Descending the Stairs

A storytelling game of nightlife and nostalgia for 1 to 6 players, face to face, over video call, or by forum.

In ones and twos, or in big groups you arrive at the club.
The music is loud and the dance floor is crowded as you settle into your usual routine.
This is far from your first night at the club.
Knowing that it is your last, everything takes on depth and meaning.
You find yourself reminiscing, noticing things you might otherwise have missed . . . 

Descending the Stairs

In Descending the Stairs, players narrate the last night at a beloved and familiar nightclub. By taking turns answering questions about tonight, about nights past, about nights to come, players create a living environment to define and explore together, culminating in a moment at the end of the game where each player descends the stairs for the last time.

In person, playing through the full deck takes 90 minutes to 2 hours.
A shorter game can be played by using two-thirds or half of the deck.

Descending the Stairs is about relationships. It focuses on the players and their characters’ subjective impressions of the club, their history with it, and how that impacts their relationships with others. For the best experience, expect to listen to each other as the world is being built around you, be attentive to what your fellow players are saying, and incorporate their stories into your own answers.

Descended From the Queen

This work is based on For the Queen, a product of Alex Roberts and Evil Hat Productions, and licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.  

For the Queen™ is a trademark of Alex Roberts. 

The Descended From the Queen Logo is © Alex Roberts, and is used with permission.

The BOUNCER was originally developed by John Stavropoulos as The X-Card (Safety Tools for Simulations, Role-Playing, and Games) and is adapted for use in this game. Learn more about The X-Card here.

Layout by Adam Vass.

Standing at the top of the steep and narrow stairs - hot, sweaty, exhilarated.
Feeling thoroughly spent. A night at your favorite club is over. 
But tonight, the club closes forever. 
What will you take with you as you descend the stairs for the last time?