Thesis is a conversation card game for 2–6 players. At work or in a class, it gives a table one word at a time and a turn for each person.
The setting
A meeting room before a planning session, or a classroom with desks pushed into groups. One deck per table of 2–6. A bigger group splits into tables, and a table without a box can use the online version on a phone or a shared screen.
How a session looks
The person who set up the session goes first. They draw a card and choose a side, for example Work or Stone on card 27. They roll and look at the word from that side. The others at the table ask what they’re curious about. The die goes to the left.
Set the length before you start: one round each, or a fixed number of cards. In the last round, each player names one thing they discovered about someone at the table today.
What to watch for
- Passing. Agree how passing works before the first card, and say it out loud. At work or in class, people can’t always leave the table, so a pass needs to cost nothing. Every card also has a second side.
- Heavy words. A few words in the deck are heavy, such as Death and Betrayal. You can take cards out of the deck before a session.
- Pace. “A short answer is a full answer.” One sentence is a full turn.
- What’s said stays. “What is said at the table stays at the table.” Say who it applies to, for example the team, before you start.
- Age. The box is rated 16+.
Words to start with
Try it, then order
Play a round online · Order the box · Team building card games for work · More on the blog