The Centauri Tree is a story game for two or three players in which they narrate the history of an alien world from the perspective of a lone tree. The players describe the ecology and culture of the world, crafting short interwoven poems as the game unfolds.
You will need a maple seed to play. Mark one side of the seed with a pen or marker. As a player begins a new turn they toss the seed into the air. If it lands with the unmarked side up, their poem will be about the ecology or natural history of the world, focusing on themes like the growth of the tree, the animals who shelter in its branches, and weather and climate. If the marked side is showing, the poem will explore the history of the planet’s civilizations and communities that develop near the tree, which grows through the seasons as communities evolve, individuals look at the world with hope and wonder, and the families respond to crisis and change. These poems can include contact with other worlds. You can use a stone in lieu of a seed.
On their turn, the player will write a haiku-like poem reflecting the theme of the seed toss. The poem should have three lines, with the first and third having at most five syllables and the second line having at most seven.
The next player tosses the seed and begins a new poem. The first line of their poem, however, must be the same as the third line of the previous poem. This pattern continues as the players alternate turns, resulting in six interconnected poems.
After the group has created six poems, each player takes a moment to write a seventh that connects the opening and closing of the cycle. The final poems should use the third line from the sixth poem as the opening, and the first line from the first poem as the final line.
