News: We’re excited to introduce the new Tableau: Accelerated Core ꩜ Rules 📜, a streamlined edition of our Collaborative Cinematic Storytelling system. As part of our upcoming crowdfunding campaign, we’re also previewing our first Accelerated StorySet 📚, Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️. Both are available in a convenient “Print-at-Home” format using Avery 10-up business card punch-out paper. Download them both now for free or Name a Fair Price.
Ignite Your Creativity with Tableau Core ꩜!
“The best stories are the ones we tell together!”
Great tales are like wildfires—all they need is a spark to spread creative passion. Tableau Core ꩜ Rules provides that vital spark in this easy printable Booklet 📖 format. With these foundational rules, you and your friends can craft immersive stories in a single evening.
With Tableau Core ꩜ Rules, your group can conjure any story you desire—from high fantasy kingdoms and gritty detective noir to intense stories of characters dealing with life changes and their relationships. The story possibilities are endless!
Define complex characters motivated by their past experiences and life bonds. Bring these characters to life through cinematic scenes brimming with vivid details. Guide their dramatic and emotional journeys toward a satisfying climax. And embrace memorable stories filled with laughter, tears, and celebration.
Using Tableau Core ꩜ Rules
These Core ꩜ Rules distill the process of telling a story together down to a few key procedures, including:
- how to make choices about what story elements to include;
- how to cast your leads;
- how to introduce them with truths and open questions written on index cards;
- how to direct and frame scenes; and the central story mechanics of character moves and drama.
Safety rules with guidelines for respectful play are also included.
We also offer a wide range of Booklet Storysets 📖, each curated to inspire your sessions with the additional ingredients for your stories! Additionally, Tableau Core ꩜ Rules are easily adaptable for use with story elements and characters brought in from ‘belonging outside belonging‘ style storygames.
With new Booklet Storysets 📖 supplements being made available every month, and Playsets 🎞️ like Lovecraft Country: ”A Study in Madness” on the way, there’s always more storytelling excitement to explore. It all starts with Tableau’s vital spark. Let Tableau Core ꩜ Rules ignite your creativity tonight!
Pay what you want to light this spark. Gather some index cards, some tokens, and optionally one dice, and you’re ready to collaboratively tell stories. Then watch the flames of imagination spread as you and your friends craft an unforgettable storytelling experience!
Contents
By paring down the most essential rules of Tableau into an abbreviated format, these Core ꩜ Rules simplify the learning process for new players. These Booklets 📖 are all you require to start crafting cooperative narratives. They include:
- About Tableau - An overview of the game and its storytelling goals
- Core Rules - Blueprints for collaborative storytelling
- Core Narrative Rules - Scaffolding to build your story on
- Core Casting Rules - Guidance for casting compelling characters
- Core Drama Rules - Techniques to raise the narrative tension
- Core Safety Rules - Methods to foster a safe and inclusive experience
- The Director - A key Player Role for shaping scenes
- Sample Genre Beats - Templates for pivotal events to pace your tale
With just these Tableau Core ꩜ Rules, you have everything needed to start telling stories! To take your adventures further, Tableau’s Booklet Storyset 📖 supplements and Playsets 🎞️ offer a treasure trove of detailed settings, evocative themes, fascinating characters, and much more.
The storytelling possibilities are endless. And it all begins by printing the pages, making a few folds, and watching imagination come alive in your hands.
Tableau Booklets
Instead of poker-sized cards, this version of the Tableau Core ꩜ Rules comes in 8 folded Booklets 📖 designed for convenience and affordability. This compact format simplifies setup and portability. Print at home, gather some friends, and you’re ready for spontaneous storytelling. Its compact size also makes it great for travel and conventions.
Each rulebook page prints single-sided on a standard US Letter 8.5” x 11” paper. Print the pages, make a few origami-inspired folds, and you have Tableau Core ꩜ Rules in the palm of your hand! This Tableau Booklet 📖 format makes setup fast and hassle-free. 
Assembly: Print booklet, single-sided. Fold long way (11’’) with text out, then unfold. Fold short way (8-½’’) with text out, then unfold. Fold short sides ¼ and ¾ inward with text in. Cut center guide, stopping at the ¼ & ¾ folds—don’t cut to page’s end. Refold as per image. Ensure cover is on front. Tighten creases.
Available from…
Tableau Core ꩜ Rules
Tableau Core ꩜ Rules are available in our Tableau Booklet 🍽 from:
PDF on itch.io (“Name your Price”) PDF on DTRPG (“Pay What You Want”)
Also try our Tableau Storyset Booklets 📖
Once you have the Tableau Core Rules, you will find our Booklet Storysets 📖 supplements useful. They introduce additional rules and Story Elements to enrich your Tableau stories. Storysets 📖 also are easy to incorporate into most ‘belonging outside belonging’ style storygames, and are adaptable for use with many other styles of tabletop role-playing games.
Storysets 📖 don’t possess the same flexibility as a Tableau card-based Playset 🎞. Instead, they are designed for a similar style of play. To use a Storyset 📖, simply unfold the Booklet to the desired Story 📖 Element page and have a storyteller Take Up 🫰 that Booklet to assume control of that Element just like they would a card featuring that Story 📖 Element.
Credits
Tableau Core ꩜ Rules (Tableau Booklet 📖 format)_ was written & designed by Christopher Allen.
©2023 by Dyvers Hands Productions, LLC. — All Rights Reserved (no license is granted for redistribution or derivation without permission). More info & image credits at DyversHands.com/Tableau.
Tableau Games™ and Dyvers Hands™ are trademarks of Dyvers Hands Productions LLC.
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