Wamerjam

Wamerjam helps build communication skills in a fun way. In Wamerjam there are 32 skills that promote creative thinking and healthy community dialogue. At the beginning of the game any topic for conversation can be selected. Each player has a hand of cards and each card has a skill on it. Players take turns trying to use the cards to talk about the topic.

Gameplay is very improvisational and players enjoy being able to pick a topic that they are interested in. Initially, players have to stop and think about how to use some of the conversation skills because they are not used to talking outside of their established communication habits. Once people get a grip on the game, people start laughing at how witty they can be.

At the end of the game players are encouraged to explore which skills were difficult to play and which ones were easy. Players will come to realize more about their own communication skills as well as the skills of others. The game is designed to help people learn from each other and also to get players thinking about how to build and combine ideas with each other instead of simply conversing with comments and opinions.

Skills gained by playing Wamerjam are useful life-long.

INSTRUCTIONS

SET UP: Find the TOPIC card and give it to the youngest player. Place the deck between the players. Each player draws up to 5 cards (3 for a challenge).

PLAYING THE GAME: Begin the game by playing the TOPIC card. People take turns making conversation by playing one card at a time in a clockwise order. When a player plays a card they must say something in the way that the instructions on the card indicate.After your turn is over, draw a card from the top of the deck. PLAYING OUT OF TURN: If a card has an ! you can play it at any time. Anyone may respond to your ! card. After a response, play resumes with the person whose turn it would have been.

GAME END: Wamerjam ends when the deck is gone and a player has played their last card. Discuss what cards were challenging, illuminating, and fun and what that means for each individual and the group.