The Group Work Game

4+ Players * Role-Playing Game * Improv/Narrative-Based * 30+ min * Replayable * Age 13+/Adult

Rules of the Game Click to Flip the Card

What Is The Group Game? card is black with a picture of a mirror on a stand. Flip to learn about the game.

Card reads: The Group Game: This improv-based, story-telling role-playing game promotes group work on the subject of group work. What participants take from project-based group work depends on their personality and their social position, as well as their gender and race. The Group Game gives players an opportunity to approach a project from multiple perspectives and learn about their roles while having a hilariously good time.

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Trigger Warnings Click to Flip the Card

Trigger Warning Card for The Group Game is orange and shows a bear with his hand up to indicate STOP

Text of card reads Trigger Warnings: Confronting these problems without solving or resolving them in real life: Racism Sexual Harassment Fascism Dementia Climate Change Zombies Your Entitlements

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Each Player Chooses a Role Card

(If you get a repeat card, shuffle the deck and draw again. More than 4 players, any extra players are Slackers)

Click for Your Role Card shows curious dog on black background.

Happy cartoon Bird on bright yellow background for The Friend Role Card in The Group Game

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The Drudge Picks a Scenario Card and Reads it Aloud

Scenario Card for The Group Game with old time movie camera on green background

Scenario Card for The Group Game has text Climate Change. Your building is in a Flood Zone. A major storm is predicted for the week of an important event for your group (ie final exams, product launch, annual fundraiser). Figure out what damage will most likely affect your building and how floods have been dealt with in the past. Find out where the funds for protecting the building have disappeared to. Decide whether to take legal action against the individual embezzler and/or larcenous School Board, Board of Trustees. CEO. Monitor the rising floodwaters from your basement workroom.

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Take Turns Drawing an Action Card Based on Your Role and tell the story

If you get a repeat card, shuffle the deck and draw again

The Drudge action card shows sad owl. Click to get actions.

Drudge Card for The Group game has text Fraud. After the project is submitted, you notice that The Credit Hog has committed obvious plagiarism or fraud on the small part of the project they agreed to do. If you turn The Credit Hog in for the fraud, it will destroy their chances of getting into college/medical school/upper management. If you don’t identify the fraudster, you could be blamed or punished as everyone knows you did almost all the work. Since The Credit Hog is also a Big Blamer, you are pretty sure they won’t admit to their crime.

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Happy hog cartoon character on red background of Credit Hog Card for The Group Game

Credit Hog Card for The Group Game has text Imagine. If you had actually done the work yourself, what would you have done differently? Don’t spend too much time on this exercise, because then it just becomes more work. The concept is to have a good idea that you don’t have to actually work on, but can bring up at the last minute to undermine the boring hard work of the rest of the team. Make people wonder how much more sparkly the project could have been with your ideas.

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Happy cartoon Bird on bright yellow background for The Friend Role Card in The Group Game

Friend Card for The Group Game has text Sword of Damocles. A member of the group tells you in private that another member of the group has done something unethical that will impact all of you. You were asked to keep this a secret, but if you don’t reveal the information your whole group could be compromised. How can you convince your teammate to confront the criminal or come forward with the information? Do you have another ally you can recruit?

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Goofy animal with tongue hanging out on blue background for The Slacker Card in the Group Game

Slacker Card for The Group Game has text Feedback. Ask each member of the group how they feel about a Slacker in their own real lives. Ideally, The Drudge will keep the conversation rolling and The Friend will help people work through the issues from their own lives that come up when they think about shirkers like you. All you have to do is listen, no action is required. In fact, you can slack off on this card.

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At any time The Slacker can choose a Wild Card

Funny smiling dinosaur cartoon on purple background for The Wild Card for The Group Game

Wild Card for The Group Game has interlocking images of gender symbols and text Gender Bender. Each member of the group chooses a different gender and does the rest of the project within that chosen gender role. Don’t tell anyone what you chose.

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At any time The Friend can select a Time Out Card

Stopwatch cartoon on an aqua background for Time Out Card for Group Game

Time Out Card :Tell All Card for the Group Game has circular arrow graphic and text: The Friend goes around the circle and asks everyone to reveal their secrets and any roles or instructions they have that are not known to the group.

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The Credit Hog decides when the work is done

If multiple groups are playing, The Credit Hog presents the group’s work to the larger group

If multiple groups are playing, The Credit Hog presents the group’s work to the larger group