Streamer Things

It's 2007.

Streaming is a risky new idea. Six rival start-ups, each named after the word for "watch" in a different language (Voir, Guardare, Sieh, Mirar, Kanzhe, Podyvys), compete for an advantage in what they hope will be a new age. Hollywood can't decide whether they're an opportunity or a threat.

Round 1: the Academy Awards.

The six streamers are invited to the 79th Academy Awards. A limousine drops them at the Kodak Theatre, and they end up at a dinner table with the Hollywood A-list. "There's somebody I'd like you to meet." It's Martin Scorsese (well, our version of him). "You want to kill cinema? At least that's what I've heard. So tell me: what makes you special?"

Move or follow.

Each team gets five minutes to decide two things. First: how fast do you go to market? First in keeps every point. Second? "Your score has been halved. You'd better hope you execute it better!" Second: what do you bet on? Big movie franchises, indie films, industry relationships, marketing, user experience design or anti-lag technology. Then the D20 decides how well you pull it off.

Then Scorsese gives his verdict.

• Big movie franchises↻Scorsese thinks you have taste.
• User experience design↻Scorsese thinks you're joking. He wants to slap you in the face, but knows that's not how one behaves at the Oscars.
• Anti-lag technology↻Scorsese doesn't even know what this is. He asks you what's wrong with a movie at 24 frames per second.

Round 2: 2008.

The financial crisis has hit, and the ceremony is a lot more sombre. Same table, same people. Then a man sits down: "My name is Reed. I'm the CEO of a company called Netflix. I'd like to invest in you." The market has moved, and so have the scores. Reed isn't bothered about a few big films; he wants what Scorsese laughed at. And at the very end, there's one more twist we won't give away here.

What the facilitators said.

"Fantastic! This looks very cool. Presented cleanly and with a good streak of humour."Session lead

How it plays.

Think Dungeons & Dragons for strategy: a storyteller, six teams around the table, a big twenty-sided dice and a live market leaderboard on screen. Teams join on their phones.

What it trains.

Moving first or following, reading the people who decide your fate, and making decisions when luck plays its part.

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