Short Games

It is the first international chemistry meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany. The assembled scientists represent the who’s who of 19th century science. Much of the conflict in the game centers on the proper formulas for water and carbon oxide and the relative weights of carbon and oxygen. Arguments rely on differing interpretations of a collection of experimental data available in 1860.

19th Century Europe Short Game

Take students into three significant phases of the tumultuous first years of the Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther’s appearance before Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521, the three years of continuing reforms and challenges to secular rulers’ authority, and the tumultuous Peasants’ Revolt of 1524-25. This game examines how the Reformation moved from theological disputes to broad political and social change in the Holy Roman Empire in the early 1520s

16th Century Europe   Short Game

Unravel the science behind cause and effect and respond to a public health crisis in "The Cigarette Century." Perfect for courses on data analysis, public policy, and the power of disinformation!

20th Century North America Short Game

Students are members of the sacred college of cardinals, princes of the Roman Catholic Church convened in secret to elect the next pope. They must use knowledge of the renaissance church and late-medieval Europe to advance their character's political and religious concerns in pursuit of personal power and (perhaps) the best interests of Christendom.

15th Century Europe Short Game

Students learn about various competing ideologies of the early industrial revolution (in England) such as paternalism, Utilitarianism, free-trade/laissez-faire capitalism, and various radical reform movements (early socialism, feminism, etc.). Set in a London debating society, students will debate policy solutions to various intractable problems of the early industrial era.

19th Century Europe  Short Game

Players take the roles of historical figures who attempt to influence the queen to confirm the sentence, pardon Mary, execute her through a different legal process, or maybe even remove her by unsavory means... Politics, religion, private interests, the fragile relationship with Scotland, the war in the Netherlands, and possible war with Spain are all factors that will come into play.

16th Century Europe Short Game

In 1859, John Brown gathered a small force and attacked the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia to obtain thousands of weapons, which he planned to distribute to the slaves to free themselves. The plan failed catastrophically, with most of Brown’s force either dead or captured in less than two days. This game is set at a fictitious conference, called to debate whether John Brown should be executed. Most importantly, this game engages students with the nation’s gravest existential crisis, revolving around the place of slavery in America’s future.

19th Century North America Short Game

Constant struggles between the British and French empires draw in colonists, indigenous populations, and other European powers. Now, a new flashpoint has developed for this rivalry: the Ohio Country. The Jumonville Incident, and thus the French and Indian War, is about to begin. In this microgame, students will take on the roles of figures from all factions in this contested event.

18th Century North America Short Game