Outline

Crisis in Binni is a simulation of a UN intervention in Africa, set in the 1990s. It is characterised by difficult political interactions both within the UN and between the UN and local political interests in the fictional African country of Binni. The crisis is both a humanitarian one and one of regional violence and human rights abuses. This makes for a rich and complex scenario that brings out opportunities for player interaction at many levels. The many of the problems reflected in the game are deliberately virtually insoluble – 'wicked problems' – that players can only partially resolve.

Gameplay

The players in Crisis in Binni take on roles as members of the Binnian Government, UN Negotiators, UN Protection forces, and key regional political figures in Binni. Each team has a briefing that sets objectives and provides key background information relevant to their role, and the players take decisions, interact with other players, and deploy resources under their control. The experienced Stone Paper Scissors Ltd Game Control team then adjudicate results and provide realistic feedback on the player decisions.

At the end of the game there is a debrief of the process and how decision-making, negotiation and communications worked both within and between the teams. Teams have the opportunity to reflect on how their decision making was affected by the high information environment and the time pressure and how this might inform their practice and planning in future. Importantly they also get to review their communication styles and approach to negotiation, and how this creates outcomes for them.

Ideal Audiences

• Organisations wishing to practice crisis response and organisational communication skills.

• Organisations seeking a very unusual team building challenge.

• Organisations wishing to gain insight into how they approach ‘wicked problems’.

• Students studying global politics or developing world issues.

Game Capacity

For 12 to 50 players

For more information or to book us to run this game for you please fill in the form below: