«It seems absurd, but it’s the truth.  We ogres are big cowards!  We are afraid of a million things, sometimes even our own shadows.  But we can’t choose what to be afraid of...».

EVEN OGRES ARE AFRAID is a cooperative game that is meant to encourage children, teenagers, and adults to develop new strategies for overcoming their fears.
Along with the De Orchis family, a family of ogres at the mercy of their fears caused by the sneaky Terribilius, everyone plays together by talking, interacting, and cooperating while trying to find a solution to the fears that they come across during the game. 

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Game contents

1 game board

5 game-piece cut-outs of the De Orchis family

20 Fear Cards, 20 Courage Cards, 20 Speak Cards, 1 dice

1 spinner

The complete instructions are found in the attached instruction booklet

Objective

The players should help each other free themselves of all of the Fear Cards present in the game.  Everyone wins only if all the Fear Cards are eliminated.  If the players give up and decide to stop the game before all the Fear Cards are eliminated, then Terribilius, the evil “Ogrescarer” wins

Game Preparation

Place the game board at the centre of the table and divide the Fear Cards, Courage Cards and Speak Cards into their respective piles.  Mix each pile of cards and place them on the game board in the spaces indicated.  Prepare the 5 game-piece cut-outs and the spinner, and place the dice on the game board.  Now you are ready to start!

What you need to know before you play

This game is for 2 to 5 players (if there are more players, you can play with a maximum of 25 players divided in teams).  The game requires the presence of an adult.
The adult can play actively on a team, or restrict him/herself to intervening only when needed to facilitate dialogue or to enforce the rules of the game.
We suggest that the adult choose the first option: often participating in the game is the best way to inspire trust and create team spirit with the other players!

Beginning the game

Game pieces: each team choses their own game piece from among the members of the De Orchis family and places it on the matching square on the game board.  Each team then receives a certain number of Fear Cards based on the following chart.  The cards are placed face up on the table so that all players can see them.

Turns

After deciding the order of play (based on who rolled the highest number), the winning team/player rolls the dice and moves his/her game piece the number of spaces rolled.  According to which space he/she lands on, a Courage Card, a Speak Card, or a Fear Card is drawn.  If the player lands on the BONUS space, he/she gets another turn.  After moving the game piece, the team can decide whether to use a Speak Card or a Courage Card to eliminate the Fear Card in play.  It is then the next team’s turn.

How to eliminate the fears

Each player has their Fear Cards visible to everyone.  To eliminate the Fear Cards, it is necessary to FIRST use a Speak Card and THEN a Courage Card.  Only after these two steps have been taken can the Fear Card be discarded at the bottom of the pile.  Each player can only play one card per turn, so team work is fundamental.  To free oneself from fears, it is necessary to open up and talk about them, and then listen to other people’s advice.

Using the Speak Cards

To eliminate a Fear Card the first step is to talk about it!  When a player uses a Speak Card, he/she must correctly place it on the matching corner of the Fear Card he/she wants to speak about. It can be a card from his/her own team, or from another team. 

Then the spinner is spun, and based on the result they must:
• give advice
• tell about an experience
• invent a story.

Everyone on the team can participate. 
When the Speak Cards are being used, anyone can ask questions to the player who is speaking.  Once this step has been completed, the Speak Card remains placed over the corner of the Fear Card.

Using the Courage Cards

If there is already a Speak Card placed on a Fear Card, a Courage Card can be played to try and eliminate it. 
Each member of the team can participate in trying to find solutions for facing and overcoming that particular fear.
The players are free to say what they feel is best to overcome a particular fear.  The adult can help and direct. 
It is not necessary for the “fear advice” to provide complete solution. The important thing is that the team using the Courage Card takes an active role in confronting problem and avoids  any attempt at escaping from the problem