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Fortunately, Unfortunately

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Sun, 03/10/2013 - 06:19 by matt noyes

I learned this game from a fellow teacher in the Intensive English Learning Program at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, who played it as a child.

It's a pairs game (or chain game), where each player picks up from the previous player's contribution.

The joker starts the game, usually with the standard opening, "Unfortunately, I fell out of an airplane."
The next player continues the story, but switches the direction, "Fortunately, I had a parachute."
The joker (or a third player, if it is a chain), continues, "Unfortunately, the parachute had a hole in it."
The next player, "Fortunately, the hole was patched."
"Unfortunately, the patch came off."
"Fortunately, I had a back-up parachute."
"Unfortunately, I left it on the plane."
Etc, Etc.

The goal is to create a fun, interesting, story. The only rule is that you must alternate between "fortunately" and "unfortunately."

Watch for: the best sentences are limited to one fact, if you make a sentence with too many steps or elements it makes it harder for the next person to switch direction. Bad: "Unfortunately, I fell out of an airplane and crashed to the ground where I broke my back and skull." Good: "Unfortunately, I fell out of an airplane."

Variations: try a different opening line, perhaps a thematic one.
"Unfortunately, I was fired from my job."
"Fortunately, I had lots of money in the bank."
"Unfortunately, the bank invested all my money in junk bonds..."

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