The Job
Congratulations! You have been hired by Mattel because of your expertise with heroic quests. They want a new game for the Christmas season, and they are counting on you to make a wonderful project. You may work in any group size up to five, so choose your team well!

Requirements

1. The game can be based upon any board game, game show, or card game; however, be original and put your own spin on the game.
2. The game board or set up must in some way reflect the hero's quest. Those who play the game should learn about the hero's quest while they have a great time playing.
3. The game may include some luck, but players should win or lose based on their knowledge of our hero myths or Greek mythology. Not all the questions have to focus on the heroes themselves; you may ask any questions about the literature such as plot or literary elements.
4. The game must accommodate three to six people (so make sure you have this many game pieces).
5. The game must have a professional appearance—complete with a beautiful game board, a way to store the game and its pieces, and a complete set of instructions. You may want to look at the instructions from another board game so that you know what good instructions look like.

The Groups

Group work can be difficult. I know that sometimes group work turns into two people doing all the work and two people sitting back and watching. So, a few words on group work. First, you have a right to choose your own group. You know your classmates, so if you don't trust someone to work, don't agree to work with them. Second, make sure the expectations are clear. If everyone has a certain task, the tasks are more likely to get done. Sometimes people sit back because they don't know how to contribute. Third, make clear agreements about when to meet ahead of time. That way everyone can put the meeting on their schedules. If you don't need extra time to meet, fine, but if you do need to meet, you need to make sure all the group members are available.

The following contract will be filled out in class. The contract ensures that everyone has a clear understanding of what needs to happen UP FRONT. If someone violates this contract, you need to let me know IMMEDIATELY. If you let a group member slide with not doing their work, you are choosing to take the hit on all your grades. If you tell me someone has violated the contract, I can deal with the student, and that will not count against the group's grade. Students in violation of the contract may lose points or be removed from the group. If I remove a student from a group, he or she must complete an entire project alone, and no time extentions will be given for any reason.

Audience: The class
Format: Board game
Style: None required
Length: It must accomodate 3 to 6 players
Presentation: Game, directions, all pieces (durable enough to stand up to play)

The Epic of Gilgamesh
Genesis (The Story of Joseph)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Odyssey

Last Updated 7-30-07