It's Kind of a Fun Story
It's Kind of a Fun Story Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 160 Story Cards
- 40 Left or Right Cards
- 40 Point a Finger Cards
- 40 Everybody Answers Cards
- 20 Hear Me Out Cards
- 10 Take a Chance Cards
- 10 Nope Cards
- 36 R-Rated Cards
Set Up
- Separate the Hear Me Out, Take a Chance, and Nope Cards from the rest of the deck.
- Shuffle the remaining cards to create a draw pile and place centrally.
- Place the Take a Chance Cards face up next to the draw pile.
- Give each player two Hear Me Out Cards and one Nope Card. Remove any extras from the game.
- Whoever's birthday is next goes first.
Gameplay
- Draw a card from the top of the deck and read it out loud.
- Follow the instructions based on the card type.
- The winning player adds the card and its points to a win pile in front of them.
- Play passes to the left of the player who drew the card.
- First player to 7 points wins.
Card Types — In the Draw Pile
Story Card (2 Points)
The player who draws this card answers the prompt. If no other player challenges their story (see: Hear Me Out Card), they add the card to their win pile. Otherwise, follow Hear Me Out Card voting rules.
If the player does not connect with a Story Card, they may skip it and draw again from the top of the deck. Any player may pick up a skipped Story Card and hold onto it for their next turn. They must answer this Story Card instead of drawing from the deck on their turn.
If multiple players want the same skipped Story Card, the player with the least amount of points gets priority. If there is a tie, play rock, paper, scissors (go on "shoot!").
The following cards may not be skipped if drawn from the deck.
Left or Right (1 Point)
The player who draws this card must decide if the player on their left or right best fits the card. The selected player adds the card to their win pile.
Point a Finger (1 Point)
On the count of three, every player votes on who best fits the card. The player with the most votes adds the card to their win pile.
Everybody Answers (1 Point)
Every player briefly answers the card. The player with the best response, voted by the group, adds the card to their win pile.
Voting
On the count of three, everybody points a finger at the player they think should win the card. Players may vote for themselves for any card in which they are in the running to win.
In the event of a tie, the players with the most votes have 30 seconds each to argue why they deserve the card. Everybody votes again for the tied players only.
If there is still a tie, players play rock, paper, scissors.
What About These Other Cards?
Hear Me Out Card
Think you have your own hot take on another player's Story Card?
After a Story Card is answered, a player may discard one of their Hear Me Out Cards to tell their own experience based on the story prompt. Afterwards, players vote on who wins the Story Card and the two points. Multiple players may use a Hear Me Out Card on the same Story Card.
Take a Chance Card (-1 Point)
Used all your Hear Me Out Cards, but just KNOW you've got the winning story? If a player is out of Hear Me Out Cards, they may add a Take a Chance Card to their win pile to tell their ultimate hot take on the current Story Card. Follow normal Hear Me Out Card voting rules to declare the winner of the card.
When adding up a player's points, subtract one from their final score for each Take a Chance Card in their win pile. No risk, no reward, people.
Strategy Tip: If you win the vote after using a Take a Chance Card, you will only net one point towards your total, but that one point may just be enough to drive you over that finish line and win.
Nope Card
It is important that It's Kind of a Fun Story is actually fun for all players. So, we've got a card to keep it that way.
Meet the Nope Card. Since life experiences vary from player to player, this card exists to protect each other from topics that could make anyone's gameplay less than ideal.
If a card topic or another player's story makes anyone uncomfortable in any way, they may hold up their Nope Card to immediately end the conversation on the current topic and move on to the next card without penalty for the current player's turn.
This card is not to be used in a competitive nature and exists solely to ensure the game's environment remains safe and engaging for all players.
Winning
Full Game: 7 points — ideal for 4-7 players.
Icebreaker Game: 5 points — ideal for 8+ players.
Pre Game: Play until your rideshare is here. Whoever has the most points wins — ideal for any player size.
Game Variants
Casual: Looking to learn more about each other without the competitive twist? Take turns answering cards and enjoy the conversations that unfold. No need to keep score!
Quick: If you're in a hurry, try setting a timer to keep everyone on track — 2 minutes for Story Cards and 30 seconds for Everybody Answers.
Teams: Maybe you're playing with a big group or do not want friend/couple alliances to form. Play in teams of two and allow either member to take lead on a story.
PG Story: Some cards in the deck may not be appropriate depending on the group you're playing with. For a more family friendly game, remove all cards with the R-Rated marker.
Online Rules: If you can't keep your friends in one place, follow this QR code to modified rules for playing online. The printed sheet gives the address itskindofafunstory.com/onlinerules; the modified online rules were not part of this transcription.
FAQ
If I answer a Story Card and no one uses a Hear Me Out Card, do I just keep it?
The points and the glory are all yours — congrats on the unbeatable story.
Can I use my Hear Me Out Card to elaborate on someone else's story?
Although you can use your Hear Me Out Card to add more details to someone else's story, you're more likely to earn the votes of the other players by telling your own story based on the card prompt. But digging deeper into someone else's story is always fun and it does not cost you a card to share some juicy details.
Can I make up stories?
Lying can be fun, but the truth is juicier. We encourage sharing true stories so you can learn more about the friends you are playing the game with!
My "extroverted friend" "eye roll" has been telling the same story for 10 minutes. What do I do?
We get it. Everyone has that friend who loves to talk too much (ours is named Rob). All players are welcome to tell someone they need to move on or speed it up. If social pressure is not enough, consider setting a 1 minute "Wrap It Up" timer on your phone. This works great for Everybody Answers too! We suggest a 30 second timer to keep these cards moving.
I've played this game three times and I don't have any good stories to tell.
That's a statement, not a question, but we'll roll with it. Everyone has a good story to tell! Even the most mundane events can be made into a good story with the right set of tools. For some Storytelling Tips, head on over to www.itskindofafunstory.com/storytelling.