Introduction

You are a playwright in the Elizabethan period and Mr. Phillip Henslowe has commissioned you to write a new play! As you leave Mr. Henslowe’s office, you are assaulted by the sounds and smells of early modern London. You clutch the 3 pence advance to your chest as you contemplate filling your empty belly... Then you remember the agreement, a finished play in less than a four weeks! You’ll need to get help, split the load, share the pay. You aren’t the only playwright looking to make their way. Collaborators could make this job possible, but more bards means more bother. Some of your compatriots thrive in collaboration, but others may prioritize their own worth over the group, or worse, actively work against the rest. Difficulties be damned, Henslowe set the timeframe, and you’ll be cursed if he starts lumping you in with that lay-about Daborne! You need to get started, recruit your fellows, find your inspiration, and complete your masterpiece, before time runs out!

Game Overview

Writing with Shakespeare is a semi-cooperative game in which players take on the role of early modern bards collaboratively composing a new play. As bards, you will work together to compose a play that matches a mercurial Audience Interest, while simultaneously proving your individual Worth by writing from personal Source Texts. To do this, each bard composes their portion of the play by creating an interlocking web of Manuscript components . Each turn bards will decide what form of Verse to compose in, and attempt to complete scenes. This provides Inspiration , which may help or hinder the writing process. If the bards write a coherent plot by forming enough emblems that match the Audience Interest, they win the game together! However, the clock is ticking, and if the Manuscript deck runs out, the bards starve together!