Fortunately, Unfortunately
| No. of Players: | 2+ |
| Type of Game: | spoken |
| What you need: | nothing |
Goal
To create a story by alternating good and bad pieces of information.
How to play
The first player begins the story by making a single-sentence statement about a subject that is neutral in tone or matter-of-fact. The second player expands on this by stating something unfortunate which darkens the tone of the story. The next player lightens things up again with a piece of good news, which is immediately turned into bad news by the following player, and so on. The game works best with an odd number of players so that each player alternates making good and bad contributions to the story. By convention, each sentence (except for the first) begins with a uniform word or phrase, like 'Fortunately...' and 'Unfortunately...' or 'The good news is...' and 'The bad news is...'
Example
| Amelia: | Maria just got out of class. |
| Ben: | Unfortunately, it is pouring rain. |
| Charlotte: | Fortunately, she has a big umbrella. |
| Derek: | Unfortunately, the wind swept her up and tossed her in a far away land. |
| Ernie: | Fortunately, this was Las Vegas where she won $2,000,000 at slots. |
| Amelia: | Unfortunately, the casino paid her with gold foil-wrapped chocolate. |
| Ben: | Fortunately, she is playing the Easter Bunny next week at the local orphanage. |
| Charlotte: | Unfortunately, all the orphans are allergic to chocolate. |
| Derek: | Fortunately, they are entrepreneurial geniuses and can sell the chocolate for a big profit. |
| Ernie: | Unfortunately, chocolate sales are banned in this state. |
| Amelia: | Fortunately, the orphans can travel anywhere with Maria's big umbrella. |
And so on.
Did you know?
While usually associated with weight gain and acne, eating chocolate – especially the dark variety – has many health benefits. For the heart, chocolate has been shown to reduce blood pressure and promote healthy blood flow.
Chocolate also reduces the risk of diabetes, lowers cholesterol levels, helps combat cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and triggers relaxation. There is even a study in the UK that concludes eating chocolate can help you with math.
Which is a skill you'll no doubt need if you decide to splurge on The Royal Book Chocolate Selection made by the French brand Debauve & Gallais. Because it currently sells for $2117.45 a box!
