How to Host a . . . Spy Game! [Feedback]

Did you run the game? Did you like it? Have suggestions? Leave feedback in the comments here!

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For the Spy Game, since I ran it before I had the blog, here are a few of the suggestions I got immediately from players post-game:

• Limit the game to about 2hrs, and plan a more formal wrap-up.
• Run the game in the afternoon, people were too tired late at night. [Note: we ran an 8pm game]
  
• Perhaps drop guards in favor of pitting Spies vs Spies? And arm both teams.
  
• In that vein, have another character actor (like El Presidente) for competing drops.
• Also in that vein, have both teams attempt to smuggle the same objects to diff locations.

How to Host a . . . Spy Game!

[Looking for the files to download? Find them here.]

What it is:

The Spy Game is basically a modified version of a"smuggle" party game, with a little bit of tag involved.*


Atmosphere/Setup:

A more detailed scenario is in the files, but here’s the quick and dirty:

There’s a Central American “leader” who’s been running a super-secret project funded by a LOT of money. Most of said money came from sources not as friendly to the West as they’d like. He’s having a big party to celebrate the research - you’re there to get as much info as you can, get in his way, and gain some leverage. Enter the game:

Players are encouraged to design their own backstory (though there are some suggestions in the files), but this game relies heavily on improvisation. The organizer, in particular, will be playing as El Presidente and needs to "play it up" to really get the players in the mood and in the game.


How it works:

The game is based on one team of Spies trying to move various objects from around the house to designated "drop zones" without getting caught by the opposing team of guards. Guards, on the other hand, try to catch the spies and are armed with water guns. In our game, the "objects" ranged from a folder of files, to a full size lamp, and even one of the guards!

In more detail from the downloadable documents:

"Alright, here’s the deal. We have two teams, Spies and Guards. The Spies’ goal is to smuggle several objects to specified “drop zones.” The Guards’ goal is to get in the way. Spies score by getting items out, Guards score based on whatever’s left. There are weapons around, and if you get wet, you’re in timeout (more details below). Sounds easy, right? Well there’s a few more kinks. Nobody knows what team anyone else is on (and the intent is to keep it that way). Further, Guards don’t know what items are being smuggled. Spies know of a few, but here’s the catch, the ones they know about are ones they have to get someone else to steal. Spies have to get other spies to tell them what to do without revealing themselves to the guards."

Rules:

1. Ingenuity is key, be clever! The rules are not meant to impede you, just to prevent things from getting out of hand.
2. If you are “hit” by a weapon, you are confined to the Games room for 5 min. You can still chat, make use of the room in any way, just can’t leave.
3. If you witness someone shooting someone else (and are not the target), cause a ruckus. The shooter will be confined too.
4. No explicitly talking about which “team” you’re on. Actions may make it clear which one you are on, but even then no talking about it. This includes guards: if you figure out who is a spy, well done! But don’t tell anyone. If you’re shot, don’t reveal your allegiance!
5. No physical violence, but if you can snag something from someone else before they notice, it’s fair (should they notice though, you’d best back off!). Otherwise, feel free to use whatever you can find or get at!
6. Artifacts, once discovered, are placed in the “drop zone.” If you’re unsure about the item, Artifacts have shiny stars on them somewhere. Each item has a specific drop zone, make sure you find out where it goes!
7. We’re relying on the honor system, so please follow these rules!
   

Notes:

• I've included a list of items I used for the game in the files, feel free to change them or add more.
• Humor is key! I'm a terrible comedian, but everything's hilarious when delivered in an over-top faux-spanish accent.
• Keep it moving. When things stall out it's time to open the lab. If Spies are having trouble, an incompetent El Presidente can "unwittingly" help them out . . .

* I wish I could remember where I found the smuggle idea from, but it isn't mine.
** It is important to remember while playing as El Presidente that your job is not to win, but to facilitate for your players - don't make it too hard to have the key stolen

How to Host . . . [Your Own]

A few notes on organization pertinent to any of the posts/games here:

1. I make a lot of documents for these games. I'll describe the core of the games in posts, but don't hesitate to download the docs, they go into a LOT more detail.

2. I <3 spreadsheets. They're a tremendous tool, useful for organizing attendance as well as assigning roles. I'm attaching the ones I used, but I encourage you to make your own!

3. If you want to host any of the games I post, a good idea is to follow the tags: All of my games will be tagged with "Run Your Own" as well as the game name (e.g. "Spy Game").

4. If you try the game, please leave feedback in the "Feedback" tagged post for that game. I'll post anything I'm told, but the more that share the better! Suggestions, what worked/what didn't, whatever, is all very helpful. I intend to return to each game for refinement, so please share!

5. Other tags, such as "design," might be useful if you want to try refining any of my games for your own purposes. Let me know if you make any changes. . . more ideas = better games!

An Introduction

I suppose an introduction is in order before I simply start posting items to the blog. So here we go:

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Me:
As my profile indicates, I'm an avid gamer and enjoy aspects of all types: card, board, video, whatever. I'm also a touch social. I really enjoy hanging out with people, and with the right motivation can generally muster up 10-14 people for an event, subject depending. Put these together and you get someone who regularly coordinates events.

Group Gaming:
Games like Rock Band, Mario Party, and the party side of Monkeyball were staples in college for me where it was easy to get an impromptu group together and we all had a lot of free time. After graduation, though most of my friends stayed in the same area, we had trouble getting everyone together for anything unless it was something big. Thus it was that I started organizing group outings.

I ran a traditional "Murder Mystery" with fair success (I did it on the cheap), but found I really wanted something more active.

So I took a group out for paintball. Awesome, but a bit much for a regular event and expensive to boot.

Deciding that there must be something middle ground-ish, I went hunting on the internet but found the offerings sparse. I'd find a few pieces of things here and there, but nothing quite like what I had in mind. Some required huge numbers of gamers, others were just threads of ideas - minor side games at parties.

Blogdom:
In March of 2009, I ran a self-designed Spy game. It was generally well received (despite some problems), and I found I really enjoyed the design process as much as the game itself. So this fall I decided to design and run a Zombie game for Halloween. My wife suggested that if this was to be a regular thing, I ought to share the games with others. And so we find ourselves here.

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I've only run the one game so far, but we'll see where the blog takes us. For now, I'll be writing about the design and structure of my past games and possibly bits on any game I'm putting together now. If you read anything and have a suggestion or criticism, please share!

The early posts may be a bit out of order as I jump between the old game and new, but tag navigation should keep you in the right spot if you're trying to follow a particular game. I'll try to keep the final versions of games isolated to single posts so anyone can try running one on their own.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

P.S. I'm a grad student at present, so be prepared for gaps in updates. I'll do my best to keep things regular though.