Consequences

Set up

Give every player a sheet of paper and a pen. Hold the paper upright. One person reads out the prompts, one at a time.

How to play

1. Everyone writes an answer to the first prompt at the top of their sheet.
2. Fold the top of the paper over so the writing is hidden, and pass the sheet to the left.
3. The reader gives the next prompt. Everyone writes on the paper they now hold, folds, and passes again.
4. Continue through all the prompts.
5. After the last pass, everyone unfolds the sheet they are holding and takes turns reading the whole story aloud.

The prompts

Use this order, reading each line aloud as its turn comes:

1. A person’s name. Anyone: someone in the room, someone famous, a character.
2. “Met…” and another name.
3. “At…” and a place.
4. “The first one said…”
5. “The second one said…”
6. “And the consequence was…”
7. “And the world said…”

When reading out, join the lines with those linking words so each sheet becomes one short story.

Ways to change it

• Picture consequences: fold the paper in three. The first player draws a head and neck, folds it over leaving two small lines showing, and passes. The second draws a body, the third the legs. Good for children who cannot write yet.
• Thanksgiving version: change the prompts to who, brought what dish, sat next to whom, said what, and what happened to the pie.
• Names from the room only: every name must be someone present. Funnier with family, riskier with colleagues.

Who it suits, and who it doesn’t

Consequences is a quiet table game for after a meal, when nobody wants to stand up. It needs only paper and works with three players or twelve. It depends on players being able to write a line quickly, so it is slow with very young children, and it needs a reminder to keep things kind when real names are used.