Game Poem 42: Stained Glass

Stained Glass

A game of memories and perception for three or more players

Each player will need a black pen or marker. You will need a sheet of paper – the more players you have, the larger the sheet should be. You will also need a set of colored pencils or crayons.

The first player that is inspired will draw a shape on the paper, using straight lines. It may be a triangle, rectangle, or any other three or four sided shape that you like. Make the shape not too large, but big enough to write a word in. The next player will draw a shape, not too far away from the first one, and then the next player, and so on. After each player has drawn one shape, players may choose to either draw another shape, attached to one of the edges of one of their existing shapes, or they may choose to write a single word inside the shape of another player. Shapes may only contain one word. If someone writes a word inside one of your shapes, stop for a moment, and recount a memory inspired by that word, no more than two or three sentences. Everyone should listen carefully to the memory, and then continue.

Once each player has at least one shape with a word in it, the players may begin to connect their groups of shapes together, by drawing connecting shapes or lines. One a player has connected their group with another player’s group, they may begin to color their memories. Take a colored pencil, marker, or crayon, and fill in a shape that was not drawn by you, and does not have a word that you wrote inside it. Choose whatever color you like, and recount the memory originally inspired by that word in a different way, from a perspective inspired by the color that you chose to fill in. The person who originally recalled the memory must listen, and when the new memory is complete, say “Thank you” to the person who colored it for them.

The game is over when the players decide it is over. You may fill the entire sheet of paper with shapes and colored memories. When the game is over, give it to the player who needs it


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