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Spark & Whetstonethe grown-up commons

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The Grammar of Games

Three short lessons on how traditional games are built: a game is a handful of small rules, change one and you have a new game, and writing your family’s rules down keeps them.

For grown-ups, from what AtlasTales teaches children at Spark & Anvil.

  1. Lesson 1A game is a few rules
  2. Lesson 2Change one rule
  3. Lesson 3Write it down
At the table · an elder who knows the game, and anyone who wants to learn it

Grandmother’s rules

You'll need: a mancala board, or an egg box and dried beans.

  1. Ask the elder to teach the game exactly as they played it as a child.
  2. Answer the six picture questions on Heirloom Rules together and print the card.
  3. Play one game from the card and see if the elder agrees it plays right.
  4. Fix the card where it is wrong; their memory wins.

Open Grandmother’s rules: run it, or print the seat sheets →

Print the guidebook (all lessons + the table activity) →