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• Scaffolding & Encouragement. ‘Scaffolding’ is BIG BLOCKS
EXPANSION a word they use in education and game design
for the things that help people learn the rules Sometimes the cards don’t make sense.
RULES and participate fully. In early games, players You’re inside a coffin and now you’re
will be unsure what they can and cannot say. supposed to use your Traversing. You’re
They may be worried about saying too much, underwater and Hacking comes up. How
because they feel they are ‘stealing’ the story. do you deal with this?
Remind them the rules won’t let them steal
anything, because they’re only talking for Firstly, you can always flashback to how
one scene and there’s always more cards to that skill was used to set you up for this
come. They may feel like they aren’t saying scenario. You can also jump forward,
Everything you need to know to play the Score is enough because they think they should talk explaining what you do after you get out
in the core rules – that’s the other piece of paper for a significant amount of time or lay out an of that situation and let someone else fill
in the box. But here are some ways to play it entire scene. Remind them that just a sentence in the blanks later. It’s also cool to call in
differently and get even more from the game. Plus or two is all we need, just so we know how it another player’s Talent as how you get
some tips to make it even better and smoother went down. People forget things too, so don’t out of the situation, as long as you make
every time you play. be afraid to repeat the rules and the task at sure they look cool and the player is okay
hand at any moment. If they seem unsure or with it.
THE MINI EXPANSION: confused, be ready to step in and provide these
kinds of scaffolding and encouragement that they Finally, you can improvise. One of the
This set of extra Talent cards was unlocked as a
are doing it right! great tropes of heist films is Macgyvering
stretch goal in our crowdfunding. You can add
these cards to the deck whenever you want, but up an unexpected makeshift solution.
• Linking Acts to Stages. One way to provide
remember that the game structure is designed narrative scaffolding is to suggest to the table The demolition guy makes a bomb out
around 18 cards. Before you start play choose what part of the heist each Act might involve. of cheesecake. The hacker hacks into a
or randomly deal out the 18 cards you wish to Act 1 is about setting up the heist, casing the mushroom. In The A-Team, the Driver
play with. Cycling in new cards will keep your joint, ruling out possible approaches and the ‘drives’ a tank that’s falling from the sky.
heists fresh! first infiltration. By Act 3, the crew should be You can always find a way.
very close to grabbing their target, leaving
PLAYER TIPS & ADVICE: Act 5 for them to escape. However, don’t be them with the Act cards. Place the Act cards
• Teach As You Go. Explain the basics of what afraid to abandon this structure if the game is
Talents are but just deal them out and get going its own way. Heist movies can always in roughly the one fifth, two fifths, three fifths
people making the crew before you start telescope final acts to tie up all the loose ends and four fifths positions. The 4/2/4/2/2 split
explaining how the Acts work. Explain Act in a few lines of dialogue. only works for 18 cards!
2’s reversal of play when it happens and not • Helping with Roadblocks. Sometimes players • 7, 8 or 9 Players. You can add more players
before, and explain the Final Card rule only will have their brains go blank and they won’t to the game by increasing the number of cards
in Act 5. (People actually learn more easily know what to say, either because they just in the deck. Use 21/24/27 cards for 7/8/9
this way!) can’t think of anything or because the situation
players, dealing out 14/16/18 cards to players
• Make Sure Everyone Feels Safe. The game seems impossible to resolve. Players can then
ask “Would you like suggestions?” and if the to generate the crew. See the rules above
can gallop along really quickly and people can
current player says yes, offer some ideas. Try for longer games. Playing with more than 9
feel confused and unmoored by the amount
of creativity they are allowed (or just not be to keep your ideas general if you can, so the is possible but we leave that up to you and
sure how much they are permitted to do and player can add their own spice! Danny Ocean.
say). Reassure them that, no matter how they Example: Joshua has just drawn the card Gunplay • Solo Play. Use the shorter game with 15 cards
feel, they’re doing great (and that it’s okay to but the crew are currently drowning in the ocean and deal out 9 to yourself. A good Act split here
be confused). Tell them they only have to say after their submarine exploded. He asks for
suggestions. Someone says “Oh maybe you can is just three acts split 4/4/3. This emulates the
a few things. Some folks think they have to
have some oxygen left in like a gun cartridge?” trope of two legendary foes racing to the target
talk for several minutes, so be sure to manage
expectations. You might like to spin long That’s too specific, it answers the whole question. and constantly trying to outdo each other.
flowery scenes but for new players say “just Someone else says “Can we shoot the ocean Should the final card not be one you possess,
a sentence or two” or “just thirty seconds” so somehow?”. Joshua snaps his fingers: “I draw then this time your arch rival takes the bounty,
they don’t feel like they have to fill empty air. my gun and shoot a bunch of the bad guys who and the chase begins once again.
And always, always stop play to answer any were also expelled by the explosion. When the
sharks are drawn to the blood, we ride them to • Pacing. Maybe you don’t want your game to
questions or concerns they have.
the surface.” flip back and forth between acts so fast. Some
• Slow Down to Stay Clear. Although the game heist stories only have things go Off the Rails
can be played in very little time and the fast GAME MODES:
once, right near the end. You can easily strip
pace helps players stop feeling self-conscious, • Length. Want a shorter game because you’re
players can get overwhelmed and lose track the deck down to just three acts. Try putting
even more pressed for time? Cut the deck
of things. A good game is always better than down to 15 cards and deal out 9 at the start the Act 2 card about two thirds of the way down
a fast game. Pump the brakes, take stock, let for building the crew. Want a longer game? the deck, and the Act 3 card about halfway
everyone catch their breath. Remind everyone Include 24 cards (requires the mini-expansion) between there and the end of the deck. This
(or ask them) what’s going on. Clarity is and deal out 16 to generate your crew. You can be particularly good for a shorter game.
everyone’s friend, and that means making sure may like to fudge these numbers up or down
You can also adjust your tempo by changing
everyone knows what’s happening, even while to make everyone have the same number of
the story is spinning wildly out of control (in a Talents e.g. in a three player short game deal where your act breaks fall. An Act 2 that comes
good way)! three Talents to each player. very early feels like the crew have been set
• Attention & Praise. Players are often shy, Either way, remember to remove four cards up to take a fall right from the start. If Act 4
especially in the early rounds. It’s everyone from the smaller/larger deck and replace and Act 5 are close together, the end is like a
else’s job to pay attention to them, listen rollercoaster. Force Act 2 and 4 to be shorter
actively and praise the things they present. Be and your crew will feel cleverer... or if they are
both general (“That was cool!”) and specific SPEED RUNS longer you can have more fun explaining how
(“Oh wow I love the idea of throwing ninjas Some of our playtests have been about all the ‘mistakes’ were intentional. A long Act
at people”) because we need both kinds of trying to see how fast we can run the 1 lets you take your time describing recruiting
feedback. Never, ever give negative feedback whole heist while still explaining each everyone and scoping out the location; a more
of any kind. Come back to feedback later too: scene clearly and not cutting each other off cinematic style would be a short Act 1 and 2
at the end of the game, go around the table short. So far our best is seven minutes
and mention something someone else added followed by much longer later acts. Experiment
(including crew and target generation).
to the game that you loved. People do what is If you can beat that, let us know! Maybe with all sorts of pre-planned structures - or just
rewarded and if they feel like others loved their film it or record it? Post it online using go with random placing and let your pacing be
story ideas, they will tell more stories. #thescorerpg and #fastestrpgintheworld decided by fate!
• Grittiness. How much the team fails or appears EXAMPLE LAYOUT
to fail in a game is always semi-random
because you don’t know which cards are going
to be removed. However, you can shift the
odds. Want a game where you’re much more
likely to appear totally in control, having fun
making the bad guys look like fools? Deal out
15 or 16 Talent cards to build your crew (12 in
a short game, 20 in a long game). Want things
to be hard and gritty with your crew always
getting captured and beat? Deal out 9 Talent
Cards (7 in a short game, 12 in a long game).
You can also force things so that the cards
taken out of the deck contain more or fewer
crew Talents. This ensures every crew member
gets full chance to shine, which some players
may prefer.
• Meet the Team. A fun way to add to your game
is for the players to explain how they recruited
each other and why they are pulling the job.
After making the crew, the first player can • The Mission Impossible Option. To model of each player but in the center of the table,
introduce themselves to the table, and then stories like the Mission: Impossible or James under each Act card. This helps everyone know
explain how their job needs someone else. The Bond movies you can deal out Talents as usual not just the previous scene but the whole flow
next player to the left can then explain how then give two more to one player who plays of the narrative. You can turn Talent cards
they were recruited for their unique skills, and the central hero. The other players get to make which no player has sideways relative to the
so on until everyone has joined. wisecracks and if they fail at things, demand other cards so you can see when there were
the central hero come rescue them. Make sure holes in the plan or things went off script. For
• No Guaranteed Happy Ending. Some players to share who gets to be the central hero: this
really like a sense of risk in their stories. For this variant, you have to remember who has
isn’t an exercise in ego-stroking.
this mode, before you add the Act cards, spoken the least when the narration needs to
• The Die Hard Option. Sometimes, the bad pass but this is easier than it seems. You can
shuffle those cards and insert them face down.
guys are as cool as the good guys. In this even take a picture at the end to show off the
Now you don’t know when things will go All to mode, one player takes on the role of the
Plan or Off the Rails. If the last act is Off the story you told (see example layout).
bad guys and/or cruel fate. They don’t get a
Rails, then the heist spirals down into abject crew sheet or any Talents. They are the ‘Hans • A Tale Told To Others. In this variant, everyone
failure and the crew get captured and killed. Gruber’ player. Whenever a card comes up that explains the story of the heist as if it is after the
This is often great fodder for a sequel or reprise, the other players don’t have, the Hans Gruber fact, in the past tense, being told to someone not
bringing us to our next mode. steps in and explains the bad things that present. Or indeed, you can have some people be
• Legacy. Even though the games are short, happen to them. You can take this one step the audience, listening in and asking questions!
players often get attached to their characters further by writing down the missing Talents
• Dialogue Only. This is the reverse of the
and want to play again and again with the same and distributing them between more than one
player, having several Hans Grubers ready to one above: everyone has to talk entirely in
crew. This is especially true if the heist didn’t dialogue, as if on comms to all the other
step in. These options are great for large player
quite succeed! To keep things fresh in a sequel, counts. You can even model two rival crews players. This means you don’t describe
remove one of your Talents and draw a new like this, or a vast army of bad guys (each your action in the third person but in the
one. If you get a Talent still on your list, it can with just one or two Talents) against just one first person. For example instead of saying
get a tick (see Rules Variants, below). If you or two heroes. Playing the opposing forces or “I crawl in through the heating ducts and cut
end up with a Talent someone else has, just fate can also be combined with being the game the power” you might say “Okay, team, I’ve
draw again until there are no duplicates. Tell facilitator (see sidebar). made it through the ducts. I’m gonna cut the
the players why you moved away from your RULES VARIANTS: power in three, two, one…go!”
previous area of expertise and how you gained
• Ticks, Crosses & Skulls. Sometimes we want
your new one.
our crew member to be so good at something
• The Leverage Option. In the TV show Leverage, they always succeed. To use this variant, THE GAME FACILITATOR
the crew have clear areas of focus and ability. choose one of your Talents after you’ve built For players new to the game or if you
You can model this by letting players choose them and put a tick next to it. If that Talent have a lot of folks, one player can act
their Talents from the deck. You can also flag comes up in a scene, it always succeeds no as the game facilitator. They explain the
Talents you won’t pick to show off your style or matter which Act the story is in. To balance rules, turn the cards and distribute them
your moral choices (e.g. “No guns! We don’t this out, put a cross next to another Talent. If to the correct players. They don’t tell any
use them!” or “We don’t have any Contacts – that Talent comes up in Acts 1, 3 and 5, it fails part of the story but they can suggest
we were burned by the agency.”) You might anyway. And if it comes up in Acts 2 and 4, it ideas, support theories and answer or ask
also want to use the Ticks and Crosses variant fails enormously. questions. This is good for players who
A more gritty version of the cross is the skull. know the game well, when everyone else
below. For Legacy games, you can just deal is new. The expert player can then be sure
new Talents to the table equal to the number You can use this variant to model war movies
or stories with high casualties, like Rogue One. their stronger improv skills won’t lead to
of players and discuss which one each crew their crew member seeming cooler than
member should take. If a Talent with a skull next to it comes up in
everyone else.
Acts 4 or 5, the character with that ability dies.
They succeed or fail based on the Act as usual
MASH ‘EM UP before they check out. They’re still part of the
game even if they’re dead though! If one of Questions? Comments? Feel free to contact us
Don’t forget when generating your at tinstargames@gmail.com
their Talents comes up after they died, they
heist you can always mash two things
together. A casino on a plane. A laboratory can narrate how they left a failsafe behind,
underground. A historical relic that’s also or passed on their knowledge, or how
a secret code (paging Dan Brown). the crew wishes they still had their
You can also turn over two Talents at friend to help.
once and jam them together to get • A Visual Story. One way to help keep track of
some really crazy fun! the story is to lay the cards not out in front tinstargames.com