For L&D and People teams
Senior teams almost never get to watch themselves work.
You are all in the meeting, so none of you can see the meeting.
So we put you inside a story instead. Two hours, one problem, built so that none of you can solve it alone. No preparation, no acting, no slides.
Then you talk about what just happened. And because it happened to a made-up castle and not to last quarter's numbers, you can be honest about it. Who decided. Who went quiet. What everyone assumed somebody else was doing.
Nobody is assessed. Nobody gets a report card. You leave with the two or three things you decided to do differently, and we come back later to see which ones held.
What it does for you
Why it's worth an afternoon.
A team day nobody tries to get out of
No experience, no acting, and nobody put on the spot, so you won't spend the following week apologising for it.
An honest conversation, without the blame
Because it happened to the characters, people can talk about what went wrong without anyone getting defensive. Then they say what they'd do differently at work.
Evidence of what changed
The part most team days never get to. Once the team has had time to try things, we go back to its own commitments and find out which ones are still happening at work. You get the answer in writing, in the team's words, for whoever signed off the budget.
What you'll see
Five things a story puts on the table.
Every story is built so that nobody can solve it alone, and each one puts pressure on the habits below. The game master runs the story and keeps it moving. What it shows belongs to the team, and the debrief is where the team decides what to do about it.
Sharing information
Each of you holds part of what the team needs. You'll see what gets shared, and what stays with one person until it's too late.
Voice and inclusion
You'll see who gets heard, and who hasn't spoken yet.
Decision-making
The story keeps asking for hard calls against the clock. You'll recognise your own habits, and get the chance to try another way.
Constructive challenge
Whether doubts get said out loud, and whether anyone picks them up.
Adaptability
Every plan breaks at some point. You'll see how you recover, and where the new plan comes from.
How it goes
From the first call to the last word.
The game is the part people remember. The conversation afterwards is the part that changes things, so it gets proper time and a proper structure.
If you know Kolb's learning cycle, you'll recognise the shape: do something together, look back at it, work out what it means, then try something new.
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Before · 15 minutes
A call with you
What the team needs, what's been getting in the way, and anything that should stay out of the story. Every booking starts here.
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The story · about two hours
One problem that needs everyone
The information is split between the players, there's never quite enough to go round, and at some point the plan stops working. Players say what their character does. The game master handles the rules.
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The debrief · 45 minutes
What it says about work
We replay the three moments that decided the story, then the team talks about how it made its decisions and where it got stuck. Each person ends by naming one thing they'll do differently.
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Within two working days
The write-up
One page for the team: the story, the moments that decided it, and the changes the team chose, in its own words. The team reads it before anyone else.
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Afterwards · when it suits you
The check-in
Once the team has had time to try things, usually a month or so, we send its commitments back with three questions: Did you try it? What happened? Is it still going? Then a short call with you to go through the answers, and a note on what's changed, in the team's words.
Why a game
A safe thing to point at.
You can say "I made that call too fast and I didn't ask you" about a collapsing bridge and a missing map. You can't say it about the reorg. The story gives the team something to point at, so the conversation can happen without anyone accusing anyone.
It also sticks. Months later, someone in a planning meeting will say "don't leave the rope in the kitchen", and everyone will know exactly what they mean.
Booking
Choose your adventure.
Every booking includes the call beforehand, the team's write-up, a check-in afterwards and a set of dice for everyone to keep. Each table is one team of up to six.
The Adventure
£1,750per table
Three hours: one of our stories, matched to what your team needs, and a 45-minute debrief.
The place to start, and a strong centrepiece for an away day.
Ask about datesThe Grand Adventure
£2,950per table
For a day that matters. Everything in the Adventure, and:
- A story written for your team, built around what came up on the call
- Four hours, with a longer debrief
- The Retelling: your adventure written up as a short dramatic tale, read aloud to close the day and sent to the team afterwards
- Character sheets with the players' names on, and dice in a cloth pouch
Add to either
The Return
Book a second episode at the same time and it's £500 off. The same characters come back for "The Return of…", and the story puts the changes your team chose to the test. It can be whenever suits you, even the following week, though we'd suggest a month or so, to give the changes time to settle in.
Running a leadership, new-manager or graduate programme?
We'll quote for every team in it
Pilot sessions are £250 per table by agreement, in return for honest feedback and a testimonial. About pilots
The questions you'll be asked
What you can tell your team.
Nobody gets judged
Nobody is assessed. The write-up is the team's, never about named people, and nothing from a session is used for hiring, promotion or performance reviews.
Nobody gets filmed
No photos, audio or video unless everyone at the table agrees first.
Nobody has to perform
There's nothing to learn and no acting. The table agrees what stays out of the story, and anyone can sit out a scene.
Everyone can take part
Seating, sound, screen size, how the rules are explained: tell us what helps and it's sorted, no reason needed.
The paperwork is easy
We'll fill in your supplier form and work to a purchase order. Travel is included in Cambridge and London, and we can play online.
Book a table
Pull up a chair.
Tell us your group size, two or three possible dates, and whether you'd like to play in person or online.
For in-person sessions, tell us the location and whether you have a venue or would like us to arrange one. Travel is included in Cambridge and London. Additional travel and venue costs are agreed before booking.
Or email us
hello@academyofdungeoneering.com
