The Times, They Are A'changing. Once Upon a Time, You Dressed So

ROLLING STONE: A Whimsical Song-Writing Game Set in the Works of Bob Dylan The times, they are a’changing. Once upon a time, you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime, in your prime. But then there was a simple twist of fate – and you got tangled up in blue, pledging your time to some rainy day women. Now, you’re thinking and a wonderin’ and walking down the road, stuck inside of Mobile, in the House of the Rising Sun on desolation row, as a hard rain falls outside. Ah but you were so much older then, and one day, you shall be released. ROLLING STONE is a whimsical song-writing word game for two players. It is suited to both those who love Bob Dylan and those who like to mock him. However, if you’re playing with people who love him and people who mock him, things could come to fisticuffs, so take care. Set up: One player takes the role of The Songwriter. The other player takes the role of The Woman. The Woman and The Songwriter have a complex relationship. At one point, the two of them shared a passionate moment (even if it was only a night), but then something happened and they became estranged. Either The Woman never loved the Songwriter to begin with, or The Songwriter realizes his feelings have changed. Whichever is the case, the Songwriter is now bitter, reflective and maudlin. (Note: if the player doesn’t want to be a woman, they can be simply Fate, which has brought the Songwriter down to his current bitter, maudlin state.) However, at the start of the game, neither player will know exactly what happened, nor precisely what these feelings are. The point of the game is to create the story and these feelings, over a number of game rounds. Players also need to decide how many turns they will take per round, and perhaps a cap on the number of rounds. Beginner players should work on two or three turns per round, and three or four rounds. Finally, both players should decide on the title of the song. It is important that it should not end in the word orange. The play: The Woman player plays first. She does this by saying the first two lines of a song, to describe a (typically odd) situation. For example, she might say Well, the vampires and the werewolves They all went home at noon Note that the rhythm and meter of the song is entirely up to the Woman. By this and by starting first, she dictates much of the feel of the song. The Songwriter must then respond to this move by saying another two lines which rhyme with the first two. Following this example, he might say: But the mummy and the Boy Scouts Kept dancing to the tune The players do not have to sing the lines, but are welcome to do so if they wish. Anyone who says they can’t sing immediately loses a point for forgetting that Bob Dylan can’t either. Singing in Bob’s style is highly encouraged. Continue in this way until the number of rounds chosen have been played out. Then, to close each round, the Songwriter says one or two extra lines describing how he feels. These lines must all rhyme with the title of the song – which he follows his final lines with. This closes the round, and a new one can begin. Back to our example. The players have agreed to play with three turns per round, and have decided their song is called “It’s So Cold In Here”. Well the vampires and the werewolves They all went home at noon But the mummy and the Boy Scouts Kept dancing to the tune They put their money in the jukebox And it gave them lemonade I probably should have left then But it turns out that I stayed And as the daylight faded I wished that you were there To catch my broken body When they threw me down the stairs The Songwriter then ends with: And I yelled out to the night as I landed on my ear I’m supposed to be in Hell, but it’s so cold in here. NOTE: The Woman never speaks in first person. If either party mentions her, she must be referred to in the third person, either with a pronoun (she, her), by her name (Marie, Corrina Corrina) or a descriptor (my love, sad eyed lady of the lowlands). The Songwriter however is never named. He is only ever referred to as “I”. Thus, in the third stanza where the Woman says “I wished that you were there” she is in fact speaking in the voice of the Songwriter. This is perfectly legal, but avoid it if it causes confusion. The aim: The Woman player’s goal is to make the Songwriter explain what the hell he’s actually singing about and how he feels about it. However, she cannot ask directly, she can only try to sing lines which might supply an answer. Meanwhile, the Songwriter’s goal is to make sure his lines remain vague, obtuse and impermeable to analysis. Note in our example that the Woman tries to indicate that the Songwriter misses her, but the Songwriter keeps it vague, as perhaps he only wanted her to break his fall down the stairs. There are two ways to end the game. Firstly, you can play to the agreed number of rounds. If the Songwriter is still being vague at the end of things, and nobody knows how he actually feels about the Woman, he wins a point. The players should swap roles and play again. Alternatively, you can play for as many rounds as it takes for the Songwriter to slip up and say something concrete. Other aims are also possible; for example the Woman might aim to get the song to reflect her in a positive light, while the Songwriter aims to do otherwise. Fate might try to break his spirit while the Songwriter remains blithe. And so on. Winning is not really the point, of course. The point is creating a funny, cool, Dylan-esque ballad. Add alcohol as necessary. Adding music: Musically gifted players should also be encouraged to pick out a tune to their lines. Guitars work the best for this. Simply choose a chord progression involving C, G, D F and A. Throw in some D7, Em and Am where appropriate. Repeat this pattern for each turn, then change it slightly for the summing up by the Songwriter. Of course, more complex songs are possible. As indeed are more complex rhyming structures or meters. Repeating rhyming couplets are simply the easiest place to start. You can also put your compositions to music after the game. This is appropriate if you are playing the game online, or in other situations where playing is difficult (such as on a car journey). With or without music, however, you should write down all the songs you create and show them to your friends and family. They won’t care, of course, but the nice ones might pretend to. Adding more players: To allow more players to join in, simply cast them all as cruel, oblique fate and have the Songwriter respond to each of them in turn. If they make him make sense, they win. Then let someone else be the Songwriter. Inspiration: Some players might be less au fait with the works of Bob Dylan. Here then are some titles of Dylan songs to get you in the mood and provide inspiration when none is coming. Don’t worry if you do a song title already taken, or start a song with the same first line as an existing one – it is often much funnier to start thusly and see what it becomes (and if it resembles his work at all). Following that is the lyrics of Tombstone Blues, Stuck Inside Mobile and Desolation Row. They are perfect examples of what a successful game of Rolling Stone should produce – and should provide lots of good lines to use as sparks for your own creations! Acknowledgements: With great thanks (and deep, deep apologies) to the master himself, Mr Bob Dylan for writing literally hundreds of amazing, unbelievably good songs. Songs that have caught my spirit and given me great joy. Songs that have colored my life on a very deep level. Songs that fill the beats I tap with my shoes and haunt the far corners of my subconscious. Thanks, Bob. You rock. From: https://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t-140911.html .

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