1. Just a minute
PROVOKE your fellow leaders
PLAYERS 3+
CARDS Provocation cards only
How to play
Each player gets two Provocation cards (face-down).
On your turn, reveal a card and spend one minute arguing why this issue matters (to you, your team, etc).
The other players rate your argument. If they’re not sold, discard your card. If they like it, discard your card and take a new Provocation. When you’re out of cards, you’re out— but can still judge.
Continue until only one provocative player is left.
2. Thoughts and Feelings
PROVOKE your peers
PLAYERS 3+
CARDS Pattern cards only
How to play
This is a conversation-starter game—there’s no winner. Or‚ to look at it another way: you’re all winners!
Four Pattern cards are placed face-up in the middle.
Everyone decides silently: pick the pattern that’s most exciting‚ most scary‚ most urgent‚ and most disorienting to you.
Reveal and discuss. Does the discussion change your mind or confirm what you already thought?
Continue until the Patterns are done.
3. Everything’s connected
PROVOKE your dinner guests
PLAYERS 3+
CARDS Patterns and Provocations
How to play
First player picks one Provocation card and one Pattern card.
Now it’s time to get provocative. You have 90 seconds to tell a story about how the two cards connect.
The other players award points for the most plausible connections. And separately for the most brilliant BS.
Keep going until the cards run out. Most points wins.
4. Provocative quilting
Players 2–4
Provoke at scale
Cards Patterns and Provocations
How to play
Shuffle the 28 Pattern cards and deal each player a hand (we recommend 5 Patterns each). Keep your cards hidden but your hand sizes visible. Place any remaining Pattern cards to the side.
Keep the 14 Provocation cards in a deck, face down, also to the side. They don’t get dealt but they do power the game.
Patterns run vertically. Provocations run horizontally. They alternate, so Patterns only ever touch Provocations.
Reveal the top Provocation and place it in the middle to start the quilt.
From there, each turn has four parts:
1. Play a Pattern
Play a Pattern from your hand into an open slot touching a Provocation already on the quilt. The Pattern needs to relate to the Provocation/s it touches… or you need to be able to make a case that it does e.g. how does the leadership crisis link to AI scepticism? If you don’t think you have a valid play, you can pass.
2. Challenge a Pattern
If another player thinks a Pattern in their own hand fits that spot better, they can shout “Provoked!” and put their card forward (if multiple people challenge, the first to shout out prevails). Both players argue for their Patterns. The other players vote on whose Pattern wins (if it’s a tie, the original card wins).
+ If the challenger wins, their Pattern replaces the original. The original player discards their card and draws 1 new Pattern.
+ If the challenger loses, the original Pattern stands. The challenger discards their card and draws 2 new Patterns as a penalty.
3. Reduce your hand
Whoever’s Pattern ends up in the quilt (either the original player or the successful challenger) discards one card from their hand for every Provocation their Pattern touches.
4. Reveal a Provocation
If placing the Pattern opens up an empty slot that needs a Provocation, flip the top card of the Provocation deck and place it in that slot. Once the Provocation deck is finished, play using whatever slots remain.
The winner is the first person to play their last Pattern into the quilt (either on their turn or by challenging). You can’t win through hand-reduction alone. Happy quilting!
