Storymatic Studios

The Storymatic Classic

$30.95

For writing, imagining, laughing, and sharing. Play by yourself or in groups, at home or in class. Super flexible, with tons of ways to make the storytelling cards your own. 

    • 540 cards = trillions of card combinations that prompt stories, characters, scenes, situations, and plots. 
    • Wild cards encourage you to tell stories in different ways and from different points of view.
    • Includes a booklet with prompts, tips, suggestions, and activities to help you bring more stories into the world.
    • Easy, fun creative tool for writers, classes, and homeschool– as well as an easy, fun storytelling game for family game night, improv, and travel.
    • Parents, teachers, and therapists: The Storymatic can help with public speaking, listening skills, sequential thinking, as well as with fostering imagination and empathy.
    • Performers: The Storymatic is a great tool for improvising scenes, developing characters, and exploring backstory.
    • Made in USA and ships from beautiful Vermont.

    Ages 12 or 13 and up. If you’re looking for a younger version check out Storymatic Kids.

    The basics of The Storymatic are really easy.

    Draw two gold cards and combine what they say to get a main character. For example, if you draw "boxer" and "person with a devastating secret," then your character is a boxer with a secret.

    Next, draw two copper cards. Let the situations, objects, places, and complications you'll find start leading you into a story.

    Suppose you draw "locked door" and "sudden return of forgotten memory." There's a story in those cards! There are, however, two rules that should always be followed: Your characters should change from the beginning of the story to the end, and Do Not Kill Your Character.

    The first rule exists because in a story, the main character always changes in some way. It doesn't have to be an outward change; nor does it need to be a 180-degree shift in personality, belief system, or moral code. The change can be subtle. But it should be there. 

    The second rule exists because it's tempting to kill off a character when you don't know what else to do. Keeping your character alive can sometimes be hard– but it's also what makes things interesting. The two rules help you create conflicts, invent solutions, and avoid easy endings. 

    It's okay to sometimes break the rules. But only break them for the sake of the story. 

    This How To video from Nicole Rivera gives a detailed description of Storymatic and Rememory. Nicole is the founder of Stop Writing Alone, which hosts regular meetings of writers and readers. Follow her for prompts and community!

     

    Use Storymatic for your creative collaborations. 

    In Anaheim-based Don't Look Down Productions' show Storyboard, they take you from idea to finished film. They're great at documenting the creative process, and the video below shows a brainstorming session for their film Sleepwalker, which is built from the cards "sleepwalker," "person with a large scar" and "language barrier." They riff on the three cards, staying open to ideas until suddenly the story clicks into focus.

    Use Storymatic with your other creative tools.

    Storymatic can complement your other writing tools and totems, whether you're a novelist, poet, or someone just starting out who'd like a little creative nudge. Rebecca Valley is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Drizzle Review.

     

    Use Storymatic to get ideas flowing in the office. 

    Storymatic is a handy, fun way to break the ice at a meeting, and it's also a good way to brainstorm ideas for your story-driven campaigns.

    Storymatic at work

    Use Storymatic to get married!

    Yes, you read that right. Adam and Krista are actors who would sometimes find themselves on different tours, and they'd play Storymatic remotely as a way to connect while apart. Then Adam asked if we could make some custom cards that he could sneak into the Storymatic box when he and Krista were together, and pop the question while playing during game night with friends. Of course we said yes. And so did Krista!

     

    How will you use your Storymatic? Let us know!

    Shipping for the entire United States, including territories, is only $7. 

    That means if you get one Storymatic, shipping is five bucks. If you get two Storymatics, it's seven bucks. Get three or four: seven bucks.

    You're probably thinking, "But doesn't it cost more than that, especially for people out west?" Yes, but we pay the difference.

    Most orders ship USPS, but there are times when it makes more sense to use UPS. Please provide an address that can accept USPS and UPS. All orders come with tracking information. 

    We ship orders once a week. That means it might take a few days for USPS/UPS to receive the package, and a few more days after that for them to get it to your doorstep.

    Updated January 27, 2024.

    GIFT OPTIONS

    Getting a gift? We'll wrap it for you! Get gift wrapping here. It's only $3.

    We're also happy to include a personal gift message to the recipient at no charge. You can send your message one of two ways:

    • Look at the bottom of your shopping cart for "Add Order Note"; click on that and leave your note in the space provided,
    • Or leave your message on the contact page
    Whichever route you take, please let us know whether to include the packing slip if it's a gift. We'll include your message on nice paper that's easy to read.  

     

    DISCOUNTS

    A few things to think about as you're making up your mind...

    • Buy One Get One 10% off: Use code STORYMATIC at checkout
    • Buy Two Get One 15% off: Use code SYNAPSIS at checkout
    • Buy Three Get One 25% off: Use code REMEMORY at checkout

    These savings are in addition to the already discounted shipping rates.

    Codes can't be combined and are only good for orders placed through this website. Discounts are taken off the lowest priced item.

    BULK DISCOUNTS

    Buying for a school? Shopping for a company-wide gift? Ordering for the local bookstore? Go to the "By Quantity" section under the Shop menu to find out about ordering by the carton.

    Gift wrap

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