Have you ever wanted to play a pop-up book? Have you been searching for a game that is filled with magic and mystery? Is your gaming group looking for something quick and fun without pages and pages of rules? Look no further!
The Shivers is a truly one-of-a-kind tabletop experience that features the magic of hand-crafted pop-ups, combined with just the right amount of spooky puzzle-solving mystery and role playing.
Using our patent-pending modular pop-up system, the mystery will unfold as you and your friends explore a magical mansion, as one of the members of the Shivers family. Each episode takes about an hour to play cooperatively, with one person taking the lead as the Storyteller. Once players finish one episode, a quick change of the system reveals the next story which will be completely new and unique: filled with new clues, puzzles, room layouts, and foes to vanquish.
The Shivers is fun and challenging for young kids, teens, and even older experienced game players. While most games have dozens of pages of rules and take many hours to learn and play, Shivers players have just a couple simple rules, and can get up and playing in less than 5 minutes. Similar to an escape room in structure and feel (but on a much smaller scale), players can get immediately immersed in the mystery, discovering the right path forward as they progress.
—description from the designer
For each scenario, one player takes on the role of the "storyteller", which is akin to an RPG GameMaster (GM). They know the whole story, and facilitate the rest of the players as they play the game. They are not an adversary, as they can't win or lose. Their goal is to make the game as fun as possible for the group.
- Players can be up and playing in less than five minutes thanks to simple rules and minimal setup.
- Novelty of a pop-up game.
- Sleuthing mysteries and solving puzzles
- A magical and spooky mansion
- Pop-up book style
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Pop-up elements — Features a patent-pending modular pop-up system.
- Puzzle solving — Players solve puzzles.
- Role-playing — Players do a little role-playing.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- by my estimation there are 3.6 million games released each week which doesn't sound right now I say it out loud but there are a ton aboard card and tabletop games released each month so it's inevitable that some of them are going to slip the cracks like some kind of determined eel or greased baboon
- Chaz is created a mysterious an intricate programmatic formula which assigns each of these games an underdog score ranging from 1 to 100 while it is true that I don't fully understand chances formula I've seen it it's a lie and I think it might be sentient possibly evil
- MKULTRA was proven to be real and it's not just me thinking this TVs can see you all pigeons are Holograms now that's only imported because there's also this evil demon horse radishes only came into existence five years ago it's the mandala effect Apple computers are reverse engineered technology from a downed alien spaceship the Berenstein bears fun not today Internet
- Yes well done Chaz what a way to treat a classic cornerstone a modern board-gaming with the respect it deserves
- please I can't stress this enough never represent yourself in court ever
References (from this video)
- family-friendly experience
- engaging popup components
- three chapters provide structure
- requires a capable DM
- not everyone's preferred play style
- spooky mystery; collaborative storytelling
- family game night with spooky storytelling; haunted-house vibe
- GM-led storytelling with scenario inserts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative storytelling — Players collectively influence outcomes through dialogue and choices.
- Role-playing / DM-led storytelling — One player acts as the game master guiding narrative and pacing.
- scenario-based play — Each chapter contains multi-scene scenarios to explore.
- Storytelling — One player acts as the game master guiding narrative and pacing.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm happy and sad at the same time.
- being super honest about that kind of stuff.
- we are going to say goodbye to Grand Austria Hotel.
- reviewers don't always mesh with our taste because a fairly famous reviewer did not like this game
- it's an easy no-brainer for us. It hits the table often and it's always fun when it does
- Phil Walker-Harding is one of our favorite designers.