The Prisoner's Playbook
The last strategic exercise before the finale. Balancing short-term gains against long-term consequences will determine who enters the final with both points and psychological momentum.
Core Concept
All participants play the same game simultaneously over multiple rounds. Each round, every participant must make a secret choice without knowing what others will choose.
Choices are revealed simultaneously, and points are awarded based on the collective distribution of choices - not individual matchups.
Structure
The exercise has 5 rounds, and each round consists of:
- 1Brief open discussion
- 2Secret choice
- 3Simultaneous reveal
- 4Points and token adjustments
Choices Per Round
Cooperate
Play long-term and collectively
- +Low risk
- +Stable point gains
- !Depends on others choosing the same
Defect
Play short-term and selfishly
- +High reward if few choose it
- -Harsh punishment if many choose it
Manipulate
Costs 1 TOK - influence in secret
- •Protect yourself from negative points this round
- •Force a random participant to COOPERATE
- •Force a random participant to DEFECT
Max one Manipulate per participant per round
Scoring Per Round
Points are based on the proportion of COOPERATE / DEFECT choices each round.
COOPERATE
- +2PD Points (base)
- +1bonus if >= 60% cooperate
- -1penalty if < 40% cooperate
DEFECT
- +4PD Points if <= 25% defect
- +1PD Points if 26-50% defect
- -2PD Points if > 50% defect
Important
- Manipulate only protects against negative points - it never grants extra points.
- Total points can never go below zero for the exercise.
Token Economy
- •Manipulate costs 1 TOK
- •Tokens cannot be used in any other way during this exercise
Midway Adjustment (after 3 rounds)
- +1 TOKParticipant with the highest total PD Points so far
- -1 TOKParticipant with the lowest total PD Points so far
Communication Rules
- ✓Open discussion before choices is allowed
- ✓Promises, deals, and alliances are allowed
- !Promises are NOT binding
- ×NO communication is allowed after a choice has been submitted
Final Ranking & MVP Points
After five rounds, all PD Points earned during the exercise are totaled. Participants are ranked from highest to lowest.
Tiebreakers
- Fewest tokens used during the exercise
- Most COOPERATE choices
- Secretariat's decision
MVP Points Awarded
"The Prisoner's Playbook is the exercise where past choices have consequences. Those who can balance selfishness and cooperation will enter the finale with both points and psychological advantage."