The necromancer shrieks with cruel laughter, plunging the glowing dagger into the warrior's heart. Armor and bone tear like paper before the might of The Cursed Dagger of Ag'tekk. As the blood drains from the wound, Taft gloats, "Fool! All your struggle was for naught. Your soul will be but a tasty morsel for my dark master!"

He starts to pull the dagger out, but finds his wrist stopped cold by Francesca's iron grip. She stares back with an icy glare. Taft stammers, "I—Impossible! I caught you right in the heart!" A glint of light catches the necromancer's eye, and he looks down to see the talisman of protection. "But that means..."

Wresting the dagger from the necromancer's cold hands, Francesca grins. "That's right—I hid all my vital organs in a pocket dimension!" Taking a free hand to dip a finger in what appeared to be blood, she tastes it and chortles. "You wasted the ichor of Ag'tekk on nothing more than a large ketchup packet!"

About This Game

Standoff is a game where everyone works together to tell a ridiculous story full of twists, ripostes, counter-feints, and triple-double-crosses.

Number of Players: A small gang (2-6 players).
Time to Play: Approximately 60 minutes.
Required Materials: Blank index cards and writing utensils.
Format: 24-page booklet (5.5 x 8.5 in).

Standoff is a game by Matthew R.F. Balousek (itch, twitter), with illustrations by Carey Pietsch (website, twitter) and book design by Joviana Carrillo (website).

Printed Versions

The PDF version is pay-what-you-want, with no minimum price.

The Print + PDF version is $5, which includes shipping. For every two printed zines you buy, you can have a third of your choice for free. After purchasing, send me an email and let me know 1.) where to send your print copies and 2.) which free zines (if any) I should include.