A Well-Played Fiasco

The role-playing game Fiasco (Morningstar, 2009) provides an interesting case of collaborative narrative construction in the context of a game about a collective series of failures. Addressing the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of the game (Hunicke, LeBlanc, and Zubek, 2004), this paper addresses the specific interactions of mechanics that give rise to the game’s collaborative dynamics, and the sense of “fun” that evolves from the tension of narrative construction and character destruction. Implications for understanding collaboration and failure in learning are discussed, as well as instructional implications of the game’s rule structures.