Storytelling

Designers: Ami Baio
Publisher: Pink Tiger Games
Artist: Roselly Monegro
2-7 players | 30 min. | ages 14+ | MSRP $25 | BGG Entry
Time to teach & learn: 2 minutes

Game Synopsis

Lost for words is a game about describing emotions. Structure for the game is provided by a deck of 350 cards each with an obscure word for an emotion and its definition and an icon. Select a card from your hand and read it aloud, then share with the group a memory or an experience or a story from your life or the life you might want. A simple scoring system is in place if you care about that sort of thing, but really lost for words is an invitation to explore how language shapes our feelings, and our ability to connect with and share them. Sometimes it takes just the right word for us to not feel so lost.

Why We Love Lost for Words

Lost for words gives players a chance to discover how language can confine and constrain the way we think. It does this by presenting English speaking players with hundreds of emotion words from other languages. The words on these cards describe feelings and scenarios that have no obvious or easy equivalent in English. Here are some examples.

Ewa inu (Yoruba): the beauty inside; your character or intrinsic worth

Razliubito (Russian): when you are no longer in love, but still hold bittersweet sentiments of nostalgia toward someone

Natsubate (Japanese): when you’re feeling particularly tired of summer

Neko Neko (Indonesian): someone who has a creative idea that makes the situation worse

Commuovere (Italian): to be moved to tears by words

Cwcth (Welsh): and embrace saved for those closest to you in sentimental times

Jugaad (Hindi): inventive, and flexible, problem-solving; often a hack because of lack of resources or budget

lost for words game card - trouvaille (french) meaning good fortune and luck

These are complex feelings and situations distilled and compressed into a single word. When we struggle to express a feeling, it may be language itself has failed us. Sometimes you might be lost for words simply because you’re trapped inside your own language. Each language is a window into how we humans perceive the world. The more languages we encounter, the more lenses we have to see and describe ourselves and others.

Lost for words is an experiential game, one that emphasizes the play experience over winning and losing. A basic structure is presented for those players who might need a winner and loser, but the soul of this game is in the invitation to share thoughts and memories when each emotion card is played.

It is not unfair to say that many players might balk at the idea of a game that nudges you to talk about your feelings. I have encountered this firsthand each time I have taught and played the game. However, within a few short turns, everyone at the table ends up, leaning in listening and laughing and commiserating with the stories that are being told.

Much to my chagrin, this style of game is often looked down upon, dismissed, or not even seen as a game at all. “It’s an experience, not a game” is the most common insult hurled. That mentality says games must have winners and losers. Otherwise, what’s the point? What a bankruptcy of imagination to exclude experiential games from the table.

Experiential games point to a primal form of playfulness just as valid as so-called “proper” games. The goal of an experiential game is to create memorable moments through play. The gentle genius of Lost for Words is how each player decides to assemble the words they will use in the game. Each player has a hand of seven cards. Once dealt, certain words will strike a chord immediately with players and go into the must play pile, while others may be boring or uncomfortable enough, players will set them aside to discard.

But here’s the thing. As the game moves forward and more stories are shared, you may discover you have the perfect follow up story that connects with someone else’s but only if you play one of the words you had previously thought was too uncomfortable to consider. One player‘s choice to open up can gently nudge other players’ willingness to do the same. Those moments are magic when they happen. No one scores more as a result, but everyone at the table has really won. For the memory of those stories will last far more than any final score.

Congratulations to designer Ami Baio

More information on Lost for Words at: Pink Tiger Games

So if you haven’t checked out the Major Fun book review for Machine of Death, I’ll give you a moment to read it here…

[whistles through teeth…]

Take your time. It’s really good. The book, I mean. Go read it too.

[pulls out iPad and plays… er… does some research…]

Oh hi!! So now imagine a story-telling game based on the premise of The Machine of Death. Wicked cool, right?

You didn’t read any of the previous stuff did you. [Sigh] OK, so in a nutshell, a machine has been invented that, with only a drop of your blood, will predict how you will die with 100% accuracy. You get a piece of paper with some words on it: “steamroller” or “autoerotic exsanguination” or “French press.” Doesn’t say when or where. Doesn’t give any more details. And the machine might be said to have a highly developed sense of ironic humor so “French press” might mean a coffee maker or a bunch of Parisian journalists or perhaps a riot at a particular World Cup soccer match. Try to avoid your death and you’ll just find out how devious the universe can be.

The answer is always the same. The answer is never wrong.

In the game, you play a company of assassins. The Machine has made your profession very tricky, especially when your target has consulted the Machine. You are given four targets and a handful of items that must be used in order to bring down your intended victim. As a group, you have to come up with a plan that would make Rube Goldberg proud and then change it on the fly if something goes wrong.

The base game is cooperative. Each target comes with a description that provides your troupe of killers with a location and some personality quirks that you can use to your advantage. You also get your target’s Machine of Death card as well as three Black Market Gift cards that you must use in order to “establish the truth” about your target (learned that particular euphemism from Tim Power’s excellent novel Declare). The gift cards are redeemable for things like “something that floats” or “fancy pants” or “a public domain character.” All players work together to come up with a plan that utilizes all of these items.

For each Black Market item involved, the group must assign a number to it that indicates how likely it is to succeed in the plan. 2 means virtually guaranteed and 6 is nearly impossible. Once the plan is set, the group starts the 90 second timer and starts rolling the included die for each element of the plan. If each element is successful, the target is killed. Huzzah! If any element fails (you roll lower than the assigned number) you must draw a new Black Market item, discuss how it will change the plan, assign it a difficulty, and then roll for it again.

Your original plan can take as long as you like but once the plan gets going you have only 90 seconds to make changes. This keeps the action moving and adds a level of urgency to the proceedings.

You win the game if you eliminate all four of your targets. You lose if you run out of Black Market cards (you start with 20) or if you fail to kill a target. Along the way you can pick up special cards to help you, but the basic mechanic stays the same: come up with a plan, assign difficulty, roll for results.

There are also several alternative games that can be played with the same cards. Some of the variations are competitive. Some are more like a traditional role-playing game. One is a party game like Apples to Apples. This party game was popular with our large group. The variations are quite distinct which demonstrates two things to me: the strength of the concept and the considered design-work of the creators. If your group has never played a story-telling game before, start with the party game. Ready for some more role-playing but without the pressure? Play without the timer for a while. We had fun coming up with elaborate plans in much the same way that we would have fun building a city out of boxes and toilet paper tubes.

The story-telling game takes a very specific mindset to make work. It is much more about telling a funny story than winning or losing. In some ways it reminds me of an activity like writing an exquisite corpse. It also reminds me of collaborative role-playing games like Fiasco in which the dice are there to shake up the story-telling rather than win or lose a fight.

The Machine of Death is morbid and often bizarre but also Major Fun.

2 – 4 players (many more with some variations). Ages 15+