REWIND
Original game by FNU LNU. Revised and mutilated by FNU LNU.

STOP! Collaborate and listen. 

Do not turn to the next page until you are ready to play REWIND with 1-3 other persons.  In the pages that follow, read bolded text out loud. Perform actions described in italicized text. Use information in plain text as appropriate in your best judgment (there’s not much of this). Don’t worry, this game isn’t all that weird, it just looks like it.

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The year is 1997. We are high school sophomores in Milwaukee, WI. Movie Bar, the video rental store over by the Pick ‘n Save, is going out of business and selling off its inventory. We have no money, but the manager knows us - we write a column in the school paper reviewing old movies, so we come here all the time. Or used to. At any rate, he’s agreed to give us one tape, free of charge. The popular films are already gone, leaving only weird-looking 70s and 80s stuff that we don’t recognize. Which is saying something.

Choose from the following titles with your friends. Discuss in character. Describe the pictures on the covers.

Kanganarama!

The Seven-fold Trial of Mr. Lo

Seeking Strange Tides

Shriek of the Birdmaster

My Psychic Life

Beyond Alpha Centauri

Hell’s Knight II: Damnation’s Fury

Jackie Marrow, Queen of Ghouls

Lasers at the Ready

The Nightmare Hunters

Once you have selected your video, each of you should name a real 70s/80s actor in the movie. They are either slumming it, or had yet to become famous when this was filmed. If you don’t know any actors, just make up some names. 

Turn the page.
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We take our prize back to my dad’s place. He’ll be at work till late so we have the TV to ourselves. We put the tape in the VCR and make some microwave popcorn. A fuzzy image springs to life. Something is wrong with the tape - typical. Movie Bar went out of business for a reason. This doesn’t look like the first scene of a film. 

Scene IX: Return with the Elixir

This is the final scene of the film, though it has come up first. The hero returns from their journey to the ordinary world. The “elixir” refers to what they have brought back or gained from their journey - treasure, love, knowledge, experience, the macguffin, etc. The successful return with the elixir is what gives the journey meaning.  

Interpret this prompt through the idiom of your film. You, the reader, set the scene, describing location and characters (specifying which, if any, are played by named actors). Let the other players know that after you describe a character, anyone is free to say “that’s me!” and take responsibility for that character’s actions and dialog in the scene. You will continue to represent the world and any unclaimed characters. To add conflicts or challenges into the story, you must incorporate a concept/event/item/character/etc (a “thread”) that must have originated in a yet-unseen earlier scene in the film. When you do so, write it down. To resolve a conflict, the other players must incorporate a different thread. Write that down too. Other players can create conflicts in this way as well. You have no power to resolve conflicts.

Play out the scene we are watching, introducing situations that drive the characters to action. During play of this scene, players (including you) may not talk out-of-character. Instead, if a player wishes to say something that is not happening on the screen, they may raise their hand with index finger extended. This is the signal that they will be talking as the audience - i.e. the high school students watching the film. As high school students, you can comment on or interpret what you are watching. 

If you or other players incorporate threads from earlier in the film outside of conflicts and resolution, write them down too.

When The Elixir scene is complete in your judgment, narrate the film’s credits rolling.

Turn the page.
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After the credits, the movie just keeps going, starting with an earlier scene. We keep watching, somewhat annoyed but curious to see exactly where this is going.

The number of threads currently on your list determines which scene you will play next. Do not explain this mechanic to the other players. Simply introduce the appropriate scene without further explanation

If there are 0-1 threads on the list, the next scene is The Rescue. If there are 2-3 threads on the list, the next scene is The Flight. If there are 4+ threads on the list, the next scene is The Refusal.

Scene VIII: The Rescue

The hero have acquired the elixir, but have paid a terrible price to do so, and been left vulnerable. They cannot escape to the ordinary world with their prize on their own - guides, teachers, allies or lovers must come to rescue them. 

Scene VIII: The Flight

Having acquired the Elixir, the hero must now escape back to the ordinary world. But the vengeful forces of the other world (perhaps those from whom the elixir was stolen) pursue them! Escape is the most typical outcome, though reconciliation with the pursuers is also possible.

Scene VIII: The Refusal 

The hero has acquired the Elixir, and must now take it back to the ordinary world. But they no longer want to return: they have found enlightenment, safety, or peace in the other world, and selfishly wish to remain there forever. 

Play out the appropriate Scene VIII just as you did The Elixir. The other players may control the same characters as before, or different ones. Continue adding to your list of threads as they are incorporated. The scene ends when we know how the conclusion of this scene fits to the beginning of the Elixir scene previously played out.

Turn the page.
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Before progressing, take a moment to discuss the film so far (in-character as high schoolers). What do the characters think of what they’ve seen? Where do they think things are going? No out-of-character discussion about what you are creating together is permitted.

For the next scenes, a new mechanic is available. Conflicts can be initiated or resolved either by incorporating a thread, or by introducing it. A thread is introduced when you or another player reveals how it was originally added to the story (in the chronological order of scenes). For instance, let’s say in Scene IX, the players resolve a conflict by incorporating a magic crystal. Starting with Scene VI, a player could create or resolve a conflict by introducing the magic crystal - e.g. describing a character discovering the crystal in the villain’s castle. When a thread is introduced, cross it off your list.

As with Scene VIII, you should cut the scenes that follow once their purpose has been accomplished and we understand how they lead into the “next” scene.

Scene VII: The Reward 

Having survived and triumphed through a terrible ordeal, the hero can now accomplish their goal. Often this takes the form of seizing the treasure or knowledge that they sought. They may also settle their conflict with a parent, love interest, or former enemy.

Scene VI: The Ordeal

The climax of the film, in which the hero faces down the main antagonist or opposition. They face the real possibility of failure, and appear to experience death (real or metaphorical) before returning to triumph. Death and rebirth is the heart of the Ordeal. Don’t hold anything back.

Scene V: The Descent

The hero arrives at a dangerous place where the final confrontation will take place: Hell, the underworld, the dragon’s lair, the Chapel Perilous. To enter, they face opposition that can come in many forms - external forces, discord between the characters, or an internal confrontation with the hero’s own fears and inadequacies. Crossing this final threshold requires the hero to demonstrate how they have grown and changed through the previous trials. 

Turn the page.
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Scene IV: The Three Trials

The hero has entered the other world, but they are not yet ready to complete the task that is set for them. Instead, they must practice, fail, make allies (and enemies), and overcome challenges. When the three trials are complete, they will be ready for the events ahead.

A.	An early confrontation with the villain ends in failure.
B.	The hero makes a new ally.
C.	The hero overcomes a barrier or opponent they never thought possible.
D.	The hero undergoes hard training from a great teacher
E.	The hero undergoes a transformation.
F.	The hero makes a new enemy.
G.	The hero makes an important discovery of knowledge or treasure.
H.	The hero gives up something dear to them to progress.

Choose three of these options and play through them - they can happen in sequence as short vignettes, or be blended into a more complex situation. Together they comprise Scene IV. It’s ok if this is the longest scene.

When these scenes are done, have a second conversation (in-character as high schoolers), about what you’ve seen. As before, compare your characters’ opinions, and discuss your expectations for the final part of the film. These expectations can serve to heighten dramatic tension and create satisfaction or surprise when they are ultimately fulfilled or frustrated.

Turn the page.

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For the remainder of the film, conflicts can no longer be initiated or resolved by incorporating threads - only by introducing them.

Scene III: The Threshold

The hero leaves the ordinary world behind and enters the other world, where they discover new rules and dangers. The train leaves the station towards Hogwarts, Neo takes the red pill, the children step through the wardrobe into Narnia. The hero is committed to the journey and there is no turning back.

Scene II: Reluctance

The hero balks at embarking on their journey. They fear the unknown, and they fear risking what they have in the ordinary world for the dangers of the other world. They meet a mentor figure who offers guidance to help them with the trials to come. The key moment is when the hero’s reluctance is overcome. Perhaps a tragedy leaves the hero with nothing left to lose. Perhaps pride, duty or curiosity ultimately forces them into action. Perhaps a crucial encounter with the mentor sends them on their way.

Turn the page.
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To determine the final scene check your list of threads. If there are still threads remaining to be introduced, play the following scene to complete your film:

Scene I: The Calling

We are introduced to the hero in their ordinary world. After briefly establishing their routine, the hero receives the calling: a problem, challenge, or adventure that would pull them out of their normal life. A message in a bottle; a troubled dame walks into the detective’s office; a girl discovers she is secretly a princess.
 
However, if no threads remain to be introduced, instead play this scene:

Scene I: Subversion

The start of the movie recontextualizes everything that came “after”. Heroes are revealed to be villains, quests are revealed to be pointless or counter-productive, the happy ending of The Elixir becomes a tragedy. 

Turn the page.

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The tape sputters to a stop and static fills the screen. We sit silently for a few minutes eating the last of the popcorn, just in case there’s more to the movie. But there isn’t. It’s over. That was certainly… unique. If nothing else, it will make a fun column. We decide to get straight to work while the film is still fresh in our minds. 

Discuss your final thoughts on the movie together in character, and write up your review. Post it online as a record of your game for others to enjoy!