IaPP! excerpt: The Problem
Posted on: October 8, 2009
The Fairy Godmother (FGM) and a passel of pretty princesses demonstrate how you use playing cards and group storytelling to determine what the plot is all about:
FGM: Fleur says, "I’m so glad I called you princesses all together! I need help with a very important problem, and only you can solve it!"
Princess Liriele: "Oh no, what’s wrong, fairy godmother Fleur? We’ll help however we can!"
FGM: "You won’t believe this! Let me tell you who is involved…" This first card is the Ace of Hearts (A♥) — that means it’s a girl about your age, who is having problems of the heart.
Princess Chime: Oh! It’s another princess, isn’t it? Does that work? And she misses her best friend terribly!
FGM: Yes, that’s exactly it! And also… The Queen of Clubs (Q♣) — an older woman, concerned with society.
Princess Tiara: …her mother! Her mother won’t let her hang out with her best friend any more."
FGM: Here’s the third card — the Queen of Diamonds (Q&diamonds;), another older woman, somehow connected with wealth or possessions.
Princess Borealia: Because the princess’s best friend is poor — and the queen’s sister is embarrassed by that and would disapprove. She’s a mean old lady!
Princess Ashe: A wicked old witch!
FGM: Now now, some of my best friends are witches! Let’s not be too stereotypical here — how about she’s not a witch, but she’s afraid that her niece hanging out with a girl from the wrong side of the Kingdom will embarrass her attempts to impress a visiting duke.
Princess Tiara: Who the aunt wants to marry!
FGM: ..okay, who she wants to marry. But remember that being royalty isn’t just about getting married! There’s more to being a princess than marrying a prince!
Princess Chime: What?
Princess Ashe: Huh?
FGM: Sigh. Nevermind. Okay, so, going on… I’m going to deal one more card from the Casting Deck, just to stir things up a little. Here we go — the Ace of Spades (A♠). A girl about your age, who has conflict in her life.
Princess Tiara: That’s the best friend right here. She’s not a princess, but she is a real scrapper. She gets in fights a lot, but always for good causes.
Princess Borealia: And she’s missing!
Princess Ashe: The mean aunt sent her away!
Princess Chime: She’s one of the princess’s bodyguards, and was teaching her to fight. But the mean aunt got her assigned to a lonely patrol out on the frontier!
Princess Liriele: Where she got kidnapped by trolls!
FGM: Sounds good! And that’s exactly what Fleur D. Lis tells you princesses.
The Bold Game Chef 
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