Not again," thought Yousef, as he looked up at the two-ton lion statue careening towards him from the roof. "I don't know if I can take another Thursday."
Thursday is a tabletop role playing game of time loops, drama, and learning from your mistakes. It is a game about finding out what is important in life as you fall off the fire escape for the fifth time. It's about finally making that deep connection, but knowing it'll all be lost with the next reset. Discover your character's hidden backstory and unmet desires, and help them reach the personal epiphany they need to escape the fatal time loop and move on.
Thursday was inspired by cultural touchstones like Russian Doll, Groundhog Day, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, where time loops provide the opportunity to reflect on life in a way that is not possible when experiencing time linearly. Following this tradition, the story begins at 10:00 pm on a Thursday in the city and continues until one of the characters dies, triggering a cascade that returns everyone to their starting arrangements with the benefit of the knowledge they have gained.
Thursday is based on the No Dice No Masters system created by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum, which excels at character driven collaborative storytelling. As the name implies, No Dice No Masters does not have a single game master, instead splitting the responsibilities among all players and alleviating the need for planning. Thursday uses a modified version of this framework to tell a fulfilling story in a single play session of fewer than three hours.
Players will choose a playbook that provides a leaping off point to create a character that will develop throughout play. The playbook establishes the difficulties each character will have to overcome and provides a unique set of moves that inform how they will interact with the city and the diverse personalities found within.
Choices include:
The creative Artiste who allows their feelings to overflow and explode.
The pragmatic Sellout who is willing to choose society's norms over their true feelings.
The isolated Misanthrope who is bound to follow routine above all else.
The confident Trendsetter who is always at risk to turn to substances for solace and attempt something foolish.
The responsibilities of setting scenes, creating background characters, and managing the ever repeating timelines are divided amongst the players through the use of setting elements. Each element empowers the player to guide the narrative and collaborate at the table, creating an experience driven by engagement and co-ownership.
Thursday was illustrated by Tzor Edery and edited by Vi Huntsman.
