Tariff Trouble: A Group Card Game

A wacky and energetic trading game where players act as countries trying to collect resources—but every time they trade, the rules (or tariffs) change! It’s a hilarious, high-energy way to get players thinking about fairness, trade-offs, and adapting to change.

Author

Jonathan Wells
April 10, 2025

Gameplay

  • 10+ Players 👥

  • 8-12 Minutes ⏱️

What You’ll Need

  • Index cards or slips of paper labeled with different "Resources" (e.g., Oil, Corn, Steel, Chips, Gold—5+ resource types)

  • Envelopes or small bags for each team to hold their resources

  • A bell or buzzer (optional)

  • A whiteboard or large sheet to display current "Tariff Rules"

  • A timer or phone

  • Prizes (optional)

Setup

  • Create a large set of “Resource Cards” and randomly distribute them in even amounts to small teams or individuals.

  • Write 3–5 starting Tariff Rules on the board. Example:

    • “Corn trades must include 2 cards, not 1.”

    • “Steel must be taxed—give 1 to the ‘World Bank’ when traded.”

    • “No country may hold more than 3 Gold.”

  • Assign a facilitator as the “World Trade Organization (WTO)” who enforces or randomly changes tariffs every few minutes.

How to Play

  • Set the Goal: Teams must collect a full set—1 of each type of resource—to win. First team to complete the set wins.

  • Start Trading:

    • Each round is 3–5 minutes long. During this time, teams freely trade resources to complete their sets.

    • Trades must follow the active tariff rules posted on the board.

  • Change the Rules:

    • Every round, the WTO rings the bell and announces a tariff shift (change one or more rules).

    • Example: “New Rule! All trades must now go through a middleman!” or “Corn is banned!”

  • Enforce Rules: WTO can penalize teams that don’t follow tariffs (lose a random resource).

  • Celebrate a Win: When a team gets a full set, they shout “TRADE VICTORY!” and the round ends.

Say Something Like
“Welcome to Tariff Trouble, where international trade gets crazy! You’ll need to negotiate, adapt, and maybe even bribe your way to a complete set of resources. But watch out—every few minutes, the global trade rules will change! Will you survive the chaos and come out on top?”

Variations

  • Silent Sanctions: Only non-verbal trading allowed for one round.

  • Secret Objectives: Each team gets a hidden objective (e.g., collect extra Steel or hoard Corn).

  • Embargoed Players: Randomly pick a team to be “sanctioned”—they can’t trade for a round.

  • Mega Deals: Introduce a wild card like “Free Trade Agreement” that lets you ignore one tariff.

Teaching Points
This game sparks conversations about justice, fairness, and navigating life when the “rules” feel stacked against you—great tie-in to lessons about God’s unchanging nature in a changing world.

This game idea was created by our Dig the Games team. If you like the game, PLEASE SHARE!

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Keywords: tariffs, trading, negotiation, chaos, fairness, justice, economics, discipleship, party game,

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