The biggest issue my group had was the setup of Fiasco due to our collective indecisiveness. Because we weren’t really familiar with each other and did not know each other’s preferences, we were unsure as to what play set and character relationships to choose from. Who was comfortable being in a marriage or being enemies with another player? Due to our hesitations, we did not reach Act Two by the end of the class period, as JS had expected us to. As a leader, it is important to take decisive action to solve complex problems more efficiently. Honing decision-making skills is vital in a role where you manage hundreds of team decisions on a regular basis.
Additionally, despite watching the videos on Canvas of how other people played the game, the setup was not salient in anyone’s mind and we had to consult the guide several times. We picked character relationships, needs, locations, and objects based on what we wanted, not what the dice pool foresaw. Our note cards were also all over the place and did not do a great job establishing who was related to who or who needed what from who.
However, as we played into our game and realized a few mistakes were made along the way, we adapted. I remember telling the group “if we are having fun, then we are playing it right.” Ultimately, that was our end goal, and we did. Two characters were at the grocery store, and one made an off-hand comment about the amount of bananas the other character was buying. Soon Jeff the Monkey was introduced and became an integral part of the storyline. Being able to adapt to change is another key feature of great leadership. With so many things happening at once, a great leader must be able to think on their feet, embrace unexpected changes, guide the group toward a shared goal, and find success through collaboration.
I would recommend this game to my brother, Matthew. He is very quick on his feet in improv settings and also regularly plays as GMs in D&D sessions/campaigns. I think he would take great pleasure in a table-top roleplaying game where all players are the Game Masters instead of just one.