Bad Science

Participants: 12 players

Organized by

Peaky Games

By

Mythic Consequences (2019), Naish Holiday Village, Christchurch, Dorset, United Kingdom

Petter Olsen

Description

The medical research is the pride of Lacrosse University, and it has yielded a lot of original research and many high-ranking scientific publications. Ground-breaking experiments and discoveries have been made which has led to a number of medicines and patents, all headed by the brilliant, charismatic, and very productive Professor Hawkins. Up until now, the medical research at Lacrosse University has been split between two departments. In the Department of Pharmacology experimental components, ingredients, and drugs have been developed and their chemical and physical properties have been studied, mainly in the university laboratories. In the Department of Clinical Research, the effects of drugs have been tested on animals and people in large and expensive intervention studies to document the effects over time, and to ensure that the drug is safe, and that any side-effects are known and acceptable.

A few months ago, Professor Hawkins was diagnosed with a particularly virulent form of cancer, and sadly, he died only a week ago. This came as a blow to the university, and to the many scientists that he led and inspired. Also, it has been a while since the last ground-breaking discoveries were made, so external funding has been dwindling a bit lately. To save money and reduce administrative overhead, the university has decided to merge the two departments.

The game is set at the first inter-departmental meeting after Professor Hawkins died, at a retreat some miles away from the university grounds. Staff members from both departments are present, in addition to a representative from the HR department and also the CEO of a pharmaceutical company that has been closely connected to the university through many research and development projects.

This is a roleplaying game designed to highlight many of the potential darker aspects of the academic world, and of work life in general. It includes many examples of the types of ethical misconduct and fraud that can happen in academia, and also in work life in general. The game is also meant to be darkly humorous and fun to play.


5-6 page character sheet with general background, cast list (and organization chart!), character description, and goals.

No costuming requirements, although some of these people might be most comfortable in a lab coat.

Played at