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Two-Hander

A play-writing duel for two

You and your rival have been hired to write one play, together. Each of you is secretly rooting for two of the six characters. Write well, read your rival, and keep a pair of scissors handy.

  • 2 players
  • 15 to 25 minutes
  • Ages 10+
Hear when it’s outTry a rehearsal

A card game in playtesting now. The boxed edition is in development.

The six characters of Two-Hander on a gilded stage: the Clown, the Ghost, the Heiress, the Detective, the Captain and the Maid, with a long paper script unrolling over the footlights.

Act one, scene one

A theater, after hours. Two writers share one desk, one pen, and one deadline. Neither trusts the other.

You

I thought the Heiress could get a letter. Something mysterious.

Your rival

(a little too quickly)

Lovely. And the Maid can read it first.

You

(to the audience)

They’re backing the Maid. Or they want me to think so.

Each writer is secretly rooting for two of the six characters. Scene by scene, they build one story. When the curtain falls, their characters’ arcs are their score.

Curtain.

One play, two writers, and a secret each.

  1. Secret loyalties

    Each of you backs two of the six characters, face down. Every Scene you write is a clue, and so is every card you take.

  2. One shared script

    You take turns adding Scenes to the same play. A Scene can help your characters and theirs at once, so nothing you write is entirely yours.

  3. Cut a Scene

    Is the last Scene helping your rival? Spend a Cut card, throw it out, and write your own in its place. You only get two.

No acting required. You write the play; nobody has to perform it.

Six characters. Four of them have backers.

At the start you’re dealt two Characters face down. They’re your Leads, and their arcs are your score. Your rival gets two more. The last two belong to nobody, which makes bluffing much easier.

  • The Heiress in a crimson gown, holding a sealed letter.

    Heiress

    Old money, new secrets.

  • The Detective in a checked cape and deerstalker, holding a magnifying glass.

    Detective

    Notices everything. Says so.

  • The pale Ghost in a Victorian coat, holding a pocket watch, wisps of smoke around him.

    Ghost

    Already dead. Still dramatic.

  • The Clown in a red nose, a big ruff and a diamond-patterned suit, shrugging.

    Clown

    Comic relief. Probably.

  • The Captain in a black gold-trimmed bicorne hat and a navy coat with gold epaulettes, a coil of rope at her shoulder.

    Captain

    Commands the ship, and the scene.

  • The Maid in a navy dress and white apron, carrying a silver cloche.

    Maid

    Hears everything. Dusts it too.

Rehearse a turn.

A game in progress. Five Scenes are written. You’re secretly backing the Ghost and the Maid, and your rival has just written a big Climax for somebody else.

The Script so far

  1. Scene 1 SetupThe Letter ArrivesYour rival wrote it

  2. Scene 2 SetupA Knock at MidnightYou wrote it

  3. Scene 3 ComplicationSomeone Is LyingYour rival wrote it

  4. Scene 4 SetupThe Portrait Is HungYou wrote it

  5. Scene 5 ClimaxThe Duel on the RoofYour rival wrote it

Read your rival

Who do you think your rival is backing? Pick two. (They wrote Scenes 1, 3 and 5.)

Make your move
The Chandelier: a Climax naming the Ghost and the Maid, worth +4.

In your hand: The Chandelier, a Climax for your own pair. And you have 2 Cut cards.

Arcs

  • Ghost3Yours
  • Maid7Yours
  • Heiress12
  • Detective8
  • Clown3
  • Captain3
You
10
Rival
?

A real play runs to nine Scenes or more, and the Ghost and the Maid would still have to stay ahead. This one’s a rehearsal.

Easy to learn. Hard to forgive.

  1. Take a Scene from the Scene row, then refill it. Or take the top card of the deck, unseen.

  2. Write a legal Scene from your hand at the end of the Script, turned to face you.

    orCut the last Scene instead. Spend a Cut card, throw it out, and write a legal Scene in its place.

  3. Pass only if you can’t do either. Discard your hand and draw three.

What can you write?

  • The Letter Arrives, a Setup card.

    Setup

    Always legal. This is how a character first walks on.

  • The Séance Goes Wrong, a Complication card.

    Complication

    Both characters must already be in the Script.

  • The Unmasking, a Climax card.

    Climax

    Both in the Script, at least one of them in a Complication, and never right after another Climax.

The curtain falls

The play ends the moment:

  • a Climax is written as Scene 9 or later,
  • the 12th Scene is written, or
  • both players Pass in a row with the deck empty.

There’s no reply and no last word. The play ends on the spot.

Take a bow

Reveal everyone’s Leads. Each character’s arc is the total of every Scene that names them. If the last Scene is a Climax, both of its characters take a bow: +3 each. Add up your two Leads. Highest score wins.

StagecraftEvery card you take from the row hints at whose side you’re on. A blind draw hides it, but that’s a hint too.

Sixty cards and a grudge.

A small box of poker-size cards that fits in a coat pocket. Light enough to learn over coffee, with enough bluffing in it to play again straight away.

  • 48Scene cardsSetups, Complications and Climaxes
  • 6Character cardsTwo each, and two set aside
  • 4Cut cardsTwo each. Spend them wisely
  • 2Player aidsSo nobody has to ask twice
  • 1Rules folioFits in your pocket

The physical edition is in development and not for sale yet. There’s no digital edition of this one: it’s made for a table and two people who know each other a little too well.

Production notes.

Playtests, printer proofs and news about the box.

Read all updates
NewsTwo-Hander

Introducing Two-Hander

Our third game is a quick card game for two. You and a rival write one play together, each secretly rooting for different characters, with a pair of scissors for any Scene that helps the other side.

Save me a seat on opening night.

We’ll write when Two-Hander is ready for your table, including any Kickstarter and the launch itself, with the occasional note about our other games. Not often, and never spam.