A recent curiosity I've come across is the lost board game Group Therapy. It's a board "game" where players take turns pulling cards and completing the challenges written on them. However, the twist is that these challenges are inspired by '60s hippie Gestalt therapy (or just therapy, in the author's time), starting off out-there and only getting further from the earth. The manual expresses it best:
"Is it really a game?"
Yes.
But Group Therapy is for people who want to do more than just play games. For people who want to open up. Get in tough. Let go. Feel Free.
Therapist Cards start it happening.
- Like: Hold each member of the Group in a way which shows how you feel about him.
- Like: Pick a way in which you are phony and exaggerate it.
- Like: You are advertising yourself as a lover. What does the ad say?
Were you "With It"? Or did you "Cop Out"? Everyone judges. Everyone is judged. And judgments tell you where you're at... on the board.
Play Group Therapy. And you can stop playing games.
After each player completes their challenge, a vote is held amongst the rest to decide if the player performed their task in a way that was With It, or if they instead Copped Out, and only those who win a simple majority get to proceed to more challenging stages of the game. Indeed, the only way out is through.
As you can see, this game is a recipe for drama and perfect for anyone wanting to find out who their real friends are. Unfortunately, the game didn't sell very well, so there are very few surviving copies. Luckily, an enthusiast known online as KamSandwich has very generously taken the time to take scans of his copy and post them online, where I then took the opportunity to practice my Typst skills by recreating its materials, word-for-word, in digital form. One day, I'll find a good print shop, and Group Therapy will rise once again to terrorize social circles... But for now, I'll share it online.
Here is my digital replica of Group Therapy: