Boss Game
Secretly role-play a workplace archetype. Let the room guess.
Play Boss Game →Boss Game is what happens when Werewolf and improv comedy have a baby in a corporate open-plan office. Each player is secretly assigned a boss archetype — Toxic Boss, Corporate-Speak Boss, Absent Boss, Passive-Aggressive Boss, and more — and given a workplace scenario to respond to. They type their response in-character. Then the other players vote on which archetype they think each response came from.
It works because everyone has met these bosses. The recognition is what sells it.
How to play
The game shows every player a scenario at the same time — for example: "It's Friday at 4:47pm. Your team just finished a difficult launch. Respond in Slack." Each player is privately shown their assigned boss archetype and has 90 seconds to type a response in that character.
When time runs out, all responses are shown together, anonymised. Players vote on which archetype wrote each response. Points go to writers whose archetype gets correctly identified — and to voters who guess right.
The archetypes
- Toxic Boss — the response is technically about the launch but is really about how you failed them personally.
- Corporate-Speak Boss — synergies, alignment, learnings. No verbs. No content.
- Absent Boss — a delayed, one-line response that suggests they haven't actually read anything.
- Passive-Aggressive Boss — "no worries at all!" is doing a lot of work.
- Micromanager Boss — three follow-up questions, all about formatting.
- Cool Boss — over-familiar, tries to convince you they're one of the team, subtly makes it about themselves.
Why it lands at work events
The game gives people permission to be cutting about workplace dynamics without pointing at anyone in particular. That's a rare thing at an office social. Nobody is being roasted; everyone is roasting a shared cultural memory.
It also draws out contributions from quieter players. Writing a Passive-Aggressive Boss response in a chat box is much easier than being funny out loud in front of your leadership team.
Hosting tips
Read the room before choosing scenarios. Reserve the sharper ones (layoffs, missed bonuses) for groups you know can handle it. Default scenarios like Slack messages, all-hands questions, and 1:1 responses are broadly safe.
If your group is small (4–5 people), narrow the archetype pool to 3–4 so guesses aren't random.
Frequently asked questions
Is it too edgy for work?
It depends on the scenarios you pick. The default set is designed to be work-appropriate; you can skip any you're unsure about.
Does it work over video?
Yes — arguably better than in person, because responses are typed and read aloud only if the writer wants them read aloud.
How long does a round take?
About 5 minutes per scenario for a group of six. Most sessions run 3–4 scenarios.
Ready to play?
Boss Game on JossUp is free, needs no download, and no account. Just share a room code.
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