We hear you! We’re all a little saturated at this point. First off, you can play Eyeball to Eyeball entirely without electronics or internet access. We know the digital divide is a real thing, so every teaching package comes with a detailed timeline of the game and pre-written injects that let you do everything in an analog fashion. However, that puts a lot of administrative burden on you, the Game Master, during a time when you’d probably rather be observing your students (if you’re a teacher) or watching your friends squirm (if you’re running a gaming group.) To alleviate that burden, we offer Experiential Simulation (ExpSim), a bespoke online platform from Mustard Square in support of the game. ExpSim: • Provides an automated 66-minute timeline that requires multiple-choice style decisions from key leaders (usually Kennedy & Khrushchev) at specific moments. • Includes options that allow GMs to provide additional challenges (called “injects”) to increase the complexity of the environment. • Structures formal communications between contingents, limiting communication options to those that were historically viable (e.g., Kennedy and Khrushchev cannot message each other directly.) • Runs a Communications section that simulates national intelligence reporting, and a Newsfeed serves as the “global stage”. • Is fully pausable, in case you just need to put on the brakes for a moment! Each player runs ExpSim configured for their specific role on their own digital device. ExpSim runs on anything that can run a web browser: phone, tablet, laptop, etc. ExpSim works out of the box; there is no custom configuration or login creation required. If you back one of our classroom packages during our BackerKit, you get 5 years of access to ExpSim as part of your package. Considering that an individual ExpSim session normally costs $40 per game session, we think this is a pretty good deal! But again, you can absolutely choose to run the game without it. So what about Discord? Our custom Discord server allows for real-time discussions within contingents in place of having them in the same physical room. It allows you to run a fully online version of the game if you can’t be face-to-face. Discord facilitates live audio chat within each contingent and provides a space for informal, backroom or secret meetings. It also allows you as instructor to move quickly between contingents to monitor the action and provide feedback. Bottom line: We have carefully structured the supporting mechanisms of this game to support fully analog, partially automated, or fully remote play.

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