Assassin / Spy

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice nonverbal observation and group attention in an informal warm-up circle.

Use it when: Use during a workshop break, social energizer, or team retreat when participants need a light physical reset and visual focus.

Skip it when: Skip when team members have visual impairments that prevent reading subtle eye cues, when eye-contact games cause discomfort, or during serious decision-making sessions.

Group arrangement: Single seated circle

Timing: UWT plan provides 15 minutes to run two quick rounds and a brief debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 sheet of plain paper torn into slips (1 slip per participant)
• 1 pen or marker

Before participants arrive

1. Count out one slip of paper for each participant.
2. Mark an X on exactly one slip and leave the rest blank.
3. Fold all slips so the mark cannot be seen.
4. Arrange chairs in a single circle where every person can see every face.

Say this to open

We will play a game of visual observation called Assassin or Spy. One person holds a secret slip marked with an X. That player eliminates others by catching their eye and discreetly winking or raising an eyebrow. If you receive the wink, count to five silently, announce that you are out, and relax quietly. Anyone who catches the person in the act of winking may call out an accusation. Check your slip secretly now.

How to run it

1. Assign roles and review cues 3 minutes

   Distribute one folded slip to each person. Participants inspect their slips privately. Clarify the visual cue agreed upon: either a deliberate wink or a sharp eyebrow raise. Remind everyone to look around naturally.

2. Run round one 5 minutes

   Participants scan faces. The secret player winks to eliminate targets. A winked player waits five seconds and says, 'I am caught.' Observers who spot a wink call out an accusation. Correct calls win immediately. False accusations eliminate the accuser. Play stops when the spy is named or only one target remains.

3. Run round two 5 minutes

   Collect, shuffle, and redistribute the slips with a newly marked X. Run a second round under the same rules. For 15 or more participants, you may mark two slips to create two active spies.

4. Debrief observation cues 2 minutes

   Convene the full group. Invite two or three volunteers to share what visual tells or eye movements gave away the secret player.

Debrief questions

• What specific visual cues or shift in eye contact gave away the secret player?
• What made it difficult to observe the entire room at once?

Finished output: Two completed rounds of observation and deduction where the secret player is either revealed or eliminates all but one player.

Remote

In a video meeting with all cameras in grid view, the facilitator assigns the secret role via private direct chat. Instead of a wink, the secret player sends a private direct chat to their victim saying 'Caught'. The victim waits 5 seconds and announces verbally or in main chat that they are eliminated. Any observer can type an accusation in the main chat.

Hybrid

Hybrid play is not recommended because camera angles create an unfair line-of-sight advantage for in-person players over remote webcams. If required, place every participant on their own laptop camera within the shared space and use the remote private-chat mechanic.

Access and participation choices

• Participants who cannot wink may use a clear alternative cue such as a deliberate double-blink or single eyebrow raise.
• Anyone may choose to sit out as the neutral timekeeper or slip distributor without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

A participant accuses someone every few seconds by random guessing.

Enforce the rule that an incorrect accusation immediately eliminates the accuser from making further guesses in that round.

The secret player feels self-conscious and refuses to wink, stalling the game.

Call a 30-second warning. If no elimination occurs within 60 seconds, announce that the room enters night mode where everyone closes their eyes for five seconds while the spy taps a shoulder or the facilitator resets the slips.

Terms used here

• Victim: The participant who receives the secret wink or cue and must withdraw from active play.