Pets and Fedoras

A story game for 2 – 5 players, directly inspired by the cartoon Phineas and Ferb.

License

Pets and Fedoras by Mr Zech (Zechariah Lau) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Introduction 0

Take turns drawing the instruction slides and reading them out loud.

Introduction 1

You are fedora-wearing special agents of the NNSA (Never Named Spy Agency) with cover identities as ordinary house pets belonging to a pair of genius children, Linneaus and Fern.

Your mission, as always, is to find out what your evil scientist nemesis, Dr. Goofenheim, is up to and put a stop to it!

Introduction 2

While you are away on mission, your genius owners are up to their own mad science mega-project.

The story cuts back and forth between your mission and the children’s project.

Introduction 3

Give out one Mission Card and one Home Card to every player.

If you have less than 5 players, distribute the remaining Mission and Home cards equally.

Introduction 4

When we have read the Instructions cards, we will alternate between Mission cards and Home cards, beginning with the 1st Mission Card.

In other words, the play order is Mission 1 -> Home 1 -> Mission 2 -> Home 2 -> Mission 3 – > etc.

Introduction 5

On your turn, read your Mission or Home card out loud and answer its question(s). You may choose and embellish an answer from the suggestion list on the card or come up with something new.

Other players may ask you questions or make suggestions on your turn, but whether you answer those questions or include those suggestions is entirely up to you.

Introduction 6

This game aims to emulate an episode of a Saturday morning spy cartoon. Your answers should be family-friendly and fueled by cartoon logic, like continuing to run on air for a few seconds after running off a cliff.

Cartoon violence is encouraged, but not blood and gore. Dr Goof, your nemesis may be petty and/or greedy, but they and their schemes are never cruel.

Introduction 7

On each Mission card, there is also a question for everyone. Take turns answering it.

If a question is marked RPS, pair up and play rock paper scissors (RPS) until one party wins to determine the order that you answer, beginning with the losers. (Variant: If playing online, you may choose to flip a coin instead.)
If there are an odd number of players, the card reader does not play RPS and may choose to join either the winner or loser side.

Introduction 8

For questions marked RPS, if you lost at RPS, you answer first. Your answer must include how your agent’s action cartoonishly fails.

If you won at RPS, you answer later. Your answer should include how your agent succeeds and helps the agent of the player who lost in RPS against you.

Introduction 9

Place the X-Card in the middle where everyone can easily reach it.

If there is an answer in the game that you don’t want to be included, tap the X-card or say “X!” The answering player will provide a different answer.

Introduction 10

We will now create characters by answering the following questions.

For everyone: What kind of house pet are you? What is their cute pet name and what is their agent code name?

d6	pet
1	Cross-eyed Platypus
2	Small Dog
3	Hedgehog
4	Snail
5	Treefrog
6	Hairless Cat

When everyone has answered, proceed to the first Mission card.

Mission 1

The pets are hanging out with Linneaus and Fern at home. Which part of the home are you in? What are Linneaus and Fern doing?

For everyone: What is your pet doing when they receive an urgent notification from mission control? How do you receive it? And how do you ensure Linneaus and Fern do not see you putting on your fedora to answer it?

Home 1

As your agents answer the call, Linneaus and Fern are inspired. What are they going to do today? What inspired them?

d6	today’s activity
1	Build a rocket
2	Build a roller coaster
3	Modify vehicles for a race
4	Find a mummy
5	Put on a performance
6	Play an extra extreme sport

Mission 2

What suspicious activity has Dr. Goofenheim been spotted doing? How does the agents’ handler gives them this information and order them to investigate?

d6	Suspicious Activity
1	Bought all the {random object} in the state
2	Purchased a blimp
3	Stole a couple of wax figures from a museum
4	Blasted off in a rocket
5	Bought an ad with {program/influencer}
6	Absolutely nothing, which is the most suspicious of all

For everyone: After the call ends, how does your agent sneak out of the house? What form of transportation will you use?

Home 2

As the agents leave their home, the camera pans over to show Linneaus and Fern starting their project. How are they getting the necessary materials / ingredients? Which of their friends has come over to help them?

Mission 3

The agents arrive at Dr. Goof’s lair/lab. Where is it? What trap has Dr. Goof prepared for the agents?

d6	Trap
1	Duct tape
2	A loop of rope
3	Bubblegum
4	Quick-drying cement
5	Air tunnel
6	Dog carrier

For everyone: How do you approach the lair? How does this approach lead to the trap(s)?

Home 3

Back at home, Linneaus and Fern’s older sibling, Cam, has discovered their shenanigans. They rush off to tattle. What is their parent doing? What does Cam say to them and why do they blow off Cam?

Mission 4

Dr. Goofenheim arrives to monologue. What did they invent today? What are they trying to achieve?

d6	Invention	Motive
1	Magnetism intensifier	To get back at their sibling
2	Copy and Paste-inator	To impress their child
3	Poop-inator	To launch their new business
4	Media-eraser	To erase evidence of an embarassment
5	Invisible ray	To make up for a childhood trauma
6	Paper Cut-inator	To remove a pet peeve

For everyone: (RPS) As Dr. Goofenheim’s monologue ends, what does your agent do to attempt to break out of the trap?

Home 4

Linnaeus and Fern have completed the preparations of their project and are preparing to launch it. What does this look like? Who is in the audience?

Mission 5

Dr. Goofenheim tries to turn their invention on. Do they manage to turn it on? If yes, does it work as planned? If no, what external factor delays them?

For everyone: (RPS) What does your agent do to defeat Dr. Goof? Your answers should bring Dr. Goof and your agents into contact with Linnaeus and Fern’s project, without the children noticing them.

Home 5 – Final Scene

Linnaeus and Fern and friends complete their project as Cam is ushering their parent(s) around the corner. What happens to erase evidence of the project before they are discovered? What do the parents return to find the children and their pets doing?