In Fabula – previously called Grimm when displayed in prototype form – one player takes on the role of Wilhelm Grimm in the process of writing his new tale.

The other players each represent a character in the imagination of the writer – the wolf, the witch, the knight, the young dragon, etc. – and they incorporate one of the items available on the table into a suggestion for how the chapter might unfold. If the writer approves of a character's direction, that player scores a point; if not, that player scores nothing. In either case, the item used is out of play, and the next player can now lead the story in a new direction or play off the first player's suggestion.

Once each player has made a suggestion, the writer reads the lead-off for chapter 2, with players now scoring two points if their suggestion is deemed worthy. Players score three points for a good suggestion to chapter 3, then the two players with the highest scores compete to give the story a satisfying epilogue that incorporates the final two items on the table. Whoever does this best wins.