Class Geography War – 10 to 50 Players

What You Should Know Before You Play

The object of the game is for your students to be on the team that wins the most GeoPlunge cards. Luck, and the state rankings (from 1^st to 50^th) in size, statehood and population of the GeoPlunge cards your students play, determines how well they’ll do. The Alaska card has the best (i.e., 1^st) size ranking, Delaware has the best statehood ranking, and California has the best population ranking.

Divide the students into two teams with an equal number of players on both teams (if you have an extra student, let that student be the referee). Use the GeoPlunge cards only, and do not shuffle the deck after the game begins.

How to Play

¨         Have each team line up in a straight line, single file, and then deal each player on each team 1 GeoPlunge card.

¨         Then, the first player on each team (i.e., the first player in each line) walks to the front of the room and shows his or her GeoPlunge card. Whoever has the better GeoPlunge card (as defined below) between those two players gets to take the other player’s card. This same process continues, with the second players in each line being the next pair of two to go to the front of the room and show their cards, until each player on each team has had a turn. When everyone has had a turn, the game is over.

¨         Throughout the game, to determine who has played the better GeoPlunge card between two players, compare the best ranking for each of the two cards played. Whichever player played the card with the better best ranking wins the cards. For example, if one player plays Maryland, and the other player plays Colorado, the first player would win the cards because Maryland’s best ranking (7^th in statehood) is better than Colorado’s best ranking (8^th in size).

¨         If the best ranking of each of the cards played is a tie, a Geography War has occurred. In that case, whoever wins between the following player in each of the lines, gets to take not only his or her opponent’s card, but also both of the cards from the previous players who had a Geography War.

¨         Whichever team has the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. The number of cards a team has equals the number of cards each player on that team has.