GRAVITAS is a game of discovery – of who we are and how we have lived. There is no right or wrong answer. Although the questions call for reflection, they can be dealt with in a thoughtful manner or a more light hearted one. A certain savoir faire is accumulated in life that reflects our individual stories and experiences. Everyone can offer some GRAVITAS on life's big questions. The game consists of 143 cards (three questions per card) totalling 429 questions. How to play: 1 The person whose birthday is closest to the date of play is selected as the opening questioner. 2 The opening questioner selects any card from the GRAVITAS box and reads aloud each of the three questions on the card. 3 The questioner decides the question the he/she would most like the other players to answer. 4 The questioner decides to proceed either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and each player in turn answers the question. 5 If a player does not feel enough GRAVITAS to offer some immediate wisdom, the player may pass and join in at the end of the round. 6 When all the players have answered, the questioner chooses the answer he/she likes the best and awards the GRAVITAS card to the chosen player. 7 The GRAVITAS box is passed to the player who has received the GRAVITAS card. 8 The next round proceeds in the same manner with the new questioner selecting a card, reading aloud each of the three questions, choosing one question, and selecting the direction of play. 9 The first player to accumulate three (short game) or five (long game) GRAVITAS cards is declared the winner and feted as the philosopher king of the occasion. About the Game: The origin of GRAVITAS was a millennium party hosted by Alan Gratias where the guests were asked to bring three personal items to be buried in a time capsule. As each was questioned about the meaning of the mementos, there flowed wonderful conversations, unexpected revelations and profound insights. Thus was born the idea of a game of questions as a way of discovering who we really are and how we have lived our lives. Over the years Gratias, or Saitarg as he is known to his friends, developed thousands of questions to test the ones that provoke the most intriguing responses. More like profound pursuits than Trivial Pursuit, there are no right or wrong answers, only individual takes on choices made and lessons learned along the way. GRAVITAS has no board, no dice, and no tokens, just your wit and wisdom and 429 enquiries. About the creator: Gratias (pronounced like 'goodness gracious') borrowed the latin word for substance or depth of personality to launch his game phenomenon GRAVITAS. At other times he restores old buildings. He has had a life long affair with tumbled structures. Let's face it, everything and everyone is in some state of disintegration. When not in ruins, Gratias skips rope, stands on his head and tends to his vines. He lives on a restored Loyalist farm at the water's edge on an island county in Ontario. Read more at gravitasthegame.com |