The Show Must Go On !
Board Game x Improvisational Acting
Introduction:
A board game themed around a “theater troupe performance,” played through improvisational acting.
Players expand character settings and drive the story creatively to win audience votes.
Players: 3–4
Demo Video link: (Teaser)https://youtu.be/jWxf6poISCY?si=XWDZ5DX8MRj5bx64
(Full Version)https://youtu.be/IlMSsEIkLGE?si=BEfd1p86gwlw6y8j
Board Game x Improvisational Acting
Players enrich their character settings and steer the narrative in creative ways, aiming to win audience votes through compelling improvisations.
By adding new twists, reinterpreting events, or reshaping character relationships, players can alter the direction of the story—earning more tokens for both wit and performance skill.
Core Strategy
Board Game – Fiasco
Inspiration
Stage Play – The Play That Goes Wrong
A comedy by Mischief Theatre, The Play That Goes Wrong (2012) follows an amateur troupe staging a murder mystery, The Murder at Haversham Manor. From the start, everything hilariously fails—props break, lines are forgotten, and sets collapse. What should have been a tense mystery turns into a series of comedic disasters. This concept of unexpected events and on-stage accidents influences the board game, bringing spontaneity and humor to players' performances.
Literally meaning a makeshift stage and troupe, 草台班子 refers to unprofessional or hastily assembled groups, often used humorously.
The game’s chaotic troupe mirrors this concept, with a grass-shaped token inspired by the idiom.
Chinese Idiom: "草台班子" (Cǎo tái bān zi)
Fiasco is a collaborative storytelling game inspired by B-movie disasters and dark comedies. Players create and perform a narrative based on relationships, needs, objects, and locations. The improvisational nature of The Show Must Go On! is partly inspired by Fiasco, allowing players to define characters, relationships, and shape the story freely.
Game Design
Overall Concept
Players take on the roles of amateur actors who must improvise and justify a series of unexpected on-stage accidents through performance.
Flow Chart
Rules(Simplified)
Before the game begins, select a script, assign roles, and define the performance area. One player will be chosen to draw a prop card and a keyword card.
Before the performance starts, there is 1 minute for preparation. The performance must be completed within 5 minutes.
During the performance, the lead actor must designate another actor to help complete the performance. New characters or plot elements can be added during the performance.
After the performance, players can quickly point out any "violations of the established rules." The first player to identify one will earn a "grass" token.
Once the entire script has been performed, the actor with the most "grass" tokens will be awarded the "Grass Stage Light" trophy.
Unperformed "audience" members must give one "grass" token to the actor they think performed the best. The lead actor will then draw the next prop card and keyword card.
Art
Each card type is color-coded and labeled on the back. The front side features concise text and humor-infused content.
The visual language emphasizes clarity and playfulness: minimalistic icons, crisp typography, and a touch of theatrical humor to set a light and engaging tone.
Card Design
Playtesting & Iteration
First Playtest (2025.8.7)
Early testing revealed key issues:
· solo dominance
· unclear role transitions
· pacing inconsistencies due to overthinking
Adjustments included:
· A "Like" system to incentivize duo performances.
· Physical role identifiers (props/accessories) and a defined stage area to clarify identity shifts.
· Limited preparation (1-minute thinking, 5-minute performance) to preserve spontaneity.
· A Director role to guide flow and ensure story coherence.
Second Playtest (2025.8.16)
Sand timer for rhythm.
Defined stage area to separate performers from the audience.
Two-person scenes to encourage interaction.
Reduced scenes from 12 to 8 to prevent fatigue.
Simplified character cards for greater creativity.
Third Playtest (2025.8.28)
The final iteration achieved a smooth flow. The rules were intuitive for first-time players, and gameplay remained coherent even when certain roles were removed in smaller groups.
Rulebook
Background:
You and your friends play as amateur actors in a theater troupe. During a stage performance, a series of unexpected “accidents” occur, and you must rely on improvisation to save the show.
Component List:
· 15 rectangular cards
· 20 large square cards
· 20 small rectangular cards
· 1 set of script cards
· 5 card stands
· 1 trophy
· 2 sand timers (1-minute and 5-minute)
Set-up:
After selecting a script, assign each player a character role and set up the performance area.
Randomly choose one player to draw a Prop Card and a Keyword Card.
Typical Turn:
· Players collaboratively act out the scene described on the Script Card.
· The main performer then draws a Sudden Incident Card and, using all three drawn cards (script, prop, and keyword), performs an improvisational skit.
· After the performance, audience members can buzz in to point out any contradictions with previously established story details.
· If correct, the challenger earns one Grass Token.
· Each audience member then gives one Grass Token to the actor they believe performed best.
· The next performer draws a new Prop Card and Keyword Card, and the next scene begins.
Performance Rules:
· 1-minute preparation time, up to 5 minutes for the performance.
· The main performer must select one other actor to join the scene.
· Players may introduce new settings or story elements, but later scenes must remain consistent with all previously established facts.
· “Good performance” can mean realistic acting, clever improvisation, or creative storytelling—entirely up to the audience’s judgment.
Win Condition:
After completing the entire script, the player with the most Grass Tokens wins and receives the Golden Figurine Trophy.
Recommended Place to Play:
KTV — The use of microphones enhances the theatrical experience and helps define the performance area.
Final Game Presentation
Appendix: English Script
Act 1: Interrogation Room
It’s early morning. Four suspects have been brought to the police station, and as expected, none of them admit any involvement in the arson-murder case.
Daughter:
That afternoon, I came home to tell my father I was going abroad, but he wasn’t home, so I left and didn’t return the whole day.
Wife:
I received a phone call that night and left the house. The security cameras can confirm that. Besides, we’ve only been married for three months—why would I suddenly want to harm my husband? Brother:
I’ve built my career alongside my brother, and I respect him more than anyone. That afternoon, I even went to his house to talk business. He was perfectly fine then.
Employee:
That afternoon, Mr. Rich contacted me privately to find a quiet place to renew his insurance contract. I found a place neither too close nor too far from his house.
The police announce:
We found a large quantity of psychiatric drugs in the daughter’s bedroom, and the victim had a history of mental illness. The daughter is about to refute this claim when a muffled sound comes from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The play continues)
Police:
The police reluctantly accept the daughter’s explanation and turn to the rich man’s brother. According to the testimony of the housekeeper, the brother visited the rich man’s house that afternoon, and loud arguing was heard from the study. The brother is about to explain when a noise comes from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The performance continues.)
A young police officer rushes in, handing over a file.:
Before the fire that night, someone witnessed the rich man's wife hurriedly dragging a heavy object and placing it into the trunk of her car, then leaving. The wife is about to protest when another strange sound comes from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The performance continues.)
Police:
Finally, the police look at the silent employee and ask, “According to the insurance company’s records, the rich man has been renewing his contracts at home for over ten years. Why did he suddenly ask you to meet him outside that day?” The employee is about to speak when a scream is heard from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
Police:
Due to the lack of concrete evidence, the police decide to suspend the interrogation.
End of Act 1.
Act 2: The Missing Will
The next morning, the four of them, seemingly coincidentally, return to the house, which has almost been reduced to rubble.
The four ask the guards what’s going on and learn that the safe containing the rich man’s will has disappeared. The four immediately exchange suspicious glances.
Brother:
My brother never mentioned anything about a will. Though, as the second-largest shareholder in the company, I should have a say in the distribution of my esteemed brother’s estate. (He scornfully looks the daughter up and down.) But I respect my brother’s will.
Daughter:
(Furrowing her brows) Uncle, you say you “should” have a say in my father’s estate? What do you mean by that? Did you pressure him into writing a will, then burn down the house to cover it up?
Wife:
Now that you mention it, I remember the day of the incident. You, little brother, came in, your face red and full of anger. You glared at me before storming into the old man’s office. What made you so anxious? He was so upset that after you left, he sent all the servants home.
The rich man’s brother stands with his hands on his hips, about to argue, when a sound suddenly comes from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The performance continues.)
After a long silence, the employee suddenly turns to the daughter.
Employee: I met with the rich man, and he mentioned you. He said he was planning to change his will and not leave all his estate to you. Did you know about this will revision?
The daughter is about to speak when another sound comes from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
The four of them continue arguing, but nothing is resolved. They all leave after exchanging harsh words.
End of Act 2.
The Arson on a Snowy Night
Plot Summary
On a winter night, a devastating arson case occurs in the suburbs of the city. A villa is burned to ashes, and the only victim is the homeowner—a wealthy man in his seventies, once the head of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical company.
After investigation, the police identify four suspects: the victim’s daughter, his sixth wife of only three months, the victim’s younger brother, and an employee from the estate insurance company. But who is the real murderer?
Act 3: The Reappearing Will
Two days later, a safe is dropped in front of the rich man’s company. The safe has been unlocked, and inside is the rich man’s will. The will clearly states that all his assets are to be inherited by his wife’s biological daughter.
The four, upon hearing about the will, reunite at the police station. They are shocked and furious by the contents of the will, especially the rich man’s brother, who nearly explodes at the wife.
Brother:
To get my brother’s wealth, you spent twenty years gaining his trust, then manipulated him into marrying you, so you could transfer all the assets to your daughter. You’re asking to be charged with murder and spend your life in prison!
Daughter:
I never knew you had a daughter. Is she really your biological child? Is everything you’ve done just to pave the way for your precious daughter, “Mother”?
The police announce:
According to the housekeeper’s testimony, the daughter entered the wife’s room after returning home that afternoon. They had a heated argument, and the daughter stormed off shortly after.
The wife, looking pale, is about to speak in her defense. A loud quarrel can be heard from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The performance continues.)
The police interrupt the argument, walking over to the employee and saying:
“Besides the will, the safe also contained several photos. The people in these photos are all, without exception, employees.”
Everyone is stunned, and the employee is about to speak. A buzzing sound can be heard from backstage.
(Please draw an event card.)
(The incident is resolved, and the performance continues.)
With no conclusion reached in the interrogation, the police have no choice but to let the four leave.
End of Act 3.
Act 4: Who is the Real Culprit?
...
(Due to the rushed nature of the performance, the script’s ending is still unfinished. Actors, please use the information provided during the performance and, within the 5-minute intermission, decide who you believe the “real culprit” is.)
(The "real culprit" must present their motive and the process of the crime to the audience. Feel free to draw a prop card and a keyword card to assist your performance. Please bring the story to a satisfying conclusion!)
Well done! You've completed the entire performance, and the audience is cheering and applauding. Although some viewers still seem a bit confused, the "Makeshift Theater Troupe" has successfully pulled off the show!
The troupe leader is pleased and wants to reward the "pillar of the troupe" — the actor who collected the most "grass" — with the "Little Golden Grass" trophy!!