Pages of History

Learning about the origin and evolution of a people.

How to play: After each new time period:

You’re all historians. You have in your possession an
archive containing tales, accounts, and legends that
refer to a culture that has never been properly studied.
Together, you will uncover and establish historically
accurate information about this culture.
The player who has last visited a museum kicks things
off by being the first Storyteller, telling a tale from the
time period when the culture originated.
Reciting the account:
Start by stating what manner of source you are
recounting. Is it a fictional story, written as a play by a
neighbouring culture of the time? Is it a true account
of an event, recovered on a stone tablet? Is it a fairy
tale set in the region, passed down through
generations?
Then start telling the story. When you introduce an
important character, point at one of the other
historians. They now become that character, and
decide what that character does in the story. They
speak in character until the story ends.
The story ends when all characters have been
indtroduced and a scene has reached its conclusion.
Analyzing the account:
The historians must now analyze the story for relevant
details. By corroborating with recovered artifacts and
other histories, you can determine what three
important truths we glean from the story. But the
story isn’t a perfect image of history. Based on other
sources, we know that the story got one thing wrong,
and omitted or ignored one important thing.
Perhaps the story from one time period tells of a vastly
different culture than the one before it. When that
happens, the historians must discuss what happened
that caused the culture to change so dramatically.
Everything that is written as the five truths are always
accurate, because you are historians and you know
what you’re doing.
At the end of the game:
The game ends when the historians conclude that
they’ve reached recent history, or otherwise the time
period when the culture was lost.
Now, all the historians sign at the bottom of the page
with their name and title. You now have a manuscript
to publish on this interesting culture. Congratulations!
You have gained the respect of the academic
community.
Always remember:
• When you address another player, refer to
them by their title, which will be either
Professor or Doctor.
• Your culture can be a realistic culture, but it
can also be a fantasy culture, or set in a
spacefaring future.
• Proper historians don’t make fun of existing
cultures with degrading caricatures or jokes.
• Your time period will not last forever!
Sometimes, your favorite aspects of the culture
won’t stand the test of time and be erased by
later events. Historians must accept this fact.

We have thus learned five truths about the culture

from that time period. The historians must figure out
the approximate date the story took place in. Note the
date and the five things in a new entry on the back of
this page.

Then, the player sitting to the left of the Storyteller

becomes the new Storyteller. They will tell a story from
a new time period, chronologically after the last. Made by Natalie