By: Kay Anderson
In order to prepare for our tabletop role-playing game assignment, my teammates and I played a game called Fiasco. While it isn’t supposed to rely much on complicated rulebooks or character sheets filled with stats and abilities, it did take us a sped-up YouTube tutorial, in addition to the rules, to understand how to play the game.
To begin playing, we first had to choose a playset, each of which provided a different setting, characters, and relationships to explore (e.g. co-workers, lovers, friends, etc.). From the look of all our options, our story could have been a small-town bank heist gone wrong or a high school reunion with dark secrets.
Once we established our playset, we used dice rolls to establish our relationships between each other, define our objectives, and establish key elements of the story. The game is divided into two acts, each of which is broken down into scenes. During a scene, we would take turns framing the action, portraying their characters, and reacting to the unfolding events.
I only had the chance to play through the first act of Fiasco before heading off to work, but even in that short time, I could sense the potential for a richer experience. We spent a lot of time setting up the initial scenario and introducing our characters, so I don’t think I delve deep enough into establishing strong relationships and motivations. Further, I think that if I had more time fleshing out character backgrounds and establishing clear objectives, I would have enjoyed the improvisational aspect of the game.
If I had more time to delve deeper into Fiasco, I think that I would have enjoyed the game more, especially considering my comfort with improvisation. While the limited time frame allowed only a glimpse into its potential, I gathered that there would be intricate layers of storytelling waiting to be uncovered. Further, I didn’t get to experience the “Tilt” phase of Fiasco during my initial playthrough. This phase, which occurs midway through the game, is meant to introduce unexpected complications and twists that can dramatically alter the course of the narrative. I think that this phase would’ve added that extra element of unpredictability and excitement that I felt the game was missing.
