Metaphorical Courtroom

A creative game for three players.

Metaphorical CourtroomIn each round of the game, one player is the judge and the other two are lawyers. The judge silently thinks of a thing. Anything at all: perhaps the Virgin Mary, perhaps leukemia, perhaps embarrassment. The lawyers also each think of random things of their own. When the lawyers have settled on their things, they each announce what it is. The judge then reveals what her thing is, and the lawyers each have a turn to make an argument as to why their thing is more related to the judge’s thing than their opposing counsel’s thing is. Why and how is a canoe more related to Napoleon than Australia is?

A Book of Surrealist GamesAfter each lawyer has made her argument, the judge makes a ruling, proclaiming one or the other of the arguments to be the better one. Then the roles change and play begins again.

This is a game that provokes creativity and parallel reasoning, and it also may be thought of as a surrealist game. If you enjoy weird games like this, you may want to read A Book of Surrealist Games, compiled by Alastair Brotchie and edited by Mel Gooding. The book includes parlor games invented and played by members of the Surrealist movement in art, including André Breton, Rene Magritte, and Max Ernst.

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