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Oxbridge Dining Express
a social Poker Train Journey

The rules are simple and the Game might be played by anyone with basic
knowledge of Poker Combinations. It works well at Dinners, but develops
its full potential at Events, were your Guests can move free through
the room and are given a chance to socialize i.e. no allocated seats.
E.g. for smaller groups that meet multiple times throug the year:

- Guest choose one card at each Dinner/Event.
- If your card is guessed, you give it away.
- You may choose to guess the cards of others.
- You can only guess once with each other guest.
- You need 5 Cards to quilify for the Endgame.
- The 3 strongest Poker Hands win Oxbridge Awards.
- The winners are anownced once a year in June.

Please ask for permission if guessing someones card.
All Suits and Ranks are chosen by Your personal preference, E.g.
an Engineer responsible for international trade may choose to
play any Suit and many Ranks & can also change between Dinners.




General

At the beginning of each Oxbridge Express Dinner, Guest take a Ticket
a Card according to their personal choice. See Examples that worked well.
The Game can be plead in a variety of Modes or their Combinations:

Ice Breaker
All Get-to-Know Events e.g. Weddings, Company Merges,
Dating, Conferences, Neighbours, Company Merges etc.

History
Guest Play a Real Character from History

Mystery
Guest Play a Novel or Move Character

Combinations
e.g. Fiction, Literature, History, Mystery








Journey

During Table Times, Guest take Rounds introducing themselves
and/or Playing a Character, with the Porter following the
Plot, passing Station, taking Breaks etc. Example:

Appetizer
1. Round - Birthplace, Kindergarten, School
Oxbridge Express Station by Plot

Main Course
2. Round - Education and further Education
3. Round - First Job Visited Countries
Oxbridge Express Station by Plot

Desert
4. Round - Current Job / Hobby / Activities ...
5. Round - Additional Information, Citations, Plot Dialogue
Oxbridge Express Station by Plot

Port Round
6. Round - Oxbridge Detective and Sheriff Awards
7. Round - Theories, Suspects and Peoples Court


Between the rounds, breaks are allowed for people to move and socialize.

The aim of the Game is to collect the best possible Poker Hand.
You are only allowed to guess once with each other Guest.
If your Card was guest you give it away and reclaim it with the Porter.
During the last course of the Dinner, the hands are called and all guests with at
least 5 cards, submit a Hand of 5 Cards to the Porter, who determines the Winner.
All other cards remain with the Guests and are not disclosed.

If your Dinner is an Ice-Breaker Dinner with no Mysteries, it end here and the
Winner is Awarded “Oxbridge Express Detective" and/or a Price of your Choice.








Detectives

Dinners and Parties with Mysteries require an Oxbridge Detective and a Sheriff
The Person with the Best Hand becomes the “Oxbridge Express Detective“
and together with and appointed Sheriff has to resolve the crimes happened.
The Detective Presents his Theories and 3 Suspects for Ghost, Mafiosi and Agent.








Guards

Aim at finding the Ghost, Mafiosi or Agent and to inform the Host/Porter.
The most active Guard is promoted to “Oxbridge Express Sheriff" by Host/Porter.
The Sheriff Presents his 3 Theories and 3 Suspects for Ghost, Mafiosi and agent.








Voting

Detective and Sheriff taking Turns with 3 Theories and 3 Suspects and
each time Host/Porter/Judge and all Guest voting "Jailing" or "Freeing"

If a Suspect is jailed, he reveals his card ...
If a Suspect is freed, he does not reveal his card!
All Guest may always reclaim their Card/Ticket from the Porter.
Cards are not revealed at the end and remain with your Guest.








Underworld

The value of a great Mystery Dinner lies in his Plot and the
organizing team and its impossible to cover this subject in short.
However, here is one concept that has no secretes and works well:
Anyone from your Guest may choose to play any Card, inclusive Ghost,
Mafiosi, Agent, Guard, and hence, the Porter is Not in Control!

Ghosts
Move Chairs or switch Objects on the Desk and in the Room and if not
stopped, "kills" anyone of the Passengers, by removing his/her knife.

Mafiosi
Aim at finding and "killing" the Ghost by removing his/her knife.

Agents
Aim at finding and "killing" the Mafiosi by removing his/her knife.

All three, do not reveal their cards if asked and as all other
Guest, also collect Cards and may also become Detectives, in which
case the try to jail the other two and someone else in their place
Depending on your Group, you might need Back-Ups for those positions.








Options

The Rules are very Flexible and can be adopted to your Venue.

If your Event is at your Home or Office you might choose to use
the Rooms and Objects to hide Clues, Evidence, Riddles and Hints.
We encourage All Host to publish their Pots in the City of Oxopoly

Oxbridge Jokers: Collect and tell Oxbridge Jocks.
The Email: jokers@oxbridge.express trades, two Oxbridge
Jocks for One. i.e. you receive 20 if you send us 10 ...

Teams: For Team Building Events you may Choose redefine
4 Suits and/or 3 Combination Rooms to Mirror your Guest.
e.g. Schools, Colleges, Dorms, City Quarters, Company Divisions

Cards: Counting Cards during the Game, helps with the Plot.

Dialogue: You may Decide to use a Plot and Dialogue of Arthur Conan Doyl
Agatha Christie, Your favourite Crime Writer, TV ... or write your own Plot and
Dialogue with Hints and Clues e.g. read by an obvious Member of one of the
4 Suit Clubs and/or one of the 3 Combination Rooms and/or Organizing Team.

Block: If the Balcony or Bathroom is private and only used by your
Guests, a Block with Questions, Hints, Riddles helps the Plot develop.









Oxbridge Express Cards

We are using gold plated cards with an Oxbridge stamp on the back:



Oxbridge Express Cards, old version  ⇒ Cards