A Different Postcode.
@hannahnicklin hannahnicklin.com
Duration: 15-45 minutes
Players: 2
Age rating: 12A – some adult themes.
Equipment: 2 character decks, consisting of 1 Character Card, 20 Action Cards and
20 Story Cards, your imaginations, these instructions.
It’s also possible to play with 2 decks of 52 cards, jokers discarded, and all J, Q, K
discarded apart from the J, Q, K of CLUBS. You will need to print these instructions,
and the character cards, and to have a copy of the translator: http://bit.ly/1EMtqqE
About
A Different Postcode is a game about rising living costs, insecure employment, social
cleansing, and living somewhere “necessary but tough”. While the characters are
fictional, their names, details and the content of the game is all drawn from
conversations with strangers in the street around Stratford City, and in Newham Public
Library. The name is drawn from a phrase used by several people to describe the
effect of the Olympics on the area: “it’s another postcode over there”. There was a
new postcode, E20, invented for the Olympic Park and new housing developments,
E15, Stratford City, is increasingly being affected by rising house prices and living
costs. “In 50 years time” people told me “there will just be rich people living here”.
Sources for this game also include:
http://www.entitledto.co.uk/
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-spending/family-spending/2013-edition/
http://www.under-one-roof.org.uk/
http://caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/about-us/
The Game
This is a story game for two people. You will use the cards as prompts to draw the life
of someone trying to get by, living in Stratford, E15.
The Cards
The Character Card is your guide to your character. There’s a name, age, cost of
living/income details, brief biography, and a reminder on how to play. Leave this face
up somewhere so you can reference it.
There are two other types of cards, an Action Card and a Story Card. There are 20
of each. A Story Card will invite you to fill in some of the details of the story of your
character. It will say something like
Tell me about the first time your card was declined in the supermarket
Nothing you say will be wrong. You’re not performing the character, you’re inventing
them, so don’t try and put on a voice or anything. Take what you know about the
character and speak from the story card prompt – how something happened and how
it made your character feel – you can speak in first or third person.
“I was already late for picking up Thom after playschool and had Luis hanging
off my arm crying. I thought I knew exactly how much we had, it was only a tin of
beans, some fish fingers – the basic kind – and some milk… bread. It must
happen to them all the time but there were so many people and I knew Thom
would be hungry and Luis wouldn’t stop wailing and my cheeks were burning. I
didn’t look at anyone. I couldn’t even apologise. I just turned and walked away.”
You’re telling the story to the person opposite you. Your stories may or may not
overlap. The other player is both witness and confessor. You are both listener and
storyteller. The Story Cards are mostly used for remembering things that happened.
When a Story Card has been read, it is discarded into your centre pile.
An Action Card is something that happens to your character. Your character’s Action
Cards are read out by the other player. You have no control over the story that might
emerge from it. They read out the card, follow any instructions, and it is discarded into
the centre pile.
There are three Endgame Cards in each Action Card deck. If one of them is drawn, the
card is read out, and the player to whom it pertained speaks no more. The game is
over. No one wins.
How to Play.
Pick a character each. If you both want to be the same person, then the person who
lives closest to Newham Library, E15, gets to choose.
Players sit opposite one another.
Take your character cards and separate them into Story ‘S’ and Action ‘A’ Cards.
Shuffle the cards. Lay the Story Cards face down in front of you, in 4 equal piles of 5.
Place the Action Cards in one face down pile to your right hand side, slightly above
them. Put your Character Card face up, somewhere you can reference. Your hand will
look like:
Discard
Pile
S
A
S
S
S
C
1. The richest player gets to go first.
2. Each turn a player picks a Story Card, they tell a small piece of their
character’s story in reaction to the card. A few sentences is all it needs to be.
Think about how things feel as well as what happened; think about how it
would be to be that person. Nothing you say is wrong.
3. Then the other player picks up and reads one of your Action Cards. You have
no control over the action.
There are three Endgame Cards in each Action Card deck. If one is drawn, the card is
read out, and the player to whom it pertained speaks no more. The game is over. No
one wins.
You are Lucaz, 31.
Speaks: Bulgarian, Serbian, German, English.
You moved to Luton in 2004, and moved to Stratford in 2006. You worked as a casual labourer in the
construction industry. You broke your hand in a workplace incident in 2012. Unable to work while it healed,
your meagre savings quickly ran out. You became quietly homeless. In 2013 you went to prison for 9 months.
You have been homeless since. Your favourite things are cigarettes, and milk chocolate.
Lucaz’ cost of living:
Tea and coffee: free at Morrisons
Average food costs £6.70 per day
Other costs: transport and clothing for job seeking, clothes, pens, paper, time on computers, printing, mobile
phone credit, place to wash: £5-25 pw
Begging income: averages £5-£10 a day. Often given cigarettes.
Homeless adults may receive advice from Newham Council but will not receive help unless they are
considered to be vulnerable.
The only homeless shelter in Newham that will house men over 25 is at 81 Barking Road. It is often full.
For each turn
1. You pick a Lucaz Story Card, respond to it, then discard.
2. Then the other player picks up a Lucaz Action Card, reads it. You have no control over the action.
3. If an Endgame Action Card is drawn, the card is read out, and the player to whom it pertains speaks
no more. The game is over. No one wins.
You are Floella, 27.
Speaks: English. A bit of French.
You grew up in Newham, like your mum. Your grandmother was from the Côte d'Ivoire, and your dad
Caribbean. You didn’t really know him. You’re a single mum too, their dad lives in Romford but doesn’t see
them. Thom is 3 years old and Isaac is 5 and one quarter. You work as a cleaner for an agency; you don’t tell
them that you bring Thom with you when your mum can’t look after him. Your favourite things are: sitting
down, just after bedtime, and marmite on white toast.
Floella’s Income: £478.95 per week
£6.50 ph, 15 hours a week: £97.50 pw
Tax credits, housing benefit & child benefit: £381.45 pw
Bedroom entitlement according to the ‘Bedroom Tax’: 2
Floella’s Cost of living*: £395.05 per week
£332.65 average weekly rental cost in Newham for a 2 bed flat.
£45.60 average UK household weekly food expenditure
£16.80 pw average gas, electric and water (council tax reduction included in income).
* Not counting: clothes, shoes, sanitary products, childcare, school activities, out of school activities, gifts, toys, books, dentist,
opticians, glasses, medicine, transport, savings, emergencies.
For each turn
1. You pick a Floella Story Card, respond to it, then discard.
2. Then the other player picks up a Floella Action Card, reads it. You have no control over the action.
3. If an Endgame Action Card is drawn, the card is read out, and the player to whom it pertains speaks
no more. The game is over. No one wins.