In class this week we played, Avalon. I felt that the hardest part of the game was remembering the various characters that were in the game and distinguishing who was good and who was evil. I was able to recognize that different characters played different roles; for example, Percival is able to have insight as to who Merlin is, however remembering throughout the game which characters were always good and bad was confusing at first. I had also never played a role play board game before, so getting used to this type of game was more difficult than expected, however I began to become accustomed to it pretty quickly. In regards to how it relates to leadership, I feel that someone who really takes charge has to communicate with the group on who they believe is good versus bad. Some people took charge of the group, and some people stayed a little more quiet, like many other situations. I could see my three older brothers really enjoying this game. They really enjoyed playing the children’s game, Mafia when they were younger, which strongly correlates with many of the elements of Avalon.

This week in class we played, Secret Hitler, another role play game where the Fascists are against the Liberals and visa versa. At the beginning, all players are assigned to be either a Liberal, Fascist or Hitler. The hardest part of this game was trying to strategically figure out who you felt was a fascist when you were a liberal, and more importantly, who Hitler was. I really enjoyed playing this game, despite only being a liberal all three rounds that my group had played. In regards to how it relates to leadership, Secret Hitler requires and individual in power to decide who becomes the President as well as the Chancellor. It really tests how well someone trusts another in their group, so that they don’t pick Hitler as the Chancellor and automatically give the Fascists the victory. I believe that my Psychology Professor, John Kunstman would like this game because I am currently enrolled is his course on power and leadership, which heavily relates the amount of power that some players have in Secret Hitler.

Escape from Atlantis was my favorite game that we played all semester. I really enjoyed that there was some sort of skill involved in the game, however it was part luck as well. We were able to play two games and by the second game, I started to better realize the more strategic ways to place my characters on the board. However with that being said, it all depended where the other players in game decided to place the various sea creatures, that would ultimately kill your people. The hardest part about the game was not having any control over the outcome of what the other players decided. Also it was difficult to decide what land piece to pick, because you never knew if there would be a whirlpool or a red card that could benefit you later on in the game. I can see this game tying into leadership because it shows how you don’t always have control over every situation. Different scenarios can play out in a multitude of ways, and you have to overcome the hurdles (i.e. getting hit with a whirlpool) as they come and go. It also really made me reflect on the values that I had written down on my note card, because throughout the game I realized that the values I mentioned were truly being tested throughout the game. I could see my housemates really enjoying this game. Every week we spend time playing some sort of board game, and to be honest I think they would have a lot of fun trying to find ways to get their characters to rack up the most points.

During week four, we played Mysterium. Mysterium reminded me a lot of the game Clue, however almost in reverse. At the beginning of the game, you selected a character. The “ghost” had a set of cards for each player that indicated a character, a room and then an object that was associated with your person’s card. I actually had a lot of fun with this game. It was really challenging, but it was fun because you wanted to help other people in the group figure out their three elements so that the whole group could succeed.

The hardest part of this game was that the pictures or clues that the ghost gave each person was not always that helpful. It was also difficult because they couldn’t talk to you to try and explain what their thoughts were behind giving you each clue. Many times I was on the wrong track of what the element my clue was trying to represent, however the ghost couldn’t tell me that until the round was over, time was out, and they showed me a thumbs down (a.k.a. I was wrong).

In regards to leadership, this game shows how their can be miscommunication within a group and how important it is to be direct. With each clue we received, I had a difficult time figuring out what person or room or item that the ghost was trying to explain to me, and I knew that I wish they were able to communicate better and more clearly so that the process could be much smoother. This game also shows how important it is to be able to work in a team. Our group communicated very well, however were not as efficient at the beginning of the class as we became towards end of the class, when we had played the game more.

I think that my friend Alex would really enjoy this game. In high school she really liked ghosts and mystery novels, along with trying to figure out different puzzles. I believe she would have a really good time trying to figure out all of the different elements of each player within the game, not just her own.

During week four, we played Mysterium. Mysterium reminded me a lot of the game Clue, however almost in reverse. At the beginning of the game, you selected a character. The “ghost” had a set of cards for each player that indicated a character, a room and then an object that was associated with your person’s card. I actually had a lot of fun with this game. It was really challenging, but it was fun because you wanted to help other people in the group figure out their three elements so that the whole group could succeed.

The hardest part of this game was that the pictures or clues that the ghost gave each person was not always that helpful. It was also difficult because they couldn’t talk to you to try and explain what their thoughts were behind giving you each clue. Many times I was on the wrong track of what the element my clue was trying to represent, however the ghost couldn’t tell me that until the round was over, time was out, and they showed me a thumbs down (a.k.a. I was wrong).

In regards to leadership, this game shows how their can be miscommunication within a group and how important it is to be direct. With each clue we received, I had a difficult time figuring out what person or room or item that the ghost was trying to explain to me, and I knew that I wish they were able to communicate better and more clearly so that the process could be much smoother. This game also shows how important it is to be able to work in a team. Our group communicated very well, however were not as efficient at the beginning of the class as we became towards end of the class, when we had played the game more.

I think that my friend Alex would really enjoy this game. In high school she really liked ghosts and mystery novels, along with trying to figure out different puzzles. I believe she would have a really good time trying to figure out all of the different elements of each player within the game, not just her own.

The game that we played during week three was called Betrayal at the House on the Hill. This game was probably one of my least favorite games unfortunately. I think the hardest part about this game was understanding the haunt that we were going on. I had first enjoyed the concept of exploring the new rooms, however in the haunt that we had received, or started, did not have a traitor. Instead of having a traitor, all of our characters were supposed to beat their evil twin. It was really hard to stay engaged with the haunt, especially because waiting for each turn seemed like an eternity. Even by the time that class had ended, our game had not finished after playing for almost an hour and a half.

When looking at how this game ties to leadership, I could see how you need to be able to work in a team to explore the different rooms. Rather than just trying to win as an individual, this game was somewhat collaborative in how you all worked together to win the haunt.

I think that my Mom would really enjoy this game because she would really like how each time you play it is different. With a lot of board games that she has played, she tends to get board that it is the same thing over and over again. With Betrayal at the House on the Hill, each game that is played is different, depending on the haunt that you end up receiving.