One Thousand Cuts • 2019 rpg

A game for a handful of players without a GM.

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You are telling the story of friendships that span lives. Scenes can be years or decades apart.

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Together, decide what kind of world your story is set in - realistic, fantasy, sci-fi...

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Each name your character. Each write on your arm your character's:

- Wildest dream
- Grandest plan
- Greatest fear
- Biggest regret

Number these traits 1-4 in a random, personal order.

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Rotate between different pairs of players in individual scenes, prioritising pairs who've not yet played together. Roll 2d4 for the setting.

- familiar
- unknown
- dangerous
- safe

- home
- business
- transportation
- wilderness

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Before playing the scene, play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses will lose a trait by the end of the scene. Traits are lost in number order.

Narrate and role-play the scene, revealing how the friendship made them surrender their dream, abandon their plan, overcome their fear, or cast off their regret. 

At the end of the scene, completely cover the lost trait with a plaster/band-aid. Write the other character's name on the plaster.

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Keep playing until everyone's arms are covered in plasters bearing the names of those who shaped them. Consider how different the characters are to when you began.