The Operator

The idea

Every round, a messy work situation hits the table. Everyone secretly commits the skill they'd reach for. Then you argue. The judge awards the point to the most convincing operator — not always the "par" answer on the card.

Setup (2–6 players)

1. Print, cut, and split into two decks: Situations (24) and Skills (48). Shuffle each.
2. Deal 5 skill cards to each player. Place the situation deck face-down.
3. Youngest player judges first; the role rotates left each round.

A round

1. The judge flips the top situation and reads it aloud.
2. Every non-judge plays one skill card face-down.
3. Reveal together. In turn, each player gets 20 seconds to argue why their skill is the move.
4. The judge awards the situation card (1 point) to the best case. Ties: the judge picks.
5. Everyone draws back up to 5. Judge role passes left.

Winning

First to 5 situation cards wins — or play a timed round and count points. The "par" line on each situation is the library's suggested answer: use it to settle a deadlock, or ignore it and reward the better argument. Half the fun is beating par.

Variants

• Speed round: 10-second arguments, judge decides instantly.
• Coop: no judge — the table must reach consensus on one skill per situation before a 60s timer.
• Deep end: play the actual skill in the playground after the round and compare it to your argument.