House Harmony

House Harmony

No one wants to do a dirty dude’s dishes! Find the balance between being the best roommate and being true to yourself to make your house as harmonious as possible.

Objective:

Score at least 4 (out of 6) collective points and at least 3 (out of 6) individual points to become the most harmonious house.

Learning Objective:

Use communication and conflict resolution strategies to become the most harmonious House without giving up your identity. 

Materials:

• Character Cards
• Action Cards
• Situation Cards
• Timer
• Notepad and pencil for the Head of House to track points and players’ Characters and to draw the House
• Safety card

Set Up:

House Harmony can be played with 3-4 players plus the Head of House. The Head of House randomly distributes the Character Cards, noting which player has which character. Only the player and the Head of House know what character they are.

Before game play begins, players discuss what their house looks like. Are they all living in the same room? Do they live in different rooms and share common spaces? Once they have the basic idea of their house set up, they draw the house, taking turns adding one element. The player who woke up the latest draws the first element and then the turns go counter-clockwise. Once this process is done (maximum 10 minutes), the Head of House distributes 5 Action Cards per player.

Game Play:

The game consists of 6 rounds, all capped at 5 minutes maximum. All players must play an Action Card at the end of the 5 minutes, regardless of if they have come to a comfortable solution or not.

At the beginning of each round, the Head of House reads out a situation card randomly chosen from the deck. The 5 minute timer begins once they have finished reading the card. Within the 5 minutes, players can deliberate and discuss which Action Cards they might use to address the Situation Card. Some situations are more straightforward, while some will require a combination of Action Cards. If players all agree to play their Action Cards before the 5 minutes are up, they may do so. Otherwise, they must play their cards when the timer goes off. 

When the 5 minutes are up, the players must simultaneously reveal the Action Card they wish to play in that situation. It does not necessarily need to be the Action Card they might have said that they would play during the deliberation period. After all the cards have been played, players may give a one-sentence interpretation of how their card applies to the situation.

The Head of House grants one point to the House if they believe that the House properly addressed the situation. The Head of House can also grant up to one point to each individual player who was true to their Character Card. The Head of House gives each player a new Action Card and a new round begins.

Post Game Play:

If the House received 4-6 collective points and each player received at least 3 individual points, then they were harmonious and won the game. 

Post game discussion questions:

1. How did you manage your character’s personal needs and the House’s collective needs? 
2. Do you think the game outcome reflects the harmoniousness of your House? Why or why not?
3. What communication strategies were most effective?
4. What was one time that you compromised on a solution? How do you think this affected your House’s harmony?
5. What was one time that you prioritized your character’s needs? How do you think this affected your House’s harmony?