[Game Chef 2011] Forsooth!

[sliberty]

Tidying up and laying out the text for our game chef entry, Forsooth!

In our game, players each control a small cast of characters, one of which is their Exile. Players will be improving a shakespearean play without a net (no GM/storyteller), scene by scene until all the exiles are married or dead. Players can have any of their characters exit and enter at any time, but can only have one character onstage at any time. Other players can introduce minor (NPC) characters, throw in stage cues (A clock chimes...) and what have you. The ultimate goal is to earn applause from your fellow thespians, the other players.

Bonus:

Players get to shout "I am killed!"
A mechanic called Soliloquy
A mechanic called Aside
Dead characters can return as ghosts.

Excerpt from the text:


Death in Forsooth!

No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church-door; but 'tis enough, 'twill serve: ask for
me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man.
Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene i

There comes a time in any character's life when he decides to draw his sword and run a knave through. Or run himself through. Whatever. How do you accomplish this, when murder is considered so rude?

Any player can foreshadow the death of any character during a soliloquy (this uses up that character's Soliloquy for the game). Thereafter, in a later scene, any character can kill the marked-for-death character at any time by saying "I kill him," or in the case of suicide, "I kill myself" and then describing how. Characters can also kill themselves offstage in between scenes, as long as it's been foreshadowed. Characters who die get the chance to have a "death scene" in which they can gain applause from the other players for the dead character, which still qualifies for winning the game.

Any player can at any time say "I kill [character name]" as long as they are in a scene together, even if their death has not been foreshadowed. However, this opens up options for the character you are killing.
i. The players says "You have killed me!" He then gets to enact his death scene, and possibly win applause.
ii. The player says "I fight back and escape wounded." He immediately exits, and cannot bring on a substitute  character from his roster.
iii. The player says "And I kill you." He dies, but kills the attacker in the process, and they share a death scene. Players applaud whoever they thought was better, and you can applaud your killer if you wish.

[sliberty]

Reviews are starting to come in and people seem to be liking the game. Very happy with our responses so far!