The Shivers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Overview
  • The Storyteller
• Setting Up the Game
• Getting the Players Started
• The Shivers Characters
• Basic Gameplay
  • Taking Turns
• Dice Rolls
• Steps and Hints
  • Complications
• Ending the Game
• Death and Failure

Introduction

These full instructions should only be read after completing the tutorial in the Quick Start Guide. This manual is intended only for Storytellers, as players have their own set of instructions on the back side of their Character Dashboards. Storytellers should be over the age of 14, and have competent reading skills, or familiarity with running role-playing games.

Overview

• It is highly recommended that you first play through the Tutorial in the Quick Start Guide before reading these instructions, or before playing the game's other episodes.
• The Shivers uses a set of pre-made episodes, four in each series. There are eight episodes that come with the Core game, and more available as expansions or downloads.
• In each episode, players work together to solve a mystery, containing clues, puzzles, useful items, and spooky foes, all guided by the Storyteller (the player who runs the game).
• The remaining players will be playing as members of the Shivers family or their neighbors. Each character has its own unique appearance, personality, abilities, and fears.
• The other 2-4 players should be old enough to read and write. Those with poor eyesight may need the assistance of a magnifying glass (provided in the box) or additional lighting to see tiny details.
• Ensure everyone takes care with the handling of the pop up rooms. Each one is a hand assembled work of art, and may become damaged with misuse or excessive force.
• There is also a Storyteller's Companion guide included in the game which has useful tips on how to be an amazing Storyteller, lists of magic items, and other content to enrich your gameplay.
• You can also watch videos and tutorials by visiting www.TheShiversGame.com. There are tips on how to set up the game, how to guide players through the episodes, and other useful content. You can even visit the online store to order new expansion packs and accessories. (The Naughty Nursery and the Creepy Crypt are in Expansions 1 and 2.)

The Storyteller

The Storyteller is responsible for the following aspects of The Shivers gameplay:

1. Setting up the game pieces for the episode you are playing, according to the Episode Guide,
2. Reading descriptions and clues to the players as they move from room to room,
3. Adding the appropriate rooms in the right locations according to the Episode Map,
4. Providing the voice and actions for Non Player Characters (NPCs), such as monsters, spirits, or other humans,
5. Determining the success of players' actions (sometimes using the colored dice),
6. Giving appropriate hints when players are stuck, and
7. Being the referee when any disputes or confusion arise during gameplay. Your word is final and only YOU control the adventure!

Setting Up the Game

• The Shivers plays best with 2-4 other players (in addition to the Storyteller). If there is only 1 other player, ask that player to pick 2 characters to play simultaneously.
• The game should be played on a large uncluttered table, such as a dining table. Low coffee tables aren't advised as the tiny clues will be harder to see at that low angle.
• Gameplay usually lasts 45-60 minutes per episode. There are usually 10-15 key steps that players will need to accomplish to complete the episode. As Storyteller, you can speed up gameplay by giving more hints or skipping over steps.
• After the Tutorial episode is completed, you should start with Episode 1 from Series A, The Lost Kitten. The next episodes should be played in sequence (Series A episodes 1-4, then Series B episodes 1-4, then the expansions).
• Each episode has its own Episode Guide, which is your key to smoothly running the adventure. You will need to read the front side of the Episode Guide to yourself before each episode begins, so you will know which rooms and characters are needed, the details of the story, and how to advance through the steps to successfully complete the adventure.
• After reading through the front side of the Episode Guide, note the rooms it says you will need in the Setup section, and place the appropriate Story Cards for that episode into those rooms. Story Cards slide into the top of the room's back wall.
• The same color title bar should appear along the back side of all rooms. If they're all the same color within that series, you'll know they are inserted properly. For example, the first episode is always a green title bar, the second episode is always magenta, etc.
• Once all Story Cards are properly inserted on all required rooms, read through the Clue Window descriptions on the back side of the rooms.
• Also note the NPC standees you will need in the Setup section of the Episode Guide, and punch out those characters from the standee boards. Insert them into plastic bases.
• On the same standee boards, also punch out the STEPS arrow (which helps you keep track of what step you are on in the timeline), the Room Clip (which can be placed along a room's top edge to reduce bowing), as well as the Kickstands (used to keep the rooms popped open at the same vertical angle).
• Place all Character Dashboards and their standees out in front of the Parlor, and place the game box lid vertically in front of the Parlor to conceal that room from the players' view.

Getting the Players Started

• Ask the players to select their Character Dashboards and Standees, and put any unused Dashboards and Standees back in the box. Also ask the players to read about their character, and read through the Player Instructions on the back side.
• After reading the summary of the episode, talk to your players about what kind of game they'd like to have. Some may be sensitive to certain types of content. Use the Content Warning on the Episode Guide to prepare them for what lies ahead, and change it if necessary.
• The Core Game comes with 1 magnifying glass and 1 dry-erase marker, the players will have to share these as they take their turns. Extra magnifying glasses and dry-erase markers are available for purchase on the website.
• The game is now set up for play. Ask the players to place their standees in front of the standing game box, and read the INTRODUCTION in your Episode Guide to the players to start the episode.

The Shivers Characters

• Each Shivers character has their own unique special abilities. Use your discretion as Storyteller to decide how these abilities may affect outcomes of actions in the game.
• Note that a character's unique abilities should never be used to successfully overcome a major obstacle, such as opening a door or safe without a key, solving a puzzle, or vanquishing a foe in the ENDGAME section.
• Example: Rasheeda's unique special ability is KARATE, which can be used to overcome minor foes encountered during the episode.
• When players pick up inventory items, remind them to write those items on their Character Dashboards, using only the dry-erase marker provided. They can also transfer items to each other as needed by erasing on their Dashboard and writing the item onto another player's Dashboard.
• They can also use the Dashboard to write helpful notes or clues, erasing them when no longer needed.
• If they run out of room, they are carrying too many items and must drop an item by erasing it.

Basic Gameplay

Rule Zero: Say YES to a request! Players might request very unusual actions that deviate from the steps laid out in the Episode Guide. As you gain more confidence as a Storyteller, try to say yes to these player actions, even if they cause you to rethink the story structure. It may result in a more unexpected and exciting course of the game!

• When the players enter their first room (the Parlor) they should physically move their standees inside the pop-up room, and then move them into other rooms as the game unfolds.
• As you go, you will magnetically attach other rooms next to the Parlor, and the house environment will unfold across the table as the players progress. Use the Episode Map on the back of the Parlor to guide your placement of the rooms.
• Note that there are two Layout Tiles called Hallway (which is square-shaped) and Stairs (which is triangular), the Episode Map will show you where to place these.
• Once players enter a room, you will need to read the Room Description text in the upper left corner of the back wall. Next, you should read aloud only the White text in the room's Clue Window.
• The Gold text is for you, the Storyteller, to reveal to players as they make new discoveries. White and Gold text exists on both the Clue Windows and the Episode Guide, so pay attention to the color of what you are reading.

Whether in the Clue Windows on the rooms' backsides, or in the Episode Guide, any WHITE text is meant to be read aloud to players. Any GOLD text is meant to be read only by you, the Storyteller, and revealed to the players only as needed. Pay close attention to the color of the text you're reading!

• White Text = Read aloud to players.
• Gold Text = Read to yourself, share with players as needed.

Taking Turns

• Once players have listened to you describe the room and clues inside, they can start taking their turns in order.
• During their turn, each player can do one action. An action should correlate to about 5 seconds of activity. For example: "Use the key to open the safe", or "Move to the West room," or "Cast a freeze spell on the vampire."
• Players entering a new room can take one extra action once inside that room. If a player's action on a turn was uneventful (like reading a blank book), let them take another action on their turn.
• When the Episode Guide or Clue Window instructs you to place a NPC standee into the room, you now control that character. It gets a turn to act after the players have taken their turns. The Episode Guide will have a description for how that character will act around the players.

Dice Rolls

The dice are used to decide outcomes of actions. The Clue Window or Episode Guide will tell you when a dice roll is needed, but you can also use your judgment as the Storyteller, using the dice to resolve any player actions that seem risky or uncertain. There is a Dice Roll Chart in the Storyteller's Companion you can refer to during gameplay.

• The dice have four possibilities: It Works, Kinda Works, Doesn't Work, and Backfire. The green dice has more positive outcomes, the red dice has more negative outcomes, and the blue dice has evenly weighted outcomes.
• The blue dice should be the most commonly used. However, if a player is using one of their Abilities to perform an action (or you just want to speed the game along faster), use the green dice. But if they are performing an action that involves their Fear, use the red dice. Also use the red dice for any particularly bone-headed or highly difficult actions in general.
• If a dice rolls Kinda Works some improvisation is required from you, the Storyteller. For example, if someone smashes a skeleton with a hammer, and the dice rolls Kinda Works, then you could say: "One of the skeleton's legs is broken off, but it is now clumsily hopping towards you."
• If an action seems very simple and little skill is involved, no dice roll is required. For example: "Lift up the rug and look under it," or "Smash the egg with hammer".
• Opening locked doors, chests, or cabinets with the appropriate code or key never requires a dice roll.

Steps and Hints

• Along the bottom edge of each Episode Guide is the STEPS timeline, which shows the basic steps the players will have to move through to conclude the adventure. Each episode has about 12-15 steps to go through, and each step has a number and some hints associated with that specific step.
• If players get stuck at a certain Step, you can give a helpful hint. Above the Step you are currently on, there are 2 levels of hints. The top line of hints is a subtle nudge, the lower line is a more direct suggestion.
• The paintings in the Parlor always give some visual clues that are relevant to that episode. You can suggest they examine those for any hints as well.
• Punch out the STEP arrow, and use it to help you keep track of which step of the episode you are on.
• The Clue Windows on the back of each room have a number at the beginning of each line. These numbers correspond to the specific Step that is associated with that clue. For example, if you're on Step 8, you should be paying attention to any clues that start with the number 8.
• The circled numbers shown in the book are examples of how certain lines of white or gold text in the Clue Windows correspond to certain steps in the episode.
• It is possible that players may skip over a Step on the timeline. This is usually fine as they will just need to come back to it at some point.

Complications

Complications are an optional activity within the overall episode. If you see the Complication symbol, then consult the Complications Chart in the Storyteller's Companion to send your players off on a brief side adventure!

Ending the Game

The Endgame is the climax of the episode. Once players get near the end of the Steps timeline, a prompt in the Clue Windows will advise you to read the Endgame section in the Episode Guide. This will tell you what the players have to do to conclude the story!

• Just before the Endgame section, there is usually a FREAK OUT action. This is when players encounter a powerful adversary, and get spooked automatically back into a previous room. From there, they can safely plan their next move.
• The Endgame text will tell you, the Storyteller, exactly what the players must do to win. It will also spell out how any powerful adversary character will attack the players, and what must be done to defeat it.
• The Endgame will finally conclude with a brief Conclusion that you read to the players, which wraps up the adventure (or sets up the next episode in the series).
• Once players complete the Endgame, ask them to erase their Dashboards to prevent staining (items in inventory do not transfer to the next episode). You can now play the next episode by rotating the Story Cards to the next position, and reading the next Episode Guide (and players can switch characters as well).

Death and Failure

Death isn't easy to achieve in The Shivers, but it can happen if a player makes a series of unusually poor decisions. Below are a few ways to cope with this outcome, or if players simply get stuck and can't proceed further.

• There may be times when players reach a point where they can't progress in the episode. For example, maybe an NPC monster incapacitates their character, or they lose a critical item needed to move forward, like a special key. This is a fail state, but is all part of the game. As Storyteller, you can rewind the state of the game back to a previous step. Reset their standees to the step before and let them choose an alternate path.
• Some Fail states are specified in the Endgame section, or they can occur during the previous steps of the episode. These are indicated with the word "fail".
• Fail states can be hilarious instead of tragic. If a player fails to the point of their character's untimely demise, ask the player to narrate what just happened. Then revert to a previous step to allow them to proceed with an alternate action. Or run with the new plot twist...maybe their character is now a ghost!