Ted moved slowly through the kitchen. A trail of blood led to a butcher's knife on the counter of Alice's kitchen! (Dunt-dunt-duu!)

Jim: Yawn. This is where we flash to Alice having a quarrel with someone right?

John: To the uneducated mind, it would seem so, but the social significance mirrors a territorial paranoia and a leuel of mistrust amongst euen our closest friends.

Jim: Shut up! This is B-horror stuff Johnny. Not Stephen Barker Kubrik.

John: Oh, yeah.

Slasher is a 3-6 player non-collectible storytelling card game that plots out, scene to scene, a well scripted (humor?) B-grade horror flick. The players control both the characters in the movie and the psycho chainsaw-wielding devil-worshipping, maniacal slasher loon. Oh yeah, they help write the movie too.

In addition, each player tries to keep their persona alive in the movie (there are up to 6 of these).

The game board/killing ground/sound stage/movie lot is a five room house and an outside area. The board is merely a sheet of paper with photos transposed onto the paper to represent rooms, while normal card stock counters represent life points, clue points death markers, an action marker, the slasher and it's victims.

A step away from most "card games," even dying keeps you in the game, and winning is a very anti-climactic ending to a tense game of cat and mouse (where the cat is a mountain lion and the mice are blind, deaf, and dumb).

The objectiveÄstay alive! Or, if your character earns enough clue points, they become the slasher (although this too could change).

The cold touch of death gripped Jack as he searched the cellar carrying a tbeiron. He had heard a noise and now Carol was missing. Creak! A floor board? A gust of wind? A gun-toting kill-happy crazy? Perhaps. The dark was ominous and foreboding, and Jack was frozen in his tracks. Chop-chop-chop.

John: Deeply moving scene. Reminiscent of such chilling thrillers as Blood Bath 7 or Psycho Nut Case Serial Killer 3!

Jim: What?

John: You know, the one starring Brooke Curtis and directed by Sam Rainman. It had 3 gallons of blood and was banned in 17 counties in southwestern Georgia.

Jim: Oh.

John: Don't tell me you didn't see Blood Bath 7! Hello?Anybody home?

Jim: I've been busy. Sorry. I did see Silver Bullet though.

John: Ugh! That's not a slasher movie. Besides, what has that to do with Jack being ripped to shreds by the killer in this movie.

Jim: I'm sorry, I was getting your nachos. I missed the scene.

John: Arrrgh!

Scene Card

All turns begin with the play of a scene card. That scene card is then twisted by a plot twist card by each player in turn counter-clockwise around the table, and ending with the player that started the scene.

Each scene has an effect in the game that either hurts the characters moves the characters around the house, or leads to a clue as to who the slasher could be.

A highly interactive game, the quality of play is dictated by the quality of players. Those unwilling to add to the story or embellish the dialog of the scenes will no doubt diminish the fun.

The bloody glove was Dianne's all right. And now there were only four of them left to stop her reign of terror. But wasn't Bob supposed to be out of the shower by now? The door to the bathroom slowly opened and a hot blast of steam exited though the open doorway. Hot, running water poured down onto a slumped over form in the shower, a towel rack rod shoved through his chest, blood gurgling down the drain. Oh, my God! Bob!

John: Did you notice how quickly we were thrown into Act 2, in that last part?

Jim: Act what? What the hell are you talking about?

John: Well, the movie was clearly separated by two finite points of action. First, the characters were thrust into an intense traumatic situation. And then, wham! Dianne is the killer in the cellar with a huge hook shaped hand, and shotgun arm.

Jim: Like in the Fugitive?

John: NO! How did you get this job?

Acts

There are two distinct acts of the story. When the Slasher is finally identified we are in Act 2 and the player that controls the character that is believed to be the Slasher, then controls the actions of the Slasher and is the only player able to perform actions for the Slasher.

Prior to Act 2 (also known as Act 1) any player may have the Slasher move and kill and maim and rest and sneeze. In either Act, a player whose character is D.O.A. may only perform actions for the Slasher as well, adding significantly to the camage and helping to rid the world of menacing, stupid teenage actors.

Carol was the only one left. Dianne was hurt, but not down. Carol crawled under the sofa in the living room.

The .44 magnum and her four bullets would have to end the wave of death. Dianne stumbled into the living room and revved the motor of the chainsaw. Once. Twice. The blades spun wildly and Carol's screams could be heard from the ends of the earth.

John: YES!

Jim: Is it over yet?

John Yes, you can open your eyes now!

Jim: Whew! Ahhhh!

John: Hehehehehe. Blood. Hehehehe.

Jim: AhhAhAhhh! Mommy!

Ending

The game ends when only one remains: either as Slasher or as lame actor stooge. In the case that no clues ever lead to the killer, and he is victorious, then there is no winner. In either case the game is as real as F/X, lowbudget sound foley mixing, and cheesy manmade props are.

"The best horror card game in years. Sure to be a hit at the box office!" -- Jim Pinto

"Slasher does to horror games what game companies do to our wallets!" -- John C. Williams (hi mom!)

High points of Slasher include the Sex and Gratuitous Nudity scene cards, Accident, Quarrel, and Flashback, Frenzy, Bizarre Event, Evil Genius music in the background, and a good night's rest. The cards are huge and fill your hand!

Low points: Loser gamers who ruin our sessions (you know who you are--die!), and silly puns in the rulebook.