Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 4ec7daccab07cf5dd10d41d10d42bdee27d061c1b5854ddb534418fdd5c29b36

# Bang You Are Dead

Participants observe rounds of a puzzle game to deduce the hidden rule that decides who was eliminated. They test their theories across several rounds before discussing how assumptions shaped their observations.

**Time:** 10 minutes. UWT suggested duration based on Playmeo 5 to 15 minute guidelines.
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole group seated or standing in a circle or facing the facilitator.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test and refine deductive hypotheses based on group observation rather than obvious visual cues.
**Use it when:** Use during a training session or team workshop when transitioning to problem-solving, testing assumptions, or active listening.
**Skip it when:** Skip if the group dislikes elimination themes or mock weapon gestures, or when running a serious session where playful misdirection feels inappropriate.

## Materials and tools

- No special materials.

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs or standing positions so everyone has a clear view and hearing line to everyone else.

## Say this to open

We are going to play a short mystery puzzle. I will point at someone and say, 'Bang, you are dead.' Your goal is to figure out the secret rule that determines who was actually eliminated. Watch carefully, make your guesses, but do not spoil the rule once you crack it.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce the challenge (2 minutes)

Gather the group into a circle or semicircle. Explain the goal: identify the underlying rule governing who is eliminated. Remind participants that whoever thinks they know the secret must demonstrate it through correct predictions rather than shouting the rule out loud.

### 2. Run initial deduction rounds (4 minutes)

Point a finger at any participant and say clearly, 'Bang, you are dead.' Wait a beat. The secret rule: the first person who speaks after the word 'dead' is the eliminated person. Ask the group, 'Who was eliminated?' Listen to two or three guesses. Name the correct person (the first speaker) without explaining why. Repeat for 3 to 4 rounds.

### 3. Run confirmed rounds with clues (2 minutes)

Continue running rounds. When a participant correctly identifies the eliminated person consistently, acknowledge their success and ask them to keep playing along silently. If the room struggles, make the clue more obvious by pausing longer before speaking or drawing attention to auditory responses until most people understand.

### 4. Debrief assumptions and observation (2 minutes)

State the rule openly to close the puzzle. Lead a brief plenary reflection. Take responses from two or three volunteers on how their initial assumptions influenced what they noticed.


## Debrief questions

- What visual clues did you focus on first, and why did they mislead you?
- What made you switch from watching visual cues to listening for sound?
- How does this puzzle reflect the way we test assumptions when analyzing an unexpected problem?

**Finished output:** The group discovers the hidden rule governing eliminations through collective testing and observation.

## Remote

Run in gallery view with all microphones unmuted. The facilitator points directly at the camera while naming a specific participant on screen and saying, 'Bang, you are dead.' The first person to unmute or make a spoken sound is the eliminated person. Guesses are submitted by speaking or typing in chat.

## Hybrid

In-person and remote participants all keep audio active. Ensure the room microphone picks up in-person speech clearly and room speakers broadcast remote participants without delay so the first speaker is evident to everyone.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may pass on guessing without giving a reason.
- If pointing a finger mimics a weapon uncomfortably, the facilitator can instead hold up a neutral card or open palm toward someone and say, 'Tag, you are out.'
- Provide chat or written response options for participants who prefer not to speak aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**Multiple people speak simultaneously after the prompt, making the eliminated person unclear.**

Acknowledge the tie, name both as co-eliminated, and run the next round asking the room to listen closely for the very first sound.

**A participant blurts out the hidden rule early, ending the mystery for others.**

Confirm the rule is solved, validate their deduction, and smoothly introduce a secondary variation like the second person to speak being eliminated.


## Terms used here

- The Key: The hidden rule or logic puzzle condition that determines the correct answer.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained core puzzle mechanic from Playmeo where the first person to speak after the prompt is eliminated. UWT added explicit facilitation timing, hybrid and remote audio considerations, accessibility adaptations including an alternate neutral gesture ('Tag, you are out'), and debrief prompts focused on assumption testing.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/bang-youre-dead)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/bang-youre-dead/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-mystery-thinking-game-tests-perception-bang-you-re-dead/