Description

Narrato is a therapeutic boardgame where we invite players to enter the space between fiction and reality, between game and therapy.

Narrato takes players on an exploration hike through the many meaningful maps (domains) in their lives. It is a semi-cooperative game that you can play solo, with your partner, with (a) friend(s), with your family, with co-workers. The explorers (players) have total control on how to engage in the gameworld ('agency'). Under the supervision of a 'narrator', players explore a diversity of domains of meaning in close cooperation with each other. There are several domains of meaning in the game that can be chosen and are puzzled in a game board: neighbourhood, relationship, freetime, family, household, work, friends and school. In each domain you will face questions, exercises and challenges depending on the chosen mission. You gain 'join' points by doing missions and by engaging in the missions of other explorers.

The game ends after a fixed amount of gathered missions (depending on how long you want to play: between 1 hour and 3 hours) and the explorer with the most 'join' points (victory points), wins.

In a search for new ways to 'do psychotherapy', we offer in this board game an unseen constellation of play and therapy, where we let go of the necessary presence of a therapist in the therapeutic process. Narrato is a board game that has it's inspiration from concepts within the narrative psychotherapy and systemic psychotherapy. In an atmosphere of fun and connection, players remember not only rich stories but they also write new ones with the playing of Narrato. Players can get connected in surprising ways and through the specific design of the game. We expect new kinds of experiences for themselves, their partner, their family, friends and other meaningful persons in life. Increasing each other's sense of influence is rewarded ('relational agency’) through 'join' points.