Call It A Day

RULES

Throughout the game, players adopt various new identities called Aliases. You tell a story about a day in the life of the Alias that you assume each round. Your story’s events are shaped by the Activity cards you draw, but it’s up to you to combine these activities into an entertaining story. Scoring takes place after each story, and the player with the highest score at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Cards And Set Up

  • Your ALIAS CARD describes the identity you pretend to be for your story.
  • Your ACTIVITY CARDS indicate the various things your Alias must do during a given day.
  • Organize the Alias cards and Activity cards by turning the cards face down, and by placing them into separate piles. Don’t worry about arranging the cards neatly; it’s more practical (and fun) to just dive in and grab your cards when play begins.
  • For scoring purposes, have a pen and some paper handy. One player acts as Scorekeeper. A substitute Scorekeeper is selected when it’s the Scorekeeper’s turn to play.

Standard Play: Telling A Story

To start, and at the beginning of each new round, all players draw one Alias card and eight Activity cards. A round concludes after each player has told one story.

Players must reveal their Alias cards. The Alias cards are then collected by the Scorekeeper, placed face down, and shuffled.

Next, pick at least six of your eight Activity cards and arrange the cards to form the outline of a story about a day in the life of your Alias. It’s OK for other players to see your Activity cards. Once everyone has a story ready, the Scorekeeper draws an Alias card from the pile of collected Aliases to determine who goes first. Let the stories begin!

When your Alias is drawn, tell everyone about your day. Display your Activity cards one at a time as they occur in your story, making sure that they are visible to all players. Your story should illustrate how and why your Alias ends up doing each activity. Creativity, logic, embellishment, and humor can help make for a good story and a good score.

End your story when you have described all of your activities for the day.

Scoring

After you finish your story, cover your eyes (or step out of the room for a moment). The other players now score your story by holding up from 0 to 5 fingers, with 5 being the highest. The Scorekeeper silently adds up and records your score, draws another card from the Alias pile, and announces the next storyteller.

Game play continues in this way until every player has told a story. Then the Scorekeeper announces each player’s score and declares the player with the best score the winner of that round.

At the end of the round, each player should place their Alias and Activity cards into discard piles and draw new cards for the next round. Play as many rounds as you like.

VARIATIONS

  • Surprises : Instead of looking at and organizing your Activity cards into a daily schedule, keep all of your Activity cards face down. When you are ready to tell your story, turn over your Activity cards one at a time, trying your best to adapt your story as each new Activity is revealed. Quick thinking is the key to this Variation.
  • Common Activity: After all players have collected their Activity cards, but before any player tells a story, the Scorekeeper reveals one Activity card to everyone and places it in the middle. This is a Common Activity that you must include in your story in addition to the six to eight Activities in your hand. Bonuses could be given for the most creative use of this Common Activity.
  • Hidden Alias : You don’t reveal your Alias card to the other players at the start of the round, but you do reveal and play your Activity cards as usual. At the end of your performance, the other players try to guess what Alias you represented in your story. A lot of correct guesses should mean a higher score for you (and a bonus point for each correct guesser).
  • Hit Me: Draw one Alias card as usual. Draw the same number of Activity cards as there are players. Look at your Alias card and then place it into the Alias pile to be shuffled as usual. Choose one Activity that makes sense with your Alias and put that card to the side; you will use this Activity in your story when your Alias is drawn. Do not discard your remaining Activity cards.

     

    When another player’s Alias is selected for storytelling, choose one of your remaining Activity cards to give to that player, no matter how difficult it might be for that player to use in his or her story. The other non-storytelling players do the same. When it is your turn, you have one minute, after receiving Activity cards from the other players, to arrange the activities (including the one you saved) and come up with your story. Go where the cards lead you to win this Variation.

Other possible Variations include versions in which everyone in the group plays the same Alias, or the group tells a story together (either in order or as players randomly decide to interrupt, carrying the story forward in their own ways). Your group might also decide to allow trading of Alias cards or Activity cards before storytelling begins.

TIPS

  • Details: It’s the little things that count, so add them into your story. Does your Alias have a name? Why are you clenching that rose between your teeth? Where are those aliens taking you? Who’s hitting you below the belt?
  • Juxtaposition: Sometimes an unexpected twist makes a great story. Instead of discarding an Activity card that doesn’t seem to match your Alias, create a story around that unusual combination. A dragon that’s seeing a psychiatrist can be both humorous and memorable.
  • Voices : Enhance your story by using silly accents, impersonating a favorite movie character, or by including slang words that you might not normally use. For example, if you draw Cowboy as your Alias, do your best John Wayne imitation. If your Alias is a Wizard, try impersonating Gandalf.

SETTINGS

Call It A DayTM is a versatile game, just as fun for kids as adults, just as engaging at school as at home. Call It A DayTM inspires creativity and improvisation no matter the setting, and here are the many places where it entertains players of all ages.

  • Home: Call It A DayTM is great for social get-togethers, holiday events, or an ordinary evening of hanging out. Relax and enjoy the company of friends and family with an easy-to-learn, easy-to-play game.
  • School: Call It A DayTM can be a great way for students to learn words and social skills, to learn about storytelling and culture, to practice public speaking, and to get their creative juices flowing. It’s also a fun way to give those “performers” in the class a chance to indulge their dramatic sides.
  • Day Care: Call It A DayTM gets kids engaged without using the television or computer. See how many kids can work together to create an awesome story.
  • Business : Short rounds of Call It A DayTM are an excellent way to break the ice or break up the busy day during trainings or staff retreats.
  • Parties: Call It A DayTM gets more and more fun to play as the party gets livelier!