The Gardener is Dead

The Gardener is dead. So is the Gardener before them, and the one before that. One thing is certain: that the Gardener is going to die. They don’t know that yet, and by time they do, it will be too late.

The Gardener is Dead is a gmless storytelling game for 1-4 players. It can be played as a group or as a solo journal style game. You tell the story of the Gardener, who has just taken on a new role living in a dwelling with a long-abandoned Garden that needs to be cared for.

The aim of the game is to create the story of a Gardener’s life in the Garden, and ultimately, to recount how their life ends.

Using a deck of regular playing cards, you draw to reveal prompts that help shape the Garden. From there, the approach to the game is flexible: you can keep it at a discussion level, play out scenes, or write in a notebook or on scrap paper. However, one of the most entertaining versions involves creating a map of the Garden, with simple drawings representing the discussed elements.