Fiasco

Fiasco is a collaborative narrative tabletop role‑playing game designed by Robin D. Laws and published by Evil Hat Productions in 2013. It is part of the economy‑driven “Scapegoat” family of games and is notable for its quick setup and emphasis on shared storytelling rather than individual player characters. The core mechanic relies on pre‑generated “actions” and a small pool of six dice that are rolled to determine success, failure, or stochastic influence on the scene. Scenes are built from a list of “scenes that could be the end of everything” such as the police chase or the final reveal, and players finish their narratives through “payoff” cards that often introduce a crisp resolution or an ironic twist.

The game’s setting is intentionally vague; it can be set anywhere from a small apartment to a sprawling metropolis, and the genre is flexible, commonly portraying bad business deals or failed romantic endeavors. The thematic focus is that the characters are rich or emotionally invested, with an internal budget that limits their actions. Players decide on backstories, motivations, and secrets that shape the shared narrative, and the game encourages honest, sometimes messy outcomes. Thematic elements are reinforced by a simple “scene deck” which offers a creative, hand‑drawn library of situations.

Fiasco has been praised for its accessibility to new role‑players, its focus on improvisation, and its ability to produce memorable mishaps with minimal prep time. It has spawned several expansions and companion systems, including sandbox‑style additions and a tie‑in to the online “Fiasco: The Board Game”. Critics regard it as a paradigmatic “story‑driven” game and have cited it as a benchmark for future narrative‑oriented tabletop designs.