Overview:
1 Host
2 Players
The basic premise is that the players RP a character in a relationship. These characters will be assigned Traits with goals they have to achieve in order to earn additional satisfaction points for them. These Traits do have the opportunity to change as well. The players will go through three chapters, playing through various scenes until the finale when they will tally satisfaction points, and each player will see if they have achieved their individual win con. Win cons will shift as the game progresses, and it is not possible to know what win con or Traits your partner holds and is playing towards. It is possible for both, one or neither of the players to win when all is said and done.
Each character has five areas that kind of make up who they are and will heavily impact how they behave:
1. Personality Dimensions. Each personality dimension has a positive and a negative aspect. Each Trait, Occupation, Feature and experience your character has can influence these personality dimensions. Your final personality dimension scores impact whether or not you achieved the goals on your Traits.
- Discipline - Having a higher score in the Positive aspect will make you more structured, hard working, timely, etc. Having a higher score in the negative aspect will make you more laid back, disorganized, lazy, etc.
- Curiosity - Having a higher score in the positive aspect will make you more adventurous, free-spirited, trendy, etc. While having a higher score in the negative aspect will make you more cautious, less open to new experiences, and more old fashioned.
- Extroversion - Having a higher score in the positive will make you more boisterous, outgoing, friendly, etc. And having a higher score in the negative will make you quieter, shyer, less inclined to do outrageous things, etc.
- Sensitivity - Having a higher score in the positive aspect of this will make you more sensitive, easily offended, hurt, etc. While a higher score in the negative aspect will make you more thick skinned, indifferent to outside opinions of you, etc.
- Gentleness - Having a higher score in the positive aspect will make you more kind, aware of the feelings of others, compassionate, etc. While a higher score to the negative aspect will make you more blunt, forward, less considerate of others feelings, etc.
- Sincerity - A higher score in the positive aspect of this will make you more just, honest, truthful, etc. And a higher score in the negative aspect will make you more sneaky, deceitful, dishonest, etc.
3. Features: These are assigned to you by your partner who has no knowledge of what goals your Traits have you working towards.They consist of what physical feature or mannerism that their character first noticed about yours. Each of these will have a point toward an aspect of a Personality Dimension. They can also inform you a bit in how to RP your character, but they have a minor effect overall. These do not change over the course of the game.
4. Occupation: You choose an occupation at the start of the game. There are circumstances in which you might change your occupation. If this happens you take away whatever impact it made on your Personality Dimensions and add the point for the new occupation.
5. Satisfaction Points: Various experiences throughout the game will impact your overall satisfaction in the relationship. These points will count towards your final win con. Experiences can add to your overall satisfaction score, or take away from it. Some of your decisions for your character could be impacted by what you want your satisfaction score to look like at the Finale.
How the game is played:
A game consists of three Chapters and a FInale. Each Chapter consists of a set amount of Scenes. Scenes are cards held in a players hand which are basically scenarios to put the characters into which will impact either their Personality Dimensions, their Satisfaction Points, or both. These have three types, Sweet Scenes, Serious Scenes and Drama Scenes. They can be a Partner Chooses scenario, which means it is the partner of the person who plays the card. Or it can be a Both Choose Scenario in which they both choose. There are also Situations which don't require a choice, but impact the next card played. As well as Secrets, which are played face down and have different effects if revealed before the end of the game or at the Finale. And finally Reactions, which usually give you a chance to change something that just occurred or build on it.
During each chapter there is a prescribed number of cards to be played. Players alternate turns playing a Scene, resolving it and then making the outcome adjustments. Reactions and Secrets do not count towards the total number of cards played for the round. When the total number of cards are reached, you move on to the next Chapter. Once you end the third Chapter you have reached the Finale and you scare your Traits that you have achieved or missed and see if you made your win con.
Win Con: Also known as Destinies. There are six different win cons with which the players begin. As the game moves along they whittle down the Destinies to the ones they believe they are more likely to be able to achieve. There will be Scene outcomes that may force a player to swap in/out, discard or retrieve a particular Destiny. Your partner will not know what Destinies your hold in your hand still. You could secretly be holding the Heartbreaker Destiny and have every intention of breaking up with them at the end. These win cons always involve the Satisfaction Points. It could be about your own individual score, the total of both you and the other player's score, the difference between them, or even just the other player's score. They can also have requirements based on the Personality Dimensions, though not all do. When you reach the Finale, all that is left is to tally your score and see if you achieve your one remaining Destiny and win the game. Both, one or none of the players may win depending on if the individuals meet their win cons.
That is the game in a nutshell. So, anyone interested in giving it a go here if I host one? All it takes is two willing guinea pigs....