Round & Revel / Rhythm phase coordination
The Beat Between
Three little patterns become one shared beat.
Original authored print-and-play game. Time is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: A seated group that wants to coordinate something tangible without performing a solo scene.
What you need
- Six score cards, phase reference and three performance logs
- Three response cards labelled A, B and C
- Paper and pens; three small markers if using quiet mode
How to play
Set up three parts
Make exactly three pattern groups, A, B and C, with one or two players each. Choose three different score cards, keeping solutions covered. All three printed patterns and the target are public. Each group controls only its own phase. In a pair, one person responds and the other checks the group’s plan; swap these jobs after the first attempt. A group of one does both. Everybody shares the score.
Read the printed score
A score has eight beats. Its target tells you how many groups should respond on each beat: 0, 1, 2 or 3. Every group responds at most once per beat. Each pattern lists the beats carrying its marks before shifting. Choose a phase from 0 through 7, which moves every mark that many beats later. Wrap from beat 8 to beat 1. A phase changes timing positions, never the number of marks. You cannot remove a mark, add one or reverse the pattern.
Plan together, decide locally
Take about two minutes to discuss possible phases, with extra time whenever useful. You may count, write complete trial patterns, compare overlaps and advise one another. Each group makes its own final choice and writes its phase before the performance starts. Show all three choices together. Prepare a private or public reminder listing your shifted response beats. Remembering the pattern is not the challenge; keep reminders and the target visible throughout.
Choose a comfortable performance mode
In quiet mode, a caller points to beats 1–8 one at a time. On each beat, all responding groups raise their labelled card or place a marker in their own response area; everyone else leaves that area empty. Count the visible responses, record the number and clear the markers before advancing. In tapping mode, responders make one gentle tap while lifting their cards. The cards settle any uncertain count. Use a slow, agreed pace; precise musical timing, volume and reaction speed never affect points.
Run all eight beats
Choose a caller and a recorder, who still perform their own patterns. In groups of one, pause between beats so either job can be done without a rush. A beat is closed only after everybody indicates ready. Record the actual number of response cards for each beat, even if it does not match the plan or target. Once the count is closed, do not change it. Finish all eight beats before discussing changes. An accidental early count before everyone was ready is simply reopened.
One revision window
Compare the first performance with the target. If all eight counts match, the score is complete and earns the first-perfect bonus. Otherwise, discuss the differences and choose new phases for a second attempt. Any or all groups may change; they may also keep their phases. Start again at beat 1 with an empty log. The second attempt replaces the first attempt for the matching-beat score, even if it goes worse. Do not combine the better parts of two performances.
Score and verify
Score 1 shared point for each beat whose actual count exactly matches its target. Add 2 more only when all eight beats matched on the first attempt. Thus a first perfect score earns 10; a second-attempt perfect score earns 8. If the first attempt was imperfect, it earns no separate points. After scoring, calculate where every chosen phase placed its marks and check any disputed count against the log. The published solution shows one feasible set of phases, but other sets are valid.
Rotate and finish
Move pattern letters one group clockwise before the next score, and rotate caller and recorder. After three scores, total out of 30. There are no individual winners or speed tie-breakers. If a genuine outside interruption makes a count impossible to recover, restart that attempt with the same phases. A chosen wrong phase or a forgotten response is part of play. Anyone may use spoken words, card lifts, pointing or a partner-operated marker; nobody must tap, hear a rhythm or move quickly.
A worked example
For a separate practice, give each of A, B and C just one mark, initially at beat 1. Choose phases A 0, B 2 and C 2. A now responds on beat 1, while B and C both respond on beat 3. The combined counts are 1 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0. If those counts match the practice target on the first attempt, score 8 plus 2: 10 points. No scored card uses these single-mark patterns.
Printable materials
Print score cards and references openly. Each score is a wide sheet containing all three patterns. Keep the solution guide covered until that score has finished. Label three ordinary slips A, B and C for response cards.
Score 01
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 0 / 1 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 2 / 1. Pattern A marks beats 1, 3. Pattern B marks beats 1, 4. Pattern C marks beats 1, 2. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Score 02
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 2 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 0. Pattern A marks beats 1, 5. Pattern B marks beats 1, 3. Pattern C marks beats 1, 4. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Score 03
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 1 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 2 / 0. Pattern A marks beats 1, 2, 5. Pattern B marks beats 1, 4. Pattern C marks beats 1, 3. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Score 04
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 1 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 1 / 0. Pattern A marks beats 1, 3, 6. Pattern B marks beats 1, 5. Pattern C marks beats 1, 2. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Score 05
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 0 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 3 / 0 / 1. Pattern A marks beats 1, 2. Pattern B marks beats 1, 3, 5. Pattern C marks beats 1, 4, 7. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Score 06
TARGET COUNTS, beats 1–8: 2 / 0 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 1 / 1. Pattern A marks beats 1, 4. Pattern B marks beats 1, 2, 6. Pattern C marks beats 1, 3, 7. Each player group chooses a phase from 0–7. A phase moves every mark that many beats later, wrapping after 8.
Phase reference
Phase 0 leaves marks in their printed beats. Phase 1 moves them one beat later; phase 2 moves them two beats later, and so on through phase 7. After beat 8, continue at beat 1. A mark at beat 7 shifted by phase 3 lands at beat 2. Every mark moves equally. Do not reverse a strip or choose a different shift for each mark.
Performance log
Score code ___ | Chosen phases: A ___ B ___ C ___ | First counts, beats 1–8: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ | Final counts: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ | Final matching beats ___ + first-perfect bonus ___ = ___
Host material: Open the separate The Beat Between answer notes. Contains solutions. Keep this guide away from players.
Round & Revel. First edition, October 2026. Uses only the listed printable materials and ordinary supplies.