For 3+ Players
Materials:
A variety of floral print paper, preferably on the larger side
At least one set of seven polyhedral dice (you may need to share)
Scented markers: a different color/scent for each player
Scissors and knives
Tape
A clean floor with ample space
Rules:
The player who last saw a flower in real life goes first. That player selects their favorite print and places it on the ground.
The player takes a set of dice and drops them center on the print, letting them roll where they may.* The player then draws on the print with their market connect all the dice in order to create a shape. Then the next player does the same.
The game continues until either every player is satisfied, they are needed elsewhere, or no more moves can be reasonably made.
*If a die ends up off the paper, the player selects another print**, lifts the die, slides the print underneath so that it connects with a previously placed print, then lowers the die back down. The player then tapes the sheets together. Players should avoid connecting identical patterns together if they can.
**If there are no more full sheets of prints, the player can use the scissors or the knives to cut a piece of a print already placed. The player can cut as large or as small of a piece as they wish, but they may not sever a drawn connection. Players should avoid connecting identical patterns together if they can.
Artist Statement:
This piece was largely inspired the fluxkits by George Maciunas, in that it’s less of a game and more of a long score that results in a collaborative art piece. The idea came from a moment of stress I had, contemplating how many games I had to come up with for the semester. I wanted to make something with structure, but at the same time relaxing.
I initially came up with the core gameplay of making connections with the dice and cutting paper to extend the canvas. I liked the idea that instead of using the dices’ number, the game would revolve around where the dice themselves end up. I then had to think about how the connections would be made. I thought it’d be a trite to just use pencils and regular white paper, but allowing any kind of drawing utensils would be a little too chaotic. I wanted a unifying theme.
I then walked through Blick, looking for objects I could use. There I found some floral gift wrap in a clearance bin. I knew I had some scented markets at home, so I used that too. That’s where the floral/bouquet theme came from. I also decided to include a gift wrap with celebratory phrases on it, considering the usual motivations of giving someone a floral bouquet. With all the materials in hand, I did my first playtest in class.
In my first play test, instead of letting the first player choose a print, I had a plain white piece of paper the first player would use initially. That rule was quickly removed after every single die rolled off the paper, which made placing new paper a hassle. After that, players were quick to catch on with the gameplay flow, and approximately 12 turns were made in total before we moved on to another game.
In conclusion, I think this game was rather successful. I’ve already bought another set of floral prints, and cut them all in have to allow more variety. I think that so long as the core dice rolling & paper cutting gameplay is used, the theme can be interchanged.