Didactic tips for game masters and game leaders

In Live Action Role Playing (LARP) , the participants play family members and important key people at Moritz GmbH. In the form of a family conference, this “typical” example company is used to directly experience the “typical” family conflicts in the context of a succession plan.

The LARP can be used very flexibly depending on the objective. There is no predetermined course of the discussion, as each player plays the same role differently and everyone else reacts with and to each other. Additional information or special game impulses (download game cards) can be used to create different starting situations and thus initiate different courses of the game. It is possible to carry out an intermediate reflection during the game or to change roles (or entire groups) in order to stimulate the discussion and force new solutions.

Depending on the instructions of the game and the level of the players, the focus can be more on communicative topics or on entrepreneurial or business strategy topics. The game leader can also focus on specific topics such as leadership or corporate culture .

With this role play, the players can recognize the different positions of those involved, discuss various succession concepts for Moritz GmbH and develop a good solution together so that the managing owner, Horst Moritz, can really let go.

By engaging with the content, participants learn what it means to pass on responsibility for a company and how complex this topic can be. However, they also learn about the opportunities offered by a takeover as a form of start-up alongside a new business.

By dealing with the different roles, they learn that there is more than just their own perspective and the reflection following the LARP gives them the opportunity to look at events from “outside” and “inside”.

Participants train to articulate their own needs in the role and bring them into interaction. This improves their communication skills. During the game, the participants have to endure and resolve conflicts among themselves and make decisions. This encourages them to take responsibility for their own actions.

The LARP is available for three different learning settings (levels), depending on the level of knowledge. This allows the game leader to tailor the respective task to the level or the intended learning objective. Depending on the level, the facilitator provides various impulses about the company information during the game.

Level 1 focuses on the emotional and communicative aspects of the game. The aim of this level is to arouse interest in the topic of entrepreneurship in general and succession in particular and to playfully experience the structure of an entrepreneurial family.

 Target group for Level 1: Secondary level 2 students at general and vocational schools.

Level 2 requires a basic knowledge of economics and a fundamental understanding of business. The aim of this level is to put theoretical knowledge into a practical context and make business administration tangible.

Target group for Level 2: Students at business high schools or commercial technical colleges as well as bachelor students of business administration.

Level 3 focuses on strategic and entrepreneurial topics. The aim is to gain practical experience of specific succession knowledge for a possible takeover.

 Target group for Level 3: Entrepreneurship students, prospective successors and participants from start-up centers as well as business consultants with an interest in the topic of succession.