--- title: "Pay-Off: UWT Scoring Version" description: "Four separate teams secretly select and simultaneously reveal a red or black card across eight rounds. Teams score points based on the combination revealed by all four groups, followed by a whole-room debrief." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/strategic-trust-building-game-reveals-group-dynamics-pay-off/" --- # Pay-Off: UWT Scoring Version Four separate teams secretly select and simultaneously reveal a red or black card across eight rounds. Teams score points based on the combination revealed by all four groups, followed by a whole-room debrief. **Time:** 35 minutes. UWT suggested duration: 5 minutes orientation, 20 minutes for eight rounds, 10 minutes debrief. **People:** 4 to 24. Four distinct teams seated separately, with 1 to 6 people per team. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Track how teams interpret ambiguous goals and adjust choices across repeated rounds without cross-group communication. **Use it when:** Use during cross-team collaboration workshops to examine assumptions about competition, collective outcomes, and unverified intent. **Skip it when:** Skip when participants hold active personal grievances or when physical or virtual breakout separation is impossible. ## Materials and tools - 4 sets of two decision cards (one Card R [Red] and one Card B [Black] per team, printed on paper or cardstock) - 4 copies of the Pay-Off Scoring Matrix and Worked Example handout (one per team) - 1 shared score sheet (whiteboard, flip chart, or projected sheet) displaying 8 rows and 4 team columns - Markers or dry-erase pens for recording scores - 1 countdown timer visible to the facilitator ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange four seating clusters in separate corners of the room out of easy earshot. 2. Place one Card R, one Card B, and one copy of the Scoring Matrix handout at each team station. 3. Draw or project the 8-row Pay-Off Score Sheet where all four teams can see it. 4. Confirm lines of sight so each team can display their card clearly to the facilitator. ## Say this to open Welcome. In this activity, your team will play eight rounds. Your objective is to win as many points as possible over the course of eight rounds. All teams start at zero points. Each round, your team will have one minute to talk privately and choose one card to reveal: Card R or Card B. No communicating between teams is permitted at any time during the rounds. Review the scoring matrix at your table to see how points are awarded or lost. ## How to run it ### 1. Explain rules and review matrix (5 minutes) Distribute teams into four separate areas. Read the opening script verbatim. Review the scoring matrix on the handout. Walk through the worked example: if Teams A and B show R, while Teams C and D show B, then Teams A and B gain 2 points each, and Teams C and D lose 2 points each. Emphasize that communication between teams is strictly prohibited during the game. Answer clarifying questions about how points are calculated. ### 2. Run rounds 1 through 4 (10 minutes) For each round, start a one-minute timer for teams to confer privately. At time, call: 'Cards up.' Each team holds up their chosen card simultaneously. Count the number of R cards shown across all four teams. Look up the resulting points on the matrix. Announce each team's score change and record both the change and running total on the central score sheet. Repeat this sequence for rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4. ### 3. Run rounds 5 through 8 (10 minutes) Continue the exact same sequence for rounds 5, 6, 7, and 8 without allowing cross-team talk. Maintain the one-minute deliberation per round. Record all choices, point adjustments, and cumulative scores on the master score sheet after each round. At the end of round 8, calculate and announce the final cumulative scores for each of the four teams. ### 4. Facilitate whole-room debrief (10 minutes) Bring all participants together to review the completed score sheet. Invite reflections using the debrief questions. Ensure comments focus on structural rules, assumptions, and group choices rather than labeling individual character or trustworthiness. Take 4 to 6 brief observations from around the room to fit the allotted time. ## Debrief questions - When you heard the objective to 'win as many points as possible,' did your team define success as beating other teams or maximizing your own total? - How did an unexpected card choice from another team alter your strategy in subsequent rounds? - What assumptions did your team make about why another group played R or B? **Finished output:** A completed eight-round score sheet displaying each team's card selections, round-by-round point adjustments, and final cumulative totals. ## Remote Create four separate breakout rooms for teams and a main room with a shared digital spreadsheet. For each round, send teams to breakouts for 60 seconds. Each team designates one representative to private-message their card choice (R or B) to the facilitator upon return to the main room. The facilitator reveals all four choices at once and updates the shared spreadsheet. ## Hybrid Form two in-person teams and two fully remote teams, or place remote members into dedicated remote breakouts so in-person audio does not dominate. Project the shared spreadsheet in the physical room and share screen online. Remote teams submit cards via facilitator chat while in-person teams raise physical cards simultaneously. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may contribute to team strategy or observe deliberations silently without pressure to hold or display cards. - Cards feature high-contrast bold printed letters ('R' and 'B') alongside color fills to accommodate color-blind participants. - Any participant may pass during debrief discussions without explanation. ## If the session gets stuck **Teams attempt to gesture, whisper, or signal to other teams across the room during private deliberations.** Remind the room immediately that all cross-team communication is prohibited. If deliberate signaling continues, pause the clock and reset the round choice for the offending team. **One team falls significantly behind into negative points and disengages from deliberate play.** Remind that team that their card choice directly controls how many points other teams can gain or lose, so their decisions retain full impact on the game. ## Terms used here - Pay-Off Matrix: A fixed table showing the specific points added or subtracted for each team based on the total count of red and black cards revealed across all four teams. ## Participant material: Decision Cards CARD R [ RED ] Letter R printed in large bold black ink on a solid red background. ------------------------------------------------------------ CARD B [ BLACK ] Letter B printed in large bold white ink on a solid black background. ## Participant material: Pay-Off Scoring Matrix and Worked Example OBJECTIVE: Win as many points as possible over 8 rounds. All teams start at 0 points. SCORING TABLE (Points per team based on total Card R revealed across all 4 teams): - 0 Red Cards shown (4 Black): Each Red team: N/A | Each Black team: +1 - 1 Red Card shown (3 Black): Each Red team: +3 | Each Black team: -1 - 2 Red Cards shown (2 Black): Each Red team: +2 | Each Black team: -2 - 3 Red Cards shown (1 Black): Each Red team: +1 | Each Black team: -3 - 4 Red Cards shown (0 Black): Each Red team: -1 | Each Black team: N/A WORKED EXAMPLE: Round 1 Reveal: - Team 1 shows Card R - Team 2 shows Card R - Team 3 shows Card B - Team 4 shows Card B Result: Total Red cards shown = 2. Looking at the row for '2 Red Cards shown': - Team 1 (Red) receives: +2 points - Team 2 (Red) receives: +2 points - Team 3 (Black) receives: -2 points - Team 4 (Black) receives: -2 points Running totals after Round 1: Team 1: 2 | Team 2: 2 | Team 3: -2 | Team 4: -2. ## Participant material: Master Score Sheet Template ROUND | TEAM 1 (Card / Round / Total) | TEAM 2 (Card / Round / Total) | TEAM 3 (Card / Round / Total) | TEAM 4 (Card / Round / Total) Start | - / 0 / 0 | - / 0 / 0 | - / 0 / 0 | - / 0 / 0 1 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 2 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 3 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 4 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 5 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 6 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 7 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ 8 | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ | _ / ___ / ___ Final | Total Points: | Total Points: | Total Points: | Total Points: ## Sources and adaptation Observed on Playmeo, where it is credited to Mark Collard. The underlying four-group simultaneous matrix mechanic is rooted in public social dilemma and Prisoner's Dilemma literature. The scoring matrix used here is an original UWT design. Retained the four-team format, simultaneous secret card reveals, strict prohibition of inter-team communication, eight-round structure, and one-minute team deliberations from the source descriptions. Because the original Playmeo formula card is locked behind a paywall, UWT supplied an original 4-player social dilemma matrix that guarantees consistent scoring across all 16 permutations. UWT added explicit card templates with dual color/text labels, worked scoring examples, a standard 8-row score sheet, and debrief guidelines that prevent personal moralizing. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/pay-off) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/pay-off/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/strategic-trust-building-game-reveals-group-dynamics-pay-off/