The true story of Polyanivka
Simulation game manual
Dear facilitator,
we are very excited to share with you a simulation game that was made by a group of
participants during “Modern Historical Dispute” Youth Exchange at Marburg University,
Germany in November 2016.
This manual was written to help you organize and play your own game, based on the
scenario connected to the Second World War.
What does “simulation game” mean? It’s a role play that involves interest groups to solve/
discuss a certain political, historical, economical, etc. issue. This game addresses the issue
of public memory and modern discourses about the Second World War and draws attention
to the differences in points of view that still exist more than 70 years after the war.
Learning objectives
Simulation games apply active learning methods, which mean that participants of the game
learn through their personal experience. This game focuses on developing interaction and
communication skills, systemic competence and decision-making skills. At the same time it
is raising awareness of how different people with different backgrounds can discuss
conflicting memories of the Second World War.
Specified learning objectives:
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Learning about the issue of minority rights
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Learning about different narratives of the Second World War
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Cross-cultural dialogue
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Training argumentation, rhetoric skills, ability to compromise and work as a team
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Developing competences to deal with complexity and reflective learning
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Developing decision-making skills in a situation under pressure
Scenario
Issue focus. This game is focused on discussing conflicting narratives about the Second
World War.
The game is negotiation centered, which means that the process of negotiations and
finding a compromise plays a central role in the game.
The game employs a fictitious scenario, which means it is not based on a real factual
story. However, the positions of the parties were depicted as close to the reality as possible.
Nevertheless, it could not have been done without a certain simplification, which facilitators
should be aware of.
Actor groups. Eight actor groups with different interests take part in this game Some groups
have differentiated role profiles.
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The true story of Polyanivka
Organizational questions
Participants. Age: 18-30 y.o., Language: English, Number: 14-22 participants.
Location. You have to find a suitable location with a possibility to organize a round table for
all participants and additionally with a space for informal discussions during the game.
Materials. All the materials for the game are provided as digital copies and required to be
printed for the game by a facilitator.
Evaluation of results: At the end of the game (before the evaluation) a facilitator should
collect all of the nametags from participants, symbolically stating their relief from their roles.
Possible game evaluation methods are provided.
Accessories: some specific national or professional clothes features
Role of the Facilitator:
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try to be always outside of the game
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react on difficult situations to save group dynamics
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during the evaluation process emphasize the learning objectives of the game
Game structure
Schedule:
Introduction: 30 minutes
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Background information (by facilitator): general introduction about the issue, learning
objectives, overall context of the simulation; this section ends by showing a
prospective documentary trailer;
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presentation of scenario and actor groups;
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introduction of the contract template;
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clarification of open questions;
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distribution of the role-tags, distribution of role-profiles (every group consists of three
members, every member of a group receives a personal role-profile, which is written
on a page with the group profile information; Roma minority is not differentiated on
purpose) and a basic scenario hand-outs among participants;
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presentation of the game schedule;
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Clarifying the pronunciation of the town’s name.
Information and reading: 15 minutes
Participants read the basic scenario and their role profiles.
Group discussion: 20 minutes
Participants discuss their background information, determining their goals and build a group
negotiation strategy they will use in the game, according to their role profiles.
Round table I: 60 minutes
The round table is chaired by the representatives of the Dutch Production Company. Each
group will have a short time in the beginning to present their positions. Then the active
discussion starts, moderated by someone from the Production Company.
Informal discussion: 30 minutes
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The true story of Polyanivka
Participants adjust their strategies according to the outcomes of the first round table.
Participants can discuss in the groups as well as share their views with the representatives
of the other groups in an informal manner.
*Intervention
After the first round table facilitators have an opportunity to influence the flow of the game. In
the case that one group (Roma, Russians, Ukrainians or Jews) is being left behind in the
discussion, the representatives of the Dutch Production Company receive an important letter
where the financiers are asking to obligatory include this particular group into the movie.
Facilitators can but do not have to use this intervention if the game is going fine without it.
Round table II: 60 minutes
Second round table is chaired by the Dutch Production Company. The structure of the
discussion is the decision of the chairperson. As the result of this round table a contract
(template of the contract is provided) can be signed.
Evaluation: 45 minutes
Overall time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Seating arrangement
The recommended sitting arrangement for the round tables is as follows.
Dutch Production Company
German Film
Crew
Ukrainians
Russian Film
Crew
Russian Minority
Jewish
Community
Roma
Historians
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The true story of Polyanivka
Checklist
Location
Big room with space for a round table and additional free space for informal discussions is
booked for the game
Material
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Role profiles, basic scenario are printed
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Documentary trailer is downloaded and ready to play
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Name tags are printed
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Table tops with group names are standing around the round table
Equipment
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PC
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Projector
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Flip-chart/Blackboard
Welcome to the game!
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The true story of Polyanivka
Documentary film production contract for The True story of Polyanivka
This is a contract between ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The main plot of the movie is about ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The main character(s) of the movie will be ______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Additional information_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Local supporting groups ____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Director 1
Director 2
Producer
Name _________________ Name_________________ Name __________________
Company ______________ Company _______________ Company _______________
Signature ______________ Signature______________
Signature _______________
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The true story of Polyanivka
Bioscoop Production
Ooie weg 23
1107 Amsterdam
Confidential
Dear Mr. Kopernik and Mr. van Deick,
I would like to notify you that our financiers are very concerned with ongoing demonstrations
of _______________________________________________________________________
They do not want our movie to fall into the trap of stereotypes about
____________________. Therefore we would like to kindly ask you to include
_________________________________ in our documentary and make sure their story is
heard.
Wishing you a fruitful discussion!
See you back in Amsterdam,
Antje Vanderbrugge
Chair Person
Daan Akker Foundation
Zandweg 79
3092 Amsterdam
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The true story of Polyanivka
Game Evaluation
All participants participate in the evaluation. The instructor is responsible for the moderation.
Duration: 45 minutes
Important hint: For the evaluation all participants have left their former roles. The evaluation
is not part of the scenario but still an obligatory part of the whole simulation game.
Structure: The room is used as a scale (two dimensions). One end of the room stands for
the meaning of “I totally agree/Very good” the other end for “I don't agree at all/very bad”.
The space in-between symbolizes the different grades between “rather good-rather bad”.
The middle can be interpreted as “Indifferent”.
After explaining the scale, the instructor asks the following questions and the participants
have to place themselves in the room according to their opinion:
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How good do you think was the final contract for the role you played?
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How well do you think were the interests of all different groups considered?
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Did you wish to have more time to express your opinion during the discussion?
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Do you think it was easy to find a compromise?
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Do you think in real life, it would be possible to realize such an international movie
project about the history of the Second World War?
The instructor asks after every question who wants to explain why he/she has chosen
her/his position on the scale. Additionally, the instructor asks people who stay very calm or
people who stand, where nobody else stands.
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The true story of Polyanivka
Vakula Muzul
Ukrainian Community
Marfa Suslova
Russian Community
Nazar Ivanenko
Ukrainian Community
Viktor Potapov
Russian Community
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Marichka Kaidash
Ukrainian Community
Efim Buriakov
Russian Community
The true story of Polyanivka
Roman Brynna
Roma Community
Pavel Vundarchuk
Russian Film Crew (Director)
Ceija Rasow
Roma Community
Nikolai Khokholkov
Russian Film Crew
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Rudko Tudorow
Roma Community
Aksinya Golova
Russian Film Crew
The true story of Polyanivka
Christian
Blumenschein
German Film Crew (Director)
Jan Kopernik
Dutch Production Company
(Producer)
Martin Sieg
German Film Crew
Patrick van Deick
Dutch Production Company
(Creative Director)
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Friederike Baumann
German Film Crew
Stepania Grashevska
Historian (Professor)
The true story of Polyanivka
Lev Smirnoff
Historian (Student)
Yitzhak Goldstein
Jewish Community (Rabbi)
Sofia Zaydman
Jewish Community
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Natan Raskin
Jewish Community