Number of Players: 2+
How to:
Start by gathering 50 items that are out of place and putting them in a pile in the middle of the floor. Players should sit in a circle around the pile and choose a player to go first (click here for ways to choose who goes first). The first player starts the story with, “Once upon a time…” Play then passes to the left. The next player picks up an item from the pile and incorporates that item in to the story by coming up with a sentence or two that include a reference to that object. Play continues to the left until all items have been incorporated in to the story. The player that picks up the last item must figure out how to finish the story with that item.
Example:
Player 1: “Once upon a time…”
Player 2: Picks up a toy horse and says, “Prince Sigmund was riding through the woods near his castle on his favorite horse, Muffin, when he came upon a withered old woman sitting on a stump at the side of the path.”
Player 3: Picks up a plastic banana and says, “The old woman held out a piece of fruit and said, ‘Kind sir, would you agree to barter with an old woman?’”
Player 1: Picks up a wooden block and says, “The prince pulled his horse to a halt next to the old woman, dismounted and pulled a block of wood from his saddle bag saying, “I have only this piece of wood from which I had planned to carve a gift for the woman that I love.’ After all, why would a prince need to carry money or other valuables on his person?”
Player 2: Picks up a new item and continues the story.
Play continues around the circle until all items have been removed from the pile. After the end of the story, the players put away all items that they had used in the story.