Story Deck: Storytelling Card Game

I brought this to my friend group's Christmas dinner — seven people, ranging from my most introverted mate to my loudest cousin. Within twenty minutes everyone was sharing stories they'd never told before. My friend Tom talked about moving countries alone at 19. We've known him for eight years and none of us had ever heard that. It completely changed the tone of the whole evening.

My daughter is 24 and lives across the country. When she visited for the holidays I was genuinely nervous we'd run out of things to say — we love each other but we'd grown a little distant. A colleague had given me the Story Deck as a gift and we pulled it out after dinner. We played for three hours. She told me about dreams she'd never mentioned, fears she'd been carrying alone. I felt closer to her that evening than I had in probably a decade.

I've hosted the same group of friends for dinner every few months for the past ten years. Lovely people, same conversations. Brought out the Story Deck last time and within an hour we were somewhere completely different — deeper, funnier, more surprising. My mate Phil, who never talks about himself, went on for twenty minutes about a trip he took alone after his divorce. Everyone was silent. It was one of those evenings you talk about for years.

I used the Story Deck at a birthday dinner for twelve people — a mix of old friends, new partners, and a couple of people nobody really knew yet. I was nervous it would feel forced. It didn't. The categories are so well thought out — you can steer toward funny or toward deep depending on the room. By the end of the night, the two people who'd arrived as strangers were deep in conversation in the corner. I've never had a dinner party end like that.

What I appreciate most is that it works for such different group sizes and dynamics. I've played it with my partner and two other couples — brilliant. I've played it at a family gathering with my parents and teenage nephews — somehow also brilliant. The 82 cards cover enough different territory that there's always something that lands, whatever the mood or the mix of people. It's now the thing I bring to every gathering.
I don't play it only with my cat (yet), but will see what stories he is hiding))

I bought this for a road trip with three friends. Five hours in the car — we figured we needed something. What I didn't expect was how much I'd learn about people I've known since school. One of the 'firsts' category cards got my friend talking about something that happened to him at 16 that explained so much about who he is now. He'd never told any of us. That conversation happened because of a card. Wild.

My book club had been meeting for four years and we'd started to feel a little stale — same discussions, same dynamics. Someone brought the Story Deck as a gift and we tried it instead of our usual format. The 'life changes' category in particular opened up conversations about things we'd all been through but never really talked about directly. Three of us cried. All of us laughed. We've ordered two more decks for friends.

I brought this to my friend group's Christmas dinner — seven people, ranging from my most introverted mate to my loudest cousin. Within twenty minutes everyone was sharing stories they'd never told before. My friend Tom talked about moving countries alone at 19. We've known him for eight years and none of us had ever heard that. It completely changed the tone of the whole evening.

My daughter is 24 and lives across the country. When she visited for the holidays I was genuinely nervous we'd run out of things to say — we love each other but we'd grown a little distant. A colleague had given me the Story Deck as a gift and we pulled it out after dinner. We played for three hours. She told me about dreams she'd never mentioned, fears she'd been carrying alone. I felt closer to her that evening than I had in probably a decade.

I've hosted the same group of friends for dinner every few months for the past ten years. Lovely people, same conversations. Brought out the Story Deck last time and within an hour we were somewhere completely different — deeper, funnier, more surprising. My mate Phil, who never talks about himself, went on for twenty minutes about a trip he took alone after his divorce. Everyone was silent. It was one of those evenings you talk about for years.

I used the Story Deck at a birthday dinner for twelve people — a mix of old friends, new partners, and a couple of people nobody really knew yet. I was nervous it would feel forced. It didn't. The categories are so well thought out — you can steer toward funny or toward deep depending on the room. By the end of the night, the two people who'd arrived as strangers were deep in conversation in the corner. I've never had a dinner party end like that.

What I appreciate most is that it works for such different group sizes and dynamics. I've played it with my partner and two other couples — brilliant. I've played it at a family gathering with my parents and teenage nephews — somehow also brilliant. The 82 cards cover enough different territory that there's always something that lands, whatever the mood or the mix of people. It's now the thing I bring to every gathering.
I don't play it only with my cat (yet), but will see what stories he is hiding))

I bought this for a road trip with three friends. Five hours in the car — we figured we needed something. What I didn't expect was how much I'd learn about people I've known since school. One of the 'firsts' category cards got my friend talking about something that happened to him at 16 that explained so much about who he is now. He'd never told any of us. That conversation happened because of a card. Wild.

My book club had been meeting for four years and we'd started to feel a little stale — same discussions, same dynamics. Someone brought the Story Deck as a gift and we tried it instead of our usual format. The 'life changes' category in particular opened up conversations about things we'd all been through but never really talked about directly. Three of us cried. All of us laughed. We've ordered two more decks for friends.

I brought this to my friend group's Christmas dinner — seven people, ranging from my most introverted mate to my loudest cousin. Within twenty minutes everyone was sharing stories they'd never told before. My friend Tom talked about moving countries alone at 19. We've known him for eight years and none of us had ever heard that. It completely changed the tone of the whole evening.

My daughter is 24 and lives across the country. When she visited for the holidays I was genuinely nervous we'd run out of things to say — we love each other but we'd grown a little distant. A colleague had given me the Story Deck as a gift and we pulled it out after dinner. We played for three hours. She told me about dreams she'd never mentioned, fears she'd been carrying alone. I felt closer to her that evening than I had in probably a decade.

I've hosted the same group of friends for dinner every few months for the past ten years. Lovely people, same conversations. Brought out the Story Deck last time and within an hour we were somewhere completely different — deeper, funnier, more surprising. My mate Phil, who never talks about himself, went on for twenty minutes about a trip he took alone after his divorce. Everyone was silent. It was one of those evenings you talk about for years.

I used the Story Deck at a birthday dinner for twelve people — a mix of old friends, new partners, and a couple of people nobody really knew yet. I was nervous it would feel forced. It didn't. The categories are so well thought out — you can steer toward funny or toward deep depending on the room. By the end of the night, the two people who'd arrived as strangers were deep in conversation in the corner. I've never had a dinner party end like that.

What I appreciate most is that it works for such different group sizes and dynamics. I've played it with my partner and two other couples — brilliant. I've played it at a family gathering with my parents and teenage nephews — somehow also brilliant. The 82 cards cover enough different territory that there's always something that lands, whatever the mood or the mix of people. It's now the thing I bring to every gathering.
I don't play it only with my cat (yet), but will see what stories he is hiding))

I bought this for a road trip with three friends. Five hours in the car — we figured we needed something. What I didn't expect was how much I'd learn about people I've known since school. One of the 'firsts' category cards got my friend talking about something that happened to him at 16 that explained so much about who he is now. He'd never told any of us. That conversation happened because of a card. Wild.

My book club had been meeting for four years and we'd started to feel a little stale — same discussions, same dynamics. Someone brought the Story Deck as a gift and we tried it instead of our usual format. The 'life changes' category in particular opened up conversations about things we'd all been through but never really talked about directly. Three of us cried. All of us laughed. We've ordered two more decks for friends.