Wind the Film! フィルムを巻いて！

It’s the 1960s in Japan, and you have a half-size camera that lets you take half-size vertical pictures. Let’s see whether you can put together good shots…

Wind the Film! is a half-frame-camera-photography themed card game for 2-4 players. You grab your half-size camera and head for the street! While some daylight still remains, try to capture on film some images in your own style. Choose your shot’s subject. Wind your film, and snap the shutter at the perfect moment. These details develop into your original composition. Make just the right choices, and avoid costly photographic blunders.

About Half-Frame Cameras

A half-frame camera is a handy, little camera that was popular in the 1960’s in Japan. It can take 2 pictures on 1 frame of film. A ton of fun can be packed onto a long roll of film. The reason this camera was beloved by so many in those days was not because you could document more things, but because it made photography so enjoyable.

Game Idea

In this game players are not allowed to freely change the order of the cards in their hand. Cards can never be reordered except when certain rules allow it.

When your turn comes you take some cards into your hand from the field, then move exactly 1 card forward in your hand, then play cards in front of you. When the Sunset Card shows up the game is nearing its end. When the field can’t be refilled from the deck the game finishes. Try to capture on film various scenes before it gets too dark.

In Wind the Film!, you’re trying to organize pictures on your roll so that they appear in the right order. Each player has a hand of cards, and on a turn, you’ll add 1-3 cards to the front of your hand (without changing their order), move one card in your hand closer to the front, then discard as many cards from the back of your hand as the number of cards that you added. When the sunset card comes out, you can take no more pictures, and everyone scores for what’s on their camera.

The cards all have numbers and colors on them, and you try to line them up in hand to score the most points possible.

Hand management

In Wind the Film! hand management is very important. To be a great photographer you need to wind the film in time, and snap the shutter precisely. A forward-looking strategy is essential.

For players that have excelled during the game’s 20-minute play time we have prepared the “Filmstrip of Regret” advanced rule. Your decisions about your shot’s subject will feel heavier towards the end of the game.