# 04. Story Crafting *[**Here**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DB2BwaeARGfStpBzrwA6hVaS-Gv6dmoz/view?usp=sharing) are the Story Crafting slides from your Examina training. Consider reviewing and sharing these slides with your Council before facilitating gameplay.* # Story Crafting Objective  This deck invites us to explore the question “How have my past experiences shaped me?” by inviting us to practice sharing meaningful stories from our past that have shaped who we are. By the end of the game each player will be able to share a story from their past that helps people to understand who they are today and who they want to be in the future.  # Story Crafting Process There are three rounds in gameplay. Each round is focused on a guiding question: - Round 1: What stories from our past do we want to explore?  - Round 2: How can we share our stories?  - Round 3: How do our stories inform our present and future selves?  ## Set Up **Materials:** A timer. There are three different types of cards and each is used for the three rounds of the game. Separate the cards into three piles, going from left to right on the field of play:  - Round 1: Story Prompts - Round 2: Story Questions - Round 3: Story Insights  # Round 1 ##### The purpose of this round is for each person to identify a story from their past that they would like to explore in Round 2. #### Play Your Cards 1. Deal four Story Prompt cards to each player. 2. **The player with the longest middle name goes first**. On their turn, each player selects one card from their hand and plays it in the center of the table face up, creating the field of play. Players take turns until each player has played one card.  - How do players choose a card?  Players should choose a card that is most interesting to them.  This could be because it evokes an interesting response or they are interested in discovering what others’ responses might be. - What if a player doesn’t have a card they want to play? Anyone can choose to pass and draw a new card. > [!INFO]+ Facilitator Note > The “Play Your Cards” phase involves simply choosing cards for the field of play, not responding to prompts on cards. This phase sets up the next phase where players will respond and share to the prompts selected for the field of play. #### Select & Share  1. After all cards are on the field, each player will choose one prompt from the field and share the story spark of a memory/anecdote in response to the prompt (e.g. “I’m thinking of the time when I pretended to be sick so I could skip a midterm I didn’t study for.”)  - **What’s a story spark?** A quick headline of a story that previews what the story is about. 2. Take turns sharing story sparks until each player has a story they are excited to explore for the rest of gameplay. 3. Players close this round by taking turns sharing which story they are choosing: "I'm going to share a story about the time…” Discard all cards and continue to Round 2. # Round 2  ##### The purpose for this round is for each player to share their story with the support of the group.  #### Play Your Cards 1. Deal six Story Questions cards to each player. 2. **The player to the left of the player who went first in Round 1 will go first.** This player will share their story with the group for two minutes. They can tell this story in any way that they want, or they can choose to play a Story Question to kick their story off.   3. After the two minutes has ended, the other players have three minutes to learn more about the story by taking turns playing Story Question cards for the storyteller to respond to. - **How do you play Story Question cards?** Each player can play one card from their hand. They play questions that will help the storyteller flesh out the story. Any player can play a card at any time, but they cannot play a second card until all other players have each played a card.  4. Once the first player shares their story, the next player follows the same process: two minutes of storytelling and three minutes of responding to Story Questions.  5. Round 2 ends when each player has shared their story. Discard all cards and continue to Round 3. # Round 3 ##### The purpose of this round is for the group to work together to reflect on insights arising from the shared stories. 1. Deal four Story Insight cards to each player.  2. **The player to the left of the player who went first in Round 2 will go first.** This player plays a Story Insight card from their hand and asks that question to the player to their left. - **How should players choose a question?**  The goal is to ask another player a question that will help the group better understand the impact of the player's story. Once that player has responded to the question, they play a question for a new player.  3. Once the player has responded to the question, they play their own Story Insight card addressed to the player to their left. 4. Play continues until each person has asked two questions and answered two questions.  Discard all cards and continue to the closing.  # Closing 1. Taking turns, each player closes by sharing something they want to take with them from the story they shared and also one thing they will take with them from another player's story.  2. Once a player share's their own takeaway and shares a takeaway from another player’s story, the player to their left shares their closing takeaways.  3. The game ends when each person has shared.  # Game Variations #### Adjusting for Group Size **For groups of four players or fewer:** In each “Play Your Cards” round, players can play until there are four prompts on the field of play.  **For multiple groups of 4 players:** In each round, adjust the number of cards dealt to each council based on the number of councils and cards available. You may need to skip the “Play Your Cards” phase and deal cards directly onto their field of play. Use the table below to find how many cards you can deal depending on group size. | Examina Councils <br>4 players per council | Round 1<br>32 cards total | Round 2 <br>64 cards total | Round 3 <br>32 cards total | | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | | 1 council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | | 2 councils | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | | 3 councils | 10 cards/council | 16 cards/council | 10 cards/council | | 4 councils | 8 cards/council | 12 cards/council | 8 cards/council | # Game Focuses We invite you to let your Story Crafting gameplay be open to personal and professional stories when you are beginning your journey with your Examina Council. For subsequent play sessions with this deck, consider exploring different focuses. For example, you may want to focus on stories in your professional lives, from a specific decade of life, or related to your vocational goals or aspirations.  #### Story Crafting a Specific Event or Experience If you are interested in exploring a specific story using the Story Crafting process, you can easily modify gameplay to align with this focus. First, invite players to share if they would like to reflect on a particular story or if they would like to engage with regular gameplay to see what arises from the prompts. If any number of players feels moved to reflect on a particular story,, you can modify Round 1 such that players with pre-identified stories to share are invited to use the Story Prompts in the field of play as inspiration to begin their share, rather than selecting one particular prompt to respond to (unless it happens to be relevant to what they desire to share).