A common problem among educators is how to recreate the real world of business in a classroom situation. While not attempting to simulate reality this deceptively simple role playing game effectively creates analogies which have a strong resonance with the real world. Playing cards and poker chips are distributed at the start of the exercise and the teams aim to construct a house of cards with the objective of maximising the number of points they score according to a published set of rules. The decks of cards have been mixed among the groups but they are only allowed to build from a single deck. As a result trading begins but at different times during the exercise the rules change as do the available resources. This simulates the unpredictable nature of a real economy and forces the teams to think on their feet and change strategy. Analogies to the real world are explored in the unpacking session which follows after each group’s house has been scored by the facilitator. The facilitator plays the role of the law maker and dictates how the teams must operate. The teams need to assign roles and work together in order to compete in the market. They must also trade and negotiate with other teams to have any hope of winning. Requires a minimum of 16 participants but can easily accommodate up to 60
