Category Archives: Games

Blood on the ClockTower


This week we played Blood on the Clocktower. This detailed role playing game involved deception, planning, and organization. Having never played this game before, I struggled to keep track of each possible role. Not all roles in the game were present in our round due to the number of players, but most roles had the potential to be present. I was selected to be the demon’s minion. I was a poisoner who once per night could interfere with another player’s ability. There were two teams in the game, the good and the evil. Of course, we did not know who was on each team. The goal is to discover each person’s role and for the good, find the demon and for the demon, kill the townsfolk. The game is divided into night and day. During the night action occurs from poisoning, murders, and divine intervention. During the day the town could interact, find information, and vote for someone to be executed. There were additional complexities such as the role of the drunk who would believe they were a townsfolk and claim such, but in reality were not. When the demon is killed, the minion assumes their role. This happened to me in our game. It may be obvious from my scattered explanation that the most difficult part of this game was keeping track of all the details and changing information.Despite mixing up details I managed to feign innocence for long enough to win the game.
An example of leadership I experienced personally was when I completely gave away my status as an evil character in the second round. Rather than expose my allegiances, a fellow player let the mistake slip because he had made similar errors when he first played this game. He could have won the game early but instead he chose to help me learn without embarrassment or judgement.
I believe this would be a fun game for parties, however it would be helpful if at least one person playing was able to help with the rules. Maybe it would be beneficial to play a practice round to ensure that everyone understands the many roles. I personally had trouble with this, but I imagine this would get easier the more you play the game. Overall, this was an enjoyable experience and I would love to play again.

Decorum Game of The Week

I thoroughly enjoyed playing Decorum. I have not played many board games that had similar premises to this one. In this game the players are decorating a house together. Each player has specific design objectives they must reach and together the team must create a space that satisfies the needs of everyone. Rather than stating what you need, you must make sly comments and use compliments or passive aggressive comments to communicate your contentment with the current design. So while this game centers around communication, everything is indirect and thus you must try to keep track of each person’s specific reactions, comments, facial expressions, and body language. This game is deceptively simplistic and I remember one of my group members commented early on that we were going to complete the game within minutes of starting. In the end, we did not even finish the game despite having the entire class period dedicated to its gameplay.
There was not necessarily a designated leader in this game, but rather we seemed to divide into pairs who would work together. Throughout the game there were several heart-to-heart discussions in which we could share information with one other player. I am unsure what the best way to share information would have been, but we mostly shared with a partner who would then work to try to meet both of our needs when completing their turn. In some ways this was extremely advantageous as we could cooperate to progress further in each of our individual turns. At the same time, not having any information concerning the other pairs’ needs led to a lot of undoing of each pair’s progress. The frustration and miscommunication that resulted from this unequal information was the most challenging part, however it also seemed to drive our motivation to succeed.
Overall, I enjoyed this game because it was intellectually interesting because you had to keep track of many details and think about different possibilities in order to complete a “simple” task. There was unequal information however the goal is to work together rather than to sabotage one another. I think this game would be a useful exercise for people who do not know each other well but must work together in a group or on a project of some sort. It forces you to be aware of each other’s communication styles and be patient and thoughtful with each action rather than simply trying to do what will help you individually succeed.

Fiasco! Conclusion

This week we finished our game of Fiasco! Once again the hardest part was getting the act started, but once we began the scenes flew by. Our scene pace was much faster in the second act, as we began to resolve the conflicts. This act was far more action packed and full of twists and turns. In the second act there are two twists selected ahead of gameplay. Our twists involved plans going wrong and someone going on an uncontrollable rampage. I think that we struggled a bit more with communication and pacing this week. Part of this was simply due to having less setup needed before getting into the game. As far as communication, I am not sure why we seemed less in sync this week but I’m sure it was just a natural variation in how we interacted.
As the story approached its conclusion, it seemed there were less options for how to manipulate the plot, however there were several surprise events. I loved the improvisation aspect of this game because it encouraged creativity and discouraged obvious endings. For example, there were many surprise double-agents in the second act of the game. It was fun to see how each teammate would respond to each other and the plot developments. In our specific case, it seemed everyone but my character was secretly involved in the illegal fur trade mystery that defined our narrative.
As we discussed at the conclusion of class, it can be difficult to navigate situations in which each person has a different opinion on how to proceed. This was not a huge issue for us, but there were some moments where our miscommunication was leading to a bit of frustration when we probably should have taken a step back to get back on the same page. We did manage to keep the game going, but in hindsight it may have been better to simply fully pause the game to have a conversation instead of trying to push through gameplay while explaining ideas.
Overall, I enjoyed this game experience and how every player had the opportunity to lead scenes. It allowed for every individual player to experience being an actor, director, script writer, producer, etc. This game encourages you to go out of your comfort zone and try new things. Teamwork is necessary and yet everyone gets to have a stake in the plot and major decisions being made. Fiasco highlights the importance of leading as well as being active listeners and followers. This game would be good as an acting exercise or a way to teach communication and the different roles in a team. While cooperation may not have meant agreeing on the same plot, it was important to be able to interact with one another to progress the story. I had a great time playing this game and getting to know my classmates!

Fiasco Week 1 Review

We played the role playing game: Fiasco. My group chose to play the Ice edition, however there are different “playsets” or settings to choose from. This game relies heavily on character building and player decision making. As is the case with many role playing games, the hardest part was actually getting started. When reading through the directions and setting up the game, it seems a bit overwhelming. Many decisions are made before gameplay occurs and these initial choices will impact the plot, characters, and relationships of the entire game. All this to say that game setup was a daunting task and I felt a bit unsure how to initiate the improvisation scenes.
Once we actually dove into the gameplay the experience was much less intimidating and seemed to flow naturally. I enjoyed the player interaction and the way that we bounced ideas off of each other to create a scene. It reminded me of the improv game “yes and” in which players do not reject each other’s ideas but rather add to and twist their interpretations. Some of my classmates expressed their preferences for games in which there is more randomness and less player decision. Personally, I felt like this game had randomness because you never knew how your teammates would react or interpret a scene.
Fiasco requires communication and cooperation between characters, while leaving room for individuals to create unexpected plot twists. One thing that makes this game unique, is the need for different players to take a leadership role depending on the scenario. This ensured that all players were able to take charge of certain parts of the overarching storyline. I believe that our gameplay went pretty well as we were able to trust each other and have fun with our situations. I believe this game would help with confidence in acting classes while making sure that all players got to design, participate, and lead certain scenes.

Blood on the Clock Tower

Happy Halloween! In this spooky night, we played Blood on the Clock Tower. There was around 13 players; 4 knew how to play and the rest did not. I was one of the few who did not know how to play, and I also happened to be the town drunk, which did not help me learn what I was doing. In other words, I was the empath (on the good side). I had the ability to know if anyone sitting next to me was evil. However, I was also secretly the drunk so my ability was void throughout the game and I didn’t even know it. So the whole time, I thought my two friends were good, but one was actually the poisoner (awkward).

(hardest part) The game itself was a little confusing because the roles were a little vague and it was a lot. I couldn’t keep up with some of the player’s logic (the one’s who have played before). But I definitely would want to play again. I’m not entirely sure if I like blood on the clock tower over ultimate werewolf. But I do love that it takes more time and you can talk with people separately. I also like the aspect where certain conditions (recluse, drunk, saint, ect.) can be given to good players and they don’t even know it.

Not really sure how this game demonstrates leadership. I could argue it has the mob mentality, like in Ultimate werewolf, but I didn’t really see that in our game. What I did notice was that people who have experience with the game can notice/talk about details. For instance, I was the empath, so someone asked me how many numbers I got (from 0-2) indicating how many next to me are evil. I was expecting them to ask me if there was anyone next to me that was evil, so I was expecting to give them a name not a number (or a yes or no answer). The game was lead by someone who knew the game very well. So I got to witness an experienced leader, and compare it to an inexperienced leader (myself). Hands down, experience wins. They can see and think in ways I could not. But by being around an experienced leader, I slowly started to understand the tricks. Thus, it never hurts to have someone with experience lead. In fact, it’s probably more beneficial for everyone.

Ladies & Gentlemen

In class, we played Ladies & Gentlemen, and I chose to be a gentleman (I brought a fake mustache and everything). The concept of the game was different for the ladies and gentlemen. For the gentlemen, our goal was to earn enough money to purchase lovely items for our wives/the ladies. The ladies role was to purchase as many items and servants as possible so that they can have the best outfit for the ball.

I think the hardest part about the game was roleplaying as a 1850’s British man. It was hard to stay in character, mostly because I have no clue how people acted during that time (I just generalized what I’ve seen in movies). Plus, I am not a man. Another hard part of the game was to keep things secretive from your partner. Because of this hidden element, I didn’t know what my partner needed. I tried to buy whatever they gave me, but there were times when money was low.

This game relates to leadership because it is about understanding different perspectives. Although I only played as a gentleman, I think the goal of the game is to see what it is like to be both the gentleman and lady. By acting like a female and male in the victorian era, we can start to understand their behaviors, feelings, and beliefs a little better. Although not a perfect interpretation, by trying to understand we can find new ways to problem solve and work together with those who are different from us.

Decorum

This week we played decorum, a game about cooperation with interior designing. It was a very fun game. I played with one other person, and we worked together to find the right balance for our rooms. We managed to go through 6 rounds; each round was a set of requirements we each had to fill (and our requirements were different from each other). It was difficult at first because we were trying to navigate how to play, but steadily we got the hang of it.

The most difficult part of the game was when we had to interpret and memorize our requirements. As we move on to each round, the requirements get harder and harder. Stuff like “rooms with warm colors can only have objects with cool colors”. Which sounds easy, but oftentimes you can miss it because you are juggling it with other similar requirements. We messed up two rounds because a requirement was not fulfilled when we thought it was (oops). But even so, we had a lot of fun reading out scenarios and discussing what we liked or hated. I’d say it was a success.

As far as leadership skills, I think this game requires a lot of communication, and management skills. You are trying to juggle a lot of requirements at once, without missing any, and you are trying to communicate with your partner what you need. This kinda showcases how different people with different goals can find compromise while still finding ways to fit their needs. It was very interesting. This game also requires an open-mind because what you need in a certain room may not fit your partner’s requirements. You have to be able to find different ways to meet your needs.

Voices in my Head

This week we played voices in my head. It was a challenging but fun game where we all try to gain control of different parts of the brain. For the game, I was Selfishness. Which means that I wanted there to be equal or more innocent than there were guilty verdicts. Luckily, that is what happened. The guilty and innocents tied, so I ended up winning the game. It was me and another player who won, but two other players lost.

This game really taught me about collaboration. At first, I was in it to get control. We don’t know who’s who, so the beginning rounds are played with the most self-interest. however, at some point, I figured out who was who but didn’t stop trying for complete control. My mindset was so stuck that it was me against everyone, that it was difficult to switch up even though I had a good idea of who everyone was. Eventually, I saw the errors in my ways, and started working with the player who was on my side.

I think the hardest part about the game was that we were all brawling for control at the beginning. It’s hard to play when it is against everyone, but once teams start working together, things start to feel more progressive. I also think it is hard being on the innocent side because there are two players who fight for guilty and one for a certain amount of indecisive. And it’s really hard going against the prosecutor.

Overall, this game was fun and I recommend anyone else to play it at least once. I am definitely going to try to convince my family to play, if we ever get the game.

Fiasco Week 2

On the fourth week of class, we finished up Fiasco. My group and I zoomed through it. We finished up the game in 45 minutes and spent the rest of the class time watching the other group play theirs. It was a very fun experience, and all our stories were hilarious.

Our story ended with my character shooting my crime partner. But to retaliate, my crime partner shot me back, but only grazed me from two feet away. I couldn’t have him live, but I felt so guilty killing him, so I decided to erase his memory with a device that was hidden in the pile of guns. I failed, but I didn’t know I failed, so I called the ambulance over (even though we are in the Antarctic) to take us out and treat us. Our third player was having a life in another dimension because they got trapped in their owned portal experiment. Because of that, I framed them for blowing up the science building we all worked at (even though I planted the bombs) and for shooting me and my crime partner. For the montage at the end, I ended up being great. Injuries were fully recovered, I made a book about the whole incident and got a lot of money from it. I was rich. Meanwhile my partner was in two comas which lead to him forgetting his memory. But I paid for his medical bills because I felt bad.

This week was a lot easier. Since we had practice from the first week. We all had an easier time creating scenes. I pretty much learned the same things I did last week (improve skill development, teamwork, communication). But I think a new thing I considered was storytelling. I was conscious of how the story was progressing and tried to create twists and turns to make it more interesting (i.e. me shooting my partner…but then I felt bad, so being evil didn’t last long). Although I wasn’t too successful at it, I was conscious of the story progression, which can be a key skill when communicating with other people.

The hardest part about this week was finishing up too quick. We didn’t know what to do with all that free time, so we ended up watching the other group and having a blast. It was a week of fun and laughter.

Fiasco Week 1

During the third week of class, we started playing Fiasco. This roleplaying game was my first time playing a roleplaying game before, so it was all new to me. I struggled a bit during the act, but that was primarily because I forgot to learn how to play 🙁 So I was winging it. But this game really makes you use your creative storytelling, teamwork, and planning abilities. A lot of the time you just have to go with something, and you have no clue how the other players are going to react or even what they will tell in their scenes. It’s a good game to practice improve and skills that make you think on your feet.

The part I struggled with the most was creating the scene and characters. It’s really hard to come up with something on the spot. Not to mention, use all the relationships and items that we chose. One relationship I had was sentimental, and the object we were sentimental about was a stolen can of beans. This pretty much got forgotten in the game, but I tried to implement it towards the end. Didn’t do much though. The start of the game was very much learning how to story tell, since I’ve never done so before. Not to mention Fiasco is a lot more extreme, so this is not your Disney kind of story (I was an ecological extremest who put bombs in the Science building). But I think the chaos is what makes this game fun.

I also want to say that playing with a group of strangers was also a little difficult. I felt timid with my storytelling, and not knowing what I was doing didn’t help. But when watching how they described their scenes, it was very interesting how different people’s stories were. Our scene was in the Antarctic, located in a Science Building. We were all scientists researching portals, however, I quit a week ago once I learned of how dangerous those portals were. I played the role of a suspicious person with a plan. My storytelling was mostly logical, with some random curveballs. One of my members had more of a sci-fi storytelling style. They introduced the portals, xenomorphs, and spaceships. Another player was also more on the logical side, but was very good with the details, and adding some flair with accents. It was, overall, a fun experience.