(written for Jonathan Walton’s Murderland game design exercise thingy)

This is a roleplaying game where players will take on roles to tell a story. In Quoth the Raven, there are four roles to play: the Raven Lord, the Crow Maiden, the Boy, and the Chorus. You must have one Raven Lord, one Crow Maiden, and one the Boy; you may have any number of Chorus members, from one to ten to fifteen.

Turns and Lines

The game is best played in a circle, standing, so that the players can move around. The course of the game goes ‘around’ the circle, with the player on your left taking their turn after yours. To start, intersperse the Chorus players between the other players as evenly as possible.

Players take turns telling the story by saying one line and one line only. A line may be as short as a word or as long as a complex sentence, and can even be two short sentences, but should never take more than a single breath or a moment’s thought. The pace of play should be quick; don’t think too hard about your line, just blurt out what comes naturally.

The game always begins with a Chorus player.

The Roles and Their Lines

The different roles in Quoth the Raven constrain how they contribute to the story.

Chorus members are the least restricted, but subject to strong veto power. Their primary job is to paint the setting and world the story takes place in, so their lines may concern just about anything in the story. Their lines can also involve the Raven Lord, Crow Maiden, and the Boy; however, each of those roles have means to respond when Chorus lines involve them. Chorus members may not respond to other players’ lines at all.

The Raven Lord plays the eponymous pseudo-mythical symbolic force of disorder and perversity, often personified as a wild-eyed young man with jet-black hair. He is the chief source of adversity in the game, and confounds the actions of the Crow Maiden and the Boy. In fact, his lines must confound the actions of the Crow Maiden or the Boy, otherwise they must feature the Raven Lord in person.
Responding: While the Raven Lord does have a turn every round, he may abandon his place in the circle and add a line after any other player adds theirs. He then stays in his new place in the circle. When the Raven Lord responds to another player’s line, he must respond in a “Yes, but…” fashion.

The Crow Maiden plays a character, often female, who has one foot in the mystical world and one foot in the mundane. She is always on a quest to which she has dedicated her life. The Crow Maiden’s lines may concern the actions and speech of the Crow Maiden, and they may introduce new elements of the setting, but never the actions or speech of elements of the setting.
Responding: The Crow Maiden may respond to the Raven Lord or the Boy, but cannot respond to the Chorus. When she responds, she raises her hand, which shows the other players they should listen, and adds a line. Her place in the circle does not change. When the Crow Maiden responds to the Raven Lord, she must respond in a “Yes, but…” fashion; when she responds to the Boy, she must respond in a “Yes, and…” fashion. She may not respond to the Chorus.

The Boy plays a character, often male, who is wholly mundane and oblivious, at the start of the story, of the existence of the Raven Lord or the supernatural nature of the Crow Maiden. The Boy’s lines may only detail the actions and speech of the Boy, but never their effects. Additionally, the Boy may only interact fictionally with the Raven Lord if the Raven Lord has appeared in person.
Responding: The Boy may respond to any other player, but only when he is mentioned (explicitly or implicitly) in that players’ line. When he responds, he holds up his hand to signal that he is responding, adds a line, and then moves to stand after the next player in the circle. The Raven Lord may not respond to the Boy’s response or the lines of the next two players (the second of which will be the Boy). When the Boy responds to another player’s line, he must respond in a “Yes, and…” fashion.

Yes, And… and Yes, But…

Players need not explicitly use the words “Yes, and…” and “Yes, but…” the whole game. At the start, they may be useful as you get the hang of the game, but once you get the rhythm down, feel free to abandon them.

Character Death and Ending the Game

If any of the Raven Lord, the Crow Maiden, or the Boy are killed in the story, go around the circle one more time until you reach the player whose narration involved the killing. Everyone should try to wrap up the story with their lines. This ends the game, and is the only way to end the game.

Short Example of Play

Chorus One: “Once upon a time, when the earth was still young…”
The Boy: “A young man named Anatol went hunting for deer.”
Chorus Two: “But all he found was trouble.”
Raven Lord (jumps in front of the Crow Maiden, who would have been next): “A flock of pitch-black birds feasted on a fallen deer before his very eyes.”
Crow Maiden: “But beyond the crows feasting on carrion, he saw a strong-boned young woman dressed in buckskin.”
Chorus One: “She was travel-worn from many days in the wilderness, and very hungry.”
The Boy: “The Boy was immediately smitten with her, and offered her jerky from his supplies.”
Crow Maiden (raises her finger): “She accepted the gift, and asked him where his tribe could be found.”
Chorus Two: “As she drew close, Anatol saw that she bore the marks of his tribe’s enemies, the Blackfoot.”
The Boy (raises finger): “And he drew his knife and demanded she leave the hunting grounds.” (The Boy goes to stand after the Raven Lord, who would go next.)
Crow Maiden (raises her finger): “She fled from him, covering her cheeks where the marks were, and told him that she had been enslaved.”
Raven Lord: “Then the slavers who had chased her over hill and dale sprang into the clearing, shouting and waving spears.”
The Boy: “But Anatol strode forward and slew their champion with a single blow.”
Crow Maiden: “And that night, the woman told him her secret name, Baasti.”

And so on.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 10:47 am and is filed under My Books and Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.