NERDBALL

by Mike Olson

In this game, you play an eighth-grade nerd in a junior-high PE class dodgeball game. As the bullies on the other team pick you off one by one, you flash back to past experiences with them -- some good, most bad.

You’ll need:

• A bowl and a box.
• 2d4, 2d6, and 1d8 per player in the bowl; 1d8, 1d10, and 1d12 per player in the box.
• Paper and pencils.

The nerd dice, in the bowl, represent your team of nerds. The bully dice, in the box, are the other team -- the jocks, bullies, cool kids, etc. When a team runs out of dice, they lose.

Describe your nerd.

• Your name is weird or easy pun-fodder. What is it?
• You look nerdy. How?
• You act nerdy. How?
• You belong to a nerd-friendly club at school. What is it?

Describe your bully.

• Their name is cool or scary. What is it?
• They look intimidating. How?
• They have a nickname for you. What is it?
• They’re physically capable. Why?

When it’s your turn, pick a nerd die and the smallest bully die and roll them together. Unless otherwise noted, when you take a die from the bowl or box, you don’t return it.

• Nerd die > bully die: The bully’s throw misses. Return both dice.

• Flashback: Tell a positive story involving you and your bully. Write down the basics. If you’ve already recorded a negative flashback with your bully, consider connecting the two.

• Bully die > nerd die: A nerd is out. Describe how you managed to avoid being hit, and write down the name of the nerd who was hit in your stead.

• If there aren’t at least as many nerd dice left as there are other nerd players, your nerd is out. See below.
• Flashback: Tell a negative story involving your bully, and write down the basics. Connect it with the nerd who just got out, if you can. If you’ve already written down a positive flashback with your bully, consider connecting the two.

• Bully die = 1: You’ve caught a thrown ball from the other team. Return your nerd die to the bowl.
• Nerd die = 1: Your nerd is out. Now you play the bully of the player to your left instead. See below.
• Tie: Roll a second nerd die. If it’s lower than the bully die, that’s two nerds out. If it’s higher, the throw misses -- return all dice. If that third nerd die also results in a tie, pick another nerd die and roll that, and so on until one rolls higher or lower than the tied number.

As a nerd, you can cross out one of your positive flashbacks to reroll one or both dice.

Playing a Bully:

When you pick dice, pick the smallest bully die in the box and the largest nerd die in the bowl. Your point of view changes, but the dice-rolling is as above.

As a bully, you can cross out one of your target’s negative flashbacks to reroll both dice.