The official guide to SIMSOC, the dynamic group simulation game whose “potential for stimulating the learning process is staggering” (Teaching Sociology), in which players grapple with the challenge of governing society.
In SIMSOC, players confront issues like abuse of power, justice, diversity, trust, and leadership as they negotiate their way through labor-management strife, political turmoil, and natural disasters. Success or failure is dependent upon decisions made by players and the creativity of the group—and every game is a teaching tool.
To be successful, players must utilize every basic social process from cooperation and reward to threat and punishment. SIMSOC will make participants ask questions about social control, and bring everyday experience and deeper understanding to even the most arcane social and organizational theory.
Included in this Fifth Edition of SIMSOC's Participant's Manual are instructions for playing, materials for play, study questions based on participation, and selected readings about simulation games, leadership, and social processes. New to the Fifth Edition are additional size levels to accommodate groups of up to ninety participants with simplified rules and readings by authors from Nicholas Lemann to Robert Putnam.
Table of Contents:
Contents
PREFACE
IN ORDER TO PLAY SIMSOC
1 RULES
INTRODUCTION
Coordinator's Role
Nature of the Rules
Summary of the Rules
General Constraints
PERSONAL LIFE
Simbucks
Region
Travel
Subsistence
Munchies
Enterprises
BASIC GROUPS
BASIN
RETSIN
POP
SOP
EMPIN
HUMSERVE
MASMED
JUDCO
The Group Head
Mergers
COLLECTIVE LIFE
National Indicators
Public Programs
Changes in the National Indicators
Consequences of Changes in the National Indicators
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Absenteeism
Unemployment
Death
Minority Croup Members (Optional)
Individual Coals
Simforce
Simriot
Government
Special Events (Optional)
SUMMARY
Self-Test on SIMSOC Rules
Some Common Questions about Playing SIMSOC
STUDY QUESTIONS (Optional)
Assignment One
Assignment Two
Assignment Three
2 SELECTED READINGS
3 FORMS
