In week #6 the class played the board game Ladies & Gentlemen. During this game, players are in teams of two, with one player playing as the lady and one as the gentlemen. Each Lady and Gentlemen plays their own “mini-game” versus the other ladies or gentlemen in order to save up enough cash to purchase the most beautiful outfit for the ball. While the game uses Victorian era stereotypes which are somewhat offensive, from a strategy and leadership aspect, it does cover some interesting topics.

The strategy of the game is dependent on which side of the table you play on. In this game I played as a lady and in a nut shell, my job was to decide which store to shop at for the day, which pieces of clothing I would like to buy, and then request from my husband the amount needed to purchase those items. The most difficult part of the game was determining which store to shop at, and strategically choosing which designers to wear (you can only wear two during the game). Sometimes I had to take risks in choosing what to display at my own shop, as well as in what to ask for from my husband. Likewise, it was extremely frustrating to be reliant on another person to determine whether you were able to have the items you requested.

The areas of leadership that are touched on in this game strongly correlate to communication and delegation. In the game it is extremely important to both trust that your partner will do their tasks well, and to communicate with your partner about what you absolutely need. As a leader delegation is important because you won’t always be able to accomplish everything yourself, while communication is important to make sure everyone is on the same page and can work together to complete a task.

I would recommend this game to people who like strategy and want to be a bit goofy. I think my dad would appreciate this game because he enjoys strategy games, and this particular game offers the ability to be goofy while offering a variety of ways to play.