An Aspect is one fact you write about the community, written on an index card and left on the table for your fellow players to consult.

 

To determine what Aspect to write, a set of question prompts are provided, each corresponding to a playing card in a 54-card deck, jokers included. Draw a card from the deck, using the suit (Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds) and value (2-10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace) to find the question that you will answer. Your Aspect is the answer to this prompt.

 

Write your answer on an index card and leave it on the table for your fellow players.

 

You may draw as many or as few cards as you like. If you find you are unable to answer a question, you can draw a different card.

 

THE WORDS, THE WORLDS OF OTHERS

Other players’ Aspects may be helpful in giving you ideas on what you can write about. Perhaps you can base your Aspect on others that are on the board.

 

Or, you may not agree with other people’s ideas, and instead write an Aspect that is very different from theirs. It is perfectly allowed, and in fact encouraged, to write Aspects that are very different from other existing Aspects. The community you create doesn’t need to be monolithic.

 

Writing Prompts

CLUBS - concerning the land and environment

2, 3: What does the community eat? How do they obtain food and water?

4, 5: What does the community create for leisure (ex. instruments, toys), and from what?

6, 7: What kinds of clothing does the community wear? How is it created and/or salvaged?

8, 9: These lands are plagued by natural disasters. Which ones are the community best prepared for?

10, Jack: What do shelters look like in this community, and how are they made?

Queen, King: The community is facing a food shortage. How are resources shared?

Ace: Pick a Clubs suit prompt of your choice to write about.

 

SPADES - concerning values, surviving, and thriving

2, 3: What sorts of people or values are highly respected?

4, 5: Name an important duty or responsibility necessary to maintain this community. Is the responsibility expected of, or is it entrusted to, the members of the community?

6, 7: Create a special role in this community, done by certain people for a particular purpose. What is the role? Is it spiritual, practical, social, or something else? What kind of person / people usually hold it?

8, 9: Name (or create) a leisure activity this community frequently does together.

10, Jack: Name (or create) is a notable holiday or time that the community observes.

Queen, King: Is there anyone who might be under-served in this community? If so, how?

Ace: Pick a Spades suit prompt of your choice to write about.

 

DIAMONDS - concerning society and interactions with the outside

2, 3: How are decisions made? By whom?

4, 5: A small group of people wish to enter the community. How can/should they be brought in?

6, 7: What kinds of decisions are usually made as a community?

8, 9: Which kinds of decisions are made individually?

10, Jack: Consider an event or concern that requires the input of the community. Whose input is gathered, and how?

Queen, King: Another, larger community also exists on this land. How are resources shared between them? Are there agreements in place?

Ace: Pick a Diamonds suit prompt of your choice to write about.

 

HEARTS - concerning conflict resolution and community support.

2, 3: What is one reason that this community initially came together?

4, 5: What is one reason that the members of the community continue to stay together?

6, 7: Two community members are in conflict. What is it likely about? How is it resolved?

8, 9: Are deep relationships between community members publicly celebrated or highly personal to those members? If they are celebrated, then how? If they are private, then why?

10, Jack: What kind of person is likely to need additional support? What kind of support?

Queen, King: A member of the community has harmed anoher in some way, whether with actions or with words. What should be done for the person that was harmed? What should be done for the person who did harm?

Ace: Pick a Hearts suit prompt of your choice to write about.

 

JOKER

Wildcard! You can write anything you like about this community.

(If you would prefer a specific writing prompt, feel free to draw again).