Preface
This game is based around the themes of a holiday I have always held near and dear to my heart; Chanukkah. I’ve always seen Chanukkah as a celebration of tradition and even though many people have tried to destroy our traditions, we still persist, our light will not burn out. I say this knowing that narrative and ideology are powerful, and like many stories soaked in ideology, this story has a more contentious history—and for that matter, present—then I had been lead to believe. To me this story has always been one of community and community resistance against an occupying force trying to stamp out and erase your traditions. Over the year I have now see this story used to help continue as allow the exact kind of action I have always believed this holidays was explicitly against. Using this story to justify any form of setter colonialism is wrong and unjust. Us as a community should work against setter colonialism wherever it appears. Whether its in Turtle Island (North America), Palestine, or any other place in the world. That truly is what this game is about.
Inspirations
Games: Ten Candles by Steven Dewey, איכה by Riley Rethal, Microscope by Ben Robbins and Doikayt a Collection from Riley Rethal
Set Up
As this game is based around Chanukkah because of this game uses material objects commonly found during this holiday. The Objects needed for this game are a Menorah (Chanukiah) and two driedals (though you could get away with replacing the dreidels with d4 and just having nine candles, but some the symbolism will obviously be lost) The length of the game is determined by the burn time of the candles so keep that in mind when choosing them.
Play
Roles
This game is a GM-less game, though it does have roles to assure everyone is having fun and knows what to do. The two roles to assign are Facilitator and Mood Checker.
The Facilitator: The role of the facilitator is to guide the other players through the game as well as help people who may not as familiar with the rules understand what to do. It’s important to note that the facilitator doesn’t make the rules and they are not the main decision maker but they are there to make sure the game rules smoothly. Their role at the table is to know the rules not make them
The Mood Checker: The Role of the Mood checker is to keep tabs on atmosphere of the table, the mood checker should make sure that everyone, including themself, feels comfortable at the table.
Play
You play this game as a community to begin go around in a circle and have each member decide on some aspect of the communities culture, traditions, and life, they may pass if they want. Do this until you all decide that you like the culture you have or until one person passes twice on creating an aspect. This should take less than 5 minutes. Next as a group quickly decide on who the invaders are and how the tactics they are using for control of your group.
Once you feel ready to begin light the Shemash, this will function as the games timer, the she mash represents the hope and will of the people to fight back and resist, when the Shemash burns out the games ends.
Each turn begins with the spin of a dreidal (roll of the dice)
On a Gimel (ג) this is a success. This will represents an act of resistance by your community light one candle on the Menorah.
On a Hey (ה) or Shin (ש) this is a Mixed success do not light a candle but on the next roll you get advantage(Spin two dreidals and take the better result). This represents your community living under the invaders or a set up for a larger act of resistance
On Nun (נ) this is a failure. This represents the occupiers or invaders fighting against your community this can be an act of destruction or … when this happens put out a candle.
After this play out the scene of the respected event.
Scene
This game uses a modified version of Microscope rules for setting scenes.
Just as in microscope the goal of a scene is to answer a question however unlike microscope the questions are a result of the role. Though the person who roles poses the question they should keep the question related to the situation at hand for example if a Gimel was rolled the question could be how does the community fight back or something more specific such as how does the community recapture their house of worship, a question should be specific enough that there can be a concrete answer
There are two types of scenes Played Scenes and Dictated Scenes.
Dictated Scences
Dictated scenes are for when the player who rolled wants total control over the answer of the question to do a dictated scene the player states the question and narrates the answer. While dictated scenes are a useful tool be careful to not over use them as they will limit both other player iteration with the world and general story.
Played Scenes
The next type of scene are Played Scenes, played scenes are the bread and butter of this game and should be the default scene type if you’re unsure what to do. For a played scene the player who rolls poses a question— again related to the result of the dice—then that player set the stage. To set the stage the roller should state where the scene takes places, why the scene is happening, what just happened and whats immediately happening next in the scene. After which everyone goes around and choose a character to play you can create a charter out of thin air or play a already introduced. If they want the player to the left of the roller can ban a character to try to complicate the scene but this is not necessary. Then you play out the scene until everyone feels like they know the answer the question in which you move to the next roll.
Ending
The Games end either when you light all the menorahs candles or the shemash burns out.
If the Shemash burns out the invaders have succeeding in taking over. The players should dictate together what happens to both the community and any characters created threw out play. What is the result to the community, is it fully whiped out with all culture lost or do they stay hidden in the shadows with the spark of their culture still remaining
If you light all 8 candles you community had pushed out the invading force dictate how your community is able to to that and what comes next for the community and culture now that there is not an enemy to fight.