Backstage

How TickTale works and everything it can do, one short page at a time.

Playing a story

How a story works: Two people make up one story: one runs the world, the other plays the hero. You take turns, a beat at a time, and the story becomes a film.
Running the world: As the Controller you set the stage, speak for every character but the hero, and answer each move. This is your toolbox.
Playing the hero: As the Player you are one character in someone else’s world. Each turn you walk, say one line and do one thing.

Stakes: verdicts, dice and tracks: Optional game tools for the Controller: say how an action went, let two dice decide, and keep count of the danger.
Music and stings: Give a scene a tune that loops until you change it, or a sting that plays once, for a creaking door or a sudden scare.
Clocks: live, relaxed or open: Play in ten minutes or across a week. The clock sets how long each turn lasts, and you can switch it mid-story.

Building your own sets: Start from a ready-made room or a bare stage, paint tiles, put up walls, and save the result as a set to use again.
Paint your own characters and props: Draw a character or a prop in the pixel editor and put it on stage. Everything you paint is kept in your Wardrobe.
When you need an idea: Ready-made openings, a new one every day, prompt cards and rehearsal: you never have to face an empty stage.

Your film: Every story becomes a flipbook film. Watch it, share a link, save it as a video or GIF, or put it in the Repertory.
Finding someone to play with: Send a ticket to a friend, find a partner on the Call Board, let an audience watch, and swap seats for a rematch.
Ratings, lines and veils: Agree on what a story can hold before it starts: a rating for the story, and lines and veils for each of you.
Stagehand and art packs: TickTale is free to play. A Stagehand plan and art packs add more for whoever runs the world; Players never pay.