La Guillotine
PREMISE
You are a group of rabbits condemned by the Comité de Salut Public. You must prove that you are loyal to the revolution in a question-and-answer game. If you're wrong, you'll be guillotined! Be the last rabbit to (not) be guillotined.
👥 4 to 8 players ⏱️ 40 minutes
Game Materials :
There are...
60 object cards
60 word cards
8 “Guillotine” cards with rabbits
8 guillotine blades
DESCRIPTION OF CARDS
RULES
The player with the shortest hair becomes the first deputy.
The deputy begins by drawing 2 object cards. He chooses an object card for the turn and turns over the other object card under the deck of cards in the middle of the table. The condemned take 5 word cards each.
The convicts want to guess the object on the deputy's card. To achieve this, each turn, a convict can only ask the deputy one question, using a single object card. The question must contain the word on the object card. After playing his card, the condemned man discards it and draws a new word card from the deck. (If there are no more word cards in the deck, shuffle the discarded word cards and make a new deck in the center of the table.)
Example: Julia wants to play the “nationality” word card. She can say, for example, “What is the nationality of your card?”, or “Is your card of French nationality?”, or “Does its nationality come from a country that exists NOW?"
The deputy must answer the question. The condemned then has a chance to guess the object. If he is wrong, he lowers the blade of his guillotine one notch. If he is right, he wins this game and he can choose another player (yes, even the deputy!) and lower his guillotine by one notch. Going clockwise, the turn is given to the next person. Repeat the process until there is only one rabbit left alive!
To Skip an Item Card :
If no one can guess the deputy's item card after 20 word cards, players must skip that item card. (Players can also skip an item card if everyone agrees.) If a card is skipped, all guillotine blades will move down one notch.
The Turn of the Game :
The roles of the players :
In each round, a deputy and convicted persons are designated. At the start of the game, the person with the shortest hair becomes the first deputy.
The deputy then changes each turn clockwise. When there are only two players left, one of the players who died will draw an item card and become the deputy.
GAME SETUP
Place the deck of "words" and "objects" cards face down in the center of the table. Each player takes a guillotine card and a guillotine blade. Place the blade at the top of the guillotine card (you will lower it as you go).
Pedagogical Guide
This game can be played by French students of any level who are able to form basic questions. Beginner French students will likely ask simple questions while more advanced students will be able to ask more complex, creative questions. Regardless of their French levels, students will actively have to stretch the boundaries of their questioning capabilities in order to gain a competitive advantage over other players. The game also encourages conversation about information known about the unknown object.
The word cards will allow players to think of creative ways of using the word in a question. For example, the word “nationalité” could be used in the questions: “Quelle est la nationalité de votre carte ?”, ou “Est-ce que sa nationalité est française ?”, ou “Sa nationalité, est-ce que ça vient d'un pays qui existe maintenant ?” Players may learn how to use circumlocutions, a useful skill in language learning. Even more creative questions are possible. One question observed was with the word card “jambe” and the object card “Jupiter” in which a player asked, “Est-ce que l’objet est une planète sans jambe ?” Players will enjoy the freedom given to them by the word cards. They function as light scaffolding in order to direct players to ask interesting and funny questions.
This game will teach students French culture through the inclusion of cultural cards. Many of the object cards are well-known francophone figures or otherwise well known people (Emmanuel Macron, Charles de Gaulle, Vladimir Poutine, Alexandre le Grand, etc.). These cards will teach students to converse about well known people. Similarly, the object cards about places (e.g., Château de Versailles, London, and Hogwarts) will allow students to practice asking about countries and nationalities. These topical subjects are an important part of one’s linguistic repertoire.
Creators: Hyunji Kim, Jacoby Ramsey, Leilani Zhang, Toby Qin