Widdershins Clock is a rules-lite collaborative poetic storytelling game for four to six players. To play, you’ll need a single six-sided die, something to write on and with, and optionally five “muse” tokens per player.
About the Game —
The goal of the game is for the players to collaboratively compose a poem that tells the tale of a central protagonist. The poem is guided by a randomly determined foundation and unfolds through five defined story sections: the Call, Trial, Descent, Climax, and Conclusion.
The game ends with the final line of the Conclusion, completing a poetic narrative shaped by both structure and collaborative improvisation.
The Verse Weaver —
One player takes the role of Verse Weaver. The Verse Weaver guides the flow of the game by introducing each stanza and declaring when a new story section begins. At the start of the game, they also establish the framework of the tale by rolling a six-sided die across five tables to determine the genre, archetype, theme, conflict, and the protagonist’s persona. These rolls define the premise of the poem’s story, giving all players a common foundation to build from.
Framework Random Tables —
The following tables provide the poem’s framework. The Verse Weaver rolls a six-sided die for each to determine the genre, archetype, theme, conflict, and persona that shape the poem’s foundation.
Genre Table —
Genre is the backdrop of the tale, the world in which the poem unfolds
- Fantasy — realms of magic, myth, and ancient wonder.
- Science Fiction — distant stars, strange machines, and future worlds.
- Gothic Horror — shadows, curses, and tragic beauty.
- Mythic Antiquity — heroes, gods, and the weight of fate.
- Post-Apocalypse — ruin, survival, and the remnants of what was.
- Surrealism — dreamscapes, paradox, and the impossible made real.
Archetype Table —
Story archetype is the shape of the tale, the path the protagonist’s tale will follow.
- Quest — the journey to seek what is lost.
- Tragedy — the fall into ruin.
- Comedy — folly, confusion, and harmony restored.
- Monster — the struggle against great evil.
- Mystery — what is hidden, and the truth revealed.
- Romance — desire, longing, and the pursuit of love.
Theme Table —
Theme is recurring imagery that echoes throughout the poem. Use it like a refrain to bind the story together.
- Memory & Dreams — visions of the past, and hope of what might be.
- Shadow & Light — what is hidden, and what is revealed.
- Roots & Growth — bonds that endure, and the cycles that renew.
- Masks & Mirrors — identity, deception, and reflection.
- Silence & Song — what is unspoken, and what resounds.
- Ashes & Embers — what is lost, and what yet remains.
Conflict Table —
Conflict is the core tension of the poem, the struggle that gives it meaning.
- Love vs. Duty — desire of the heart, or obligation sworn.
- Honor vs. Betrayal — loyalty kept, or trust undone.
- Survival vs. Sacrifice — clinging to life, or giving it up for another.
- Fate vs. Freedom — the path foretold, or the will to choose.
- Hope vs. Despair — the will to endure, or the weight of surrender.
- Creation vs. Destruction — what is built, or what is broken.
Persona Table —
Persona is the essence of the poem’s protagonist, the role that they embody.
- Wanderer — restless, searching, and never at peace.
- Warrior — scarred, steadfast, and bound to conflict.
- Scholar — seeker of truth, and bearer of burdens.
- Trickster — clever, chaotic, and ever unpredictable.
- Outcast — shunned, cursed, or cast aside, yet enduring.
- Dreamer — visionary, haunted by what could be.
The Structure of Poetic Storytelling —
The poem unfolds in five sequential sections, each consisting of three stanzas. The sections give shape to the protagonist’s tale, while the players decide how the story unfolds line by line. For faster play, the number of stanzas in each section may be reduced.
- The Call — the beginning, where the protagonist is drawn into conflict.
- The Trial — the proving ground, where challenges test the protagonist.
- The Descent — the turn, where failure or despair looms.
- The Climax — the great struggle, where the conflict reaches its peak.
- The Conclusion — the resolution and reckoning of the protagonist’s tale.
Playing the Game: Writing Stanzas —
Each stanza is written line by line, beginning with the Verse Weaver and continuing counter-clockwise until all players have added a line, then a new stanza is started. The Verse Weaver always begins the next stanza, announcing beforehand if a new section is starting. On their turn, a player may rhyme the final word of their line with the final word of either of the two preceding lines, or choose to forgo rhyming. If they choose not to rhyme, the next player must.
If a rhyme is required but cannot be found, a slant rhyme may be used. A slant rhyme is when words almost rhyme but do not fully match in sound, such as time and mind, or silver and pilfer.
Muses of the Poet Laureate —
Each player begins the game with five muses. At any time, when a player writes a line that another player feels is exceptionally well written, that listener may reward the writer by giving them one of their muses. More than one player may reward a muse for the same line.
At the end of the game, the muses awarded to each player are counted. If any one player has been rewarded more muses than all others, they are named the Poet Laureate.
If the title of Poet Laureate is awarded, that player has the option of writing the poem’s flourish — an added closing line to the last stanza in The Conclusion.
Game Design & Graphic Design by Justin Andrew Mason.
Example of a Finished Poetic Tale
The following is a finished example of a poetic tale created during one of the play-test games for Widdernshins Clock.
Game Details — four players, and three stanzas per poetic tale section.
Framework — Gothic Horror (genre), Romance (archetype), Masks & Mirrors (theme), Love vs. Duty (conflict), and Outcast (persona).
Summary of Poetic Tale: A gothic story about Evangeline of Thornbridge Manor, a young woman who defies a cursed marriage contract, provoking a violent storm that destroys the vampire steward who wrongfully bound her and her foremothers to his whim. The storm brings his manor to ruin and she emerges at dawn free to claim both her free will and her true love.
At Thornbridge Manor sea winds crashed upon the stone,
Evangeline kept counsel where the portraits watched alone,
A letter sealed in shadows black declared a vow unpaid,
Her duty loomed unbroken, a promise had been made.
Yet the captain’s son returned with fire in his eyes,
She felt old embers stir beneath the practiced lies,
The mirror by the stair caught her out of frame,
as the face she wore did not bear her name.
The village bells tolled dusk before the hour,
The tide rose swift to test the steadfast tower,
A ring decreed her fate, a dowry bound in stone,
Hidden truths long left unknown.
Through shadowed tomes she searched for hidden signs,
The ledgers bled with long forgotten lines,
Each mark revealed a curse that bound those of her name,
An ancient bargain dressed in dreadful shame.
The captain’s son swore love could set her free,
and pled she choose her heart over family legacy,
The steward’s voice proclaimed the manor’s right,
A contract bold that bound the daughter's plight.
So she pressed upon locks by barristers sealed,
Delved the crypt where lost secrets were revealed,
A ring passed from hands that once had bled,
Its vows still whispered for the living dead.
The storm without drew darker and blotted out the day,
Flickering lanterns died as servants knelt to pray,
Her shadow split in twain, her breath became a scream,
Walls around her bent inward like a fevered dream.
She chased the echo down a winding stair,
The crypt unveiled truths too damning to bear,
It was her likeness bound in marble’s frozen claim,
A living bride trapped in death’s domain.
The vows once spoken bound her her to his will,
Her family’s word an oath she must fulfill,
Yet, in the dark below she beheld her past with rage,
And swore to break free of her wicked gilded cage.
The manor shook as thunder cursed the stone,
She faced the vampire steward, his betrayal now known,
He raised the contract, its power cold and grim,
But lightning flared and stripped the words from him.
The captain’s son stood at her side, torch held high,
His loyal flame ablaze beneath the storm-torn sky,
Together they faced the curse's final thread,
The truth was revealed to the tyrant's dread.
The tempest roared, the manor bowed and broke,
Its dark spell undone with lightning’s final stroke,
The steward lay shattered, his body turned to dust,
And freedom crowned her triumph, bold and just.
The storm's wrath waned, its fury spent at last,
The manor’s curse lay buried with the past,
In ruins never to be restored, its hold withdrawn,
Silence spread to greet the breaking dawn.
The captain’s son beheld her with steadfast pride,
And all could see she was to be his bride,
Her voice unchained, her will her own to command,
She claimed his heart and took his hand.
The village bells rang clear across the bay,
Proclaiming dawn and praising love’s unbroken sway,
The sea-worn ruins sank to time’s embrace,
Where joy took root and sorrow left no trace.
Crashing tides erased the grief of yesterday,
a heart unchained found its way.