Barnga with 12 participants

I will be running Barnga for a group of 12 participants.

I can either have 4 tables with 3 participants each, or 3 tables with four participants each.

I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on which configuration will be better.

Thanks in advance.

Jimbo

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Permalink Reply by chris saeger on June 12, 2011 at 5:22pm

I would go 3 tables of 4. Playing a table of three might give you an odd man out. 2 players would have the same rule and one different. Even without talking i think the tables would quickly figire it out
Best wishes
Chris

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Permalink Reply by Bob Rice on June 13, 2011 at 6:49pm

I agree with Chris on using 3 tables of 4 for Barnga. That is, unless you modify the structure of the game. I don't have an immediate suggestion for that. Perhaps the NASAGA brain trust can come up with ideas. While my challenge was different, I modified the Barnga rules a few years ago for a group of executives. I used it to make the point around their role in shaping their organization's culture. The game itself didn't change their minds, but it did open them up enough to probe into the ways they get in the way.

So, Jimbo, perhaps you can jigger the rules enough to make it work with 4 groups of three. Perhaps one of those rule changes is that only one rotates tables clockwise the first time, and a different team member rotates counter clockwise the next time. Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Jimbo on June 14, 2011 at 4:01am

As I think about this. If there were three people at a table, then on round 2, most tables would have 3 competing rule sets as the winner from the table "below" and the loser from the table "above" would now be together. If we have 4 at a table, that leaves 2 people behind to protect the "stats quo" of that table, which creates a different dynamic, and ultimately, I think a more powerful one.

Appreciate the thoughts so far, and would welcome any others.

Jimbo

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Permalink Reply by Jimbo on June 16, 2011 at 10:59pm

Just finished the activity.

Wonderful depth in the debrief. No one even knew it was a "cross-cultural" activity until at the end of the debrief.

Thanks for the advice and support. The comments from Chris and Bob helped me to have the confidence to pull the trigger on an activity I had heard about, but never seen in action.