TropeQuest 2022

TropeQuest pokes fun at everyone's favorite sci-fi and fantasy stereotypes and puts them literally into the hands of the players, who attempt to turn a pile of genre fiction cliches into a workable narrative. It's a creative, collaborative game with a lighthearted competitive element that uses cards and a board to make it fun and easy for players to improvise an original story. Best of all, it generates a unique tale each and every time it's played.

The board provides the story arc, a plot map that packs as many cliched scenarios and overwrought plot twists as possible into fifteen squares. The deck brings the setting... a library of genre tropes and oblique pop culture references to tickle the imaginations of geeks and laypersons alike. Players and encouraged to mix, match, and try out new combinations.

After a deck of tropes and a plot board are chosen, players are each dealt a hand of cards and take turns being the Narrator. The Narrator reads the prompt on the next available square and chooses a card from a pool of trope cards submitted by adjacent players (plus one random from the deck) to finish the prompt. While this may yield some hilarious results, the Narrator's work has not yet begun! Next, the Narrator "sells" the scene by elaborating, tying up loose ends, spicing it up a bit. Afterwards, the players redraw cards, the player whose card was picked draws an extra one, and the next player becomes the Narrator. Rinse and repeat until all fifteen squares have been played and the story has reached its thrilling climax.

So, the story is over. What was the point of it all? Well, in a way, the goal of the game is to laugh, have fun, and tell a quirky story together. However, in another, more mathematical and literal way, the goal of the game is to win by having more cards than anyone else at the end of the game. But winning also comes with great responsibility! After the gloating is over, the winner then chooses their favorite scene in the story Narrated by another player. That player then becomes the Chosen One, Master of Tropes and The Uber-Winner of that round of TropeQuest.