Happy Birthday, Robot

I heard about the game Happy Birthday, Robot via the Drabblecast, and it sounded like the kind of game that might be a success in our house. We like to play games, and we’re a generally creative lot, so the open-ended, non-competitive nature of Happy Birthday, Robot seemed like a natural choice.

The game itself is easy enough to play, although it’s hard to really plan ahead because each player’s addition to the story can quickly send the tale in a direction you’d never anticipated. Our first game was a little slow, as we learned the mechanics of the game and got comfortable with creating story hooks for the next player. We decided to play our first game to five “points” as opposed to ten, to make it an easy start. It’s a little wobbly, as far as stories go, but I think our first one wasn’t too bad. I’m particularly partial to the ending.

Robot met an old friend, but he was different. Robot was saddened with disbelief, but smiled broadly. Robot said exactly what he felt, "One arm suits you!" Robot's friend frowned and took off running, but came back. Robot said, "Excuse me, I though you knew that I eat appendages." "Specifically, your's and my brother's." A foot fell off Robot's friend, who exclaimed "Mon frere!" Robot's eye widened and he reached for his friend's purple face. Robot ripped his nose and screamed "I'll enjoy you, friend/brother!" Robot hugged his brother tightly. They both wept. Robot chewed slowly.

I'm looking forward to playing again, in order to get our story hooks a little more fluid. I'm also looking forward to getting new players involved to see how they influence the tales.