INTROSPECTION - The board game of questions never asked and stories never told.

Welcome gamers and to those who are curious about the world of table top gaming. 

My name is John Manning and my goal is to guide you through this fascinating world and to introduce you to the products, people, and places involved with games.


The first game I wish to tell you about is a board game called Introspection. 

I first encountered this game at the Texicon Game Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, this past May.  Wil Hasty, the game’s creator, was demonstrating it to two other players and invited me to sit in.

The object of the game is to correctly answer enough questions to move your colored playing piece all the way around the board until it reaches the start/finish line.  Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is anything but simple.  The first step – when it’s your turn – is to roll the multi-colored die (each face of the six-sided die is a different color that corresponds to the color of the question sheets).  Each sheet has a couple of hundred yes or no questions printed on it and each color represents a different aspect of one’s life, such as religion, work, home, and so forth.  You then select the sheets of laminated paper whose color matches the color you rolled.  As you read the questions you also must decide which of the other players you are going to ask.  This can be a very strategic choice, depending on how well or poorly you are doing at the time. For example, one of the people playing the game was a long-time friend of over twenty years.  When I saw that my piece was falling behind the others on the board, I found questions on the sheets that I felt almost certain I knew how he would answer them and directed them to him.  With each correct prediction, I was able to regain lost position.  This is not a “sure thing” as the instructions on the space where my piece landed sent me back to Start.

Once you have determined the question and the player, you turn to your cards.  Each player has six cards that were given at the start – one “Yes”, one “No”, two “Deflect” and two “Pass”.  As the questioner, you must try to guess if the person you ask will reply yes or no to your question.  You then select the card that matches your guess and place it face down on the table.  Then you ask the question.  Once the player answers, you turn up your card to show your guess.  If you are right, you get to roll the dice and move forward the number of spaces rolled.  If you are wrong, then you go backwards that many spaces.  The board is divided by eight wedge shaped sections.  One is the start/finish line.  The others are “Life Question” spaces.  If you land on one of those, you must relate a short story about your life to the rest of the players.  Some of these “Life Questions” include Superstition, Jealousy, Regret, Enlightenment, Aloneness, Forgiveness, Love, and many others.  Other spaces on the board may advance you a number of spaces or send you backwards a number of spaces or send you back to start.
Of course, if someone asks you a question you would rather not answer, you can always use your “Pass” or “Deflect” cards.  You must be careful playing these cards, however, as each one may only be played once in a game.  After that, you are fair game.  There is even a timer to make sure players do not take too much time to choose a question.

When I joined the game, a couple of others did, too, and we were up to five players (six is the maximum number of players).  The game started and we had a great time.  I highly recommend this game for parties and as an ice-breaker.  The questions are so well ordered that several family therapists have ordered copies for their practices.  I have included the website address  for those interested in finding out more or ordering one for their own use or as a gift.