The Hunger Games and Fan Paratextual Participation - Game Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games - page 132

objective of the game is to have the highest approval rating at the end of three
days of training (days are marked by random drawing of cards), but the best way
to earn that rating is by aligning characters. Character alignment is thus one of
the key mechanics of this game, as it is so crucial to the players' victory.
Rather than basing the characters on particular representations from the
book series (e.g., Katniss and Peeta from District 12; Rue and hresh from
District 11), the game identiies the characters simply by their District number
and sex, and each player picks the District and Tribute they would like to play
as (e.g., I played as the female Tribute from District 7). he characters are
also diferentiated from each other by special abilities and varying skill sets,
enumerated on the character card. Demarcated as strength, agility, cunning, and
charm on a scale from 1 to 8, these skills are how the Tributes are measured
against each other when they are competing for approval from the sponsors.
Each character card links up with other character cards through the sides of
the semicircle, which provide a clear indication of an alliance and also add to
the character's skill set. In Figure 6.2, the person playing as the male Tribute
from District 3 has allied himself with the female Tribute from District 3 (only
one player may play a District). Meanwhile, the male Tribute from District 12 is
waiting for an alliance. he player for District 8 has increased his strength by 3
points, as indicated by the completion of the two semicircles on the sides of the
cards.
Each character in Training Days represents a Tribute from a District. In the
original Hunger Games novel, each District sends two Tributes—a boy and a
girl—to participate in the Hunger Games. he children are not trained for the
games during their lives (although some from the more proitable Districts
skirt around this), but they pick up skills from the work they do in each of their
Districts. In he Hunger Games, each District has a particular industry. Katniss's
home District 12 specializes in coal mining. District 8 specializes in textiles;
District 7 in lumber and paper. Interestingly, while some relation between the
Tribute's particular skills is linked to the Districts, this is not always the case.
District 4 is known for ishing and all the residents are superb swimmers;
however, the two Tributes in the Training Days game have very low agility (the
female Tribute's agility is a 4; the male's is a measly 2), which belies the attributes
actual characters from District 4 might have had if they existed.
hroughout the game, then, players must continually imbue the characters
with meaning, interpreting their various skill sets in order to ally advantageously
with other Tributes. For instance, District 4's male Tribute will gain  3 from