Frontex Hybrid Board Game

  • Themes: Integrity, Frontex agency, human rights, transparency, drones, biometrics
  • Number of players: 2 to 8
  • Age: From 15 years old
  • Duration: around 1 hour + 15' for the debriefing
  • Language: English and French
  • Type: Escape game, hybrid board game, puzzle, investigation, application
Download the ready-to-use kit

The pitch

You are a group of private investigators. This morning, the emergency alarm of the Frontex headquarters in Warsaw was triggered for mysterious reasons. A few minutes later, the power was cut off and the building was plunged into darkness. All the Frontex staff had to exit the building in an emergency. 

In all this confusion, 6 people are missing from the counting, probably still in the building. The usual procedure is to call the police to clear the building, in case of on attack. But, since Frontex is being watched by the press because of recent controversies, the Security Responsible decides to solve this case in the most discreet way possible. So she calls you and entrusts you with a mission of the utmost importance: find the missing persons and find out what happened as quickly and discreetly as possible.

To solve this mystery, you will have to explore the building, collect clues, solve riddles, discuss with characters and make choices. You will also have to find Access cards to reach the last room and discover who is behind this case… 

Will you be up to the challenge and solve this case in time?

Here is the scenery of the Exposé – a Frontex Mystery Game. During 1 hour, the players will be immersed in the Frontex Agency, through an interactive card escape game experience. They will have to search different rooms, look for clues, solve riddles, help mysterious characters and finally solve this case. Through this game, they will learn about several aspects of Frontex such as Budget, Human Rights, Drones and Biometrics issues.

Pedagogical objectives

  • Learn about the Frontex Agency and its functioning

  • Discover the concerns and controversies related to transparency and ethics in the Frontex actions

  • Understand the issues surrounding Human Rights, use of Drones and Biometrics in the European borders management

  • Stimulate curiosity and interest in these social issues, with the aim of digging deeper via additional resources

The Board Game Kit

This game is designed in a hybrid way, crossing physical and digital elements, and mixing escape game and board game logics. 
You will play this game with physical cards (rooms, clues, puzzles..) and an application on a computer that will guide you throughout the game and act as a game master. Throughout your investigation, you will go through several rooms, each of them being dedicated to one important aspect of Frontex. To search these rooms, you will have to enter the corresponding numbers in the app. You will then discover some clues, characters, puzzles to solve, and move forwards in the story. 

To play this game, simply download the kit below!
This kit allows anyone to use and play the game for free and without any previous knowledge required. It will guide you step by step to implement the game (installation, functioning, solutions…). It includes all the necessary elements for the successful running of the game as well as some pedagogical elements on the Frontex Agency and the issues related to Budget and recruitment, Biometrics, Drones, Human Rights, Lobbying and transparency to go further in the learnings.

If you want to give us a feedback on the game and the tools, we offer a very short questionnaire to express you opinion on this experience! 

And now, it’s time to play and enjoy!

Presentation & Instructions

This document will introduce you with the game concept and your missions. It will also guide you step by step in the installation of the game, the rules and the functioning of the application.

Solutions Manual

In the computer application, you will have access to some hints to help you. If you’re stuck even with the hints, you will find all the solutions of the game and riddles in this document.

The application

This block leads you to the computer application that will act as a game master and guide you throughout the game. Its functionning is explained in the instructions document. 

Cards to be printed

This PDF document gathers all the elements you will have to print to implement the game (room cards, clue cards, puzzle cards…). 

Debriefing instruction

This document includes explanation of the different knowledge explored during the game. It will enable you to have a debriefing session after the game. 

Additional Resources

This includes pedagogical resources on the Frontex Agency and related issues regarding transparency, integrity, ethics and human rights.

Download the whole kit

Credits

Game created by La Transplanisphère (Paris) and Förderband Kulturinitiative Berlin  (Germany) as part of the European Integrity Games project

Artistic direction: Bruno Freyssinet 
Artistic collaboration: Marion Pollet

Script and game design: Bruno Freyssinet, Marion Pollet, Anne Sturm, Christoff Bleidt 

Advisors: Frédéric Devic (Immersia – Escape Game Paris), Patrice Nadam and Mélanie Fenaert (Scape Collective), Pierre Noro (Sciences Po), Ikigai Games

Kit conception and design: Marion Pollet

Graphic Design: Bruno Freyssinet, Anne Sturm, Marion Pollet

Pictures: Pixabay – Chiaravi, Frank Nürnberger, Peter Dargatz, ceparedonda, Kranich17, Tilgnerpictures, suesun, Edi Nugraha, Pete Linforth, edmondlafoto, Leonhard Niederwimmer, Gonbiana, WikiImages, nonbirinonko, SofieLayla Thal, DEZALB, Wilfried Santer, Tamás Lieber, Leonid Radashkovsky, Greg Montani, Nadine Doerlé, Sammy-Williams 

Icons: NounProject – DinosoftLab, Trever Dsouza, Juicy Fish, Travis Avery, Siipkan Creative

Acknowledgement: Many thanks to the people that have tested the game and gave feedback on it, including participants of the Frontex Files games workshop  – Anne Sturm, David Cassel, Klara Rousseau, Konstantinos Kekkas, Christoff Bleidt, Vasileios Liaskovitis, Hugo Coelho, Diogo Cinza, Julio Rebocho, Riccardo Benvenuti, Katerina Protonotariou and Amaia Cid – as well as Camille Gaumont and the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre team. Thanks also to the Lycée Albert Schweitzer, the OECD and the 2021 OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum for hosting our events to test and promote the game.

Funders: EIG benefits from the support of Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership and the City of Paris.
European Integrity Games project has received the Paris-Europe Label 2021 from the City of Paris

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