Among Us is a multiplayer online game where players work together on a spaceship to complete tasks while trying to identify imposters among the crew. The game is set in a sci-fi environment, and each player is randomly assigned the role of either a "crewmate" or an "imposter." Crewmates aim to complete tasks and keep the ship running, while imposters secretly sabotage the mission and eliminate crewmates without being caught. Crewmates must use communication and deduction to vote out suspected imposters, while imposters try to deceive the group and avoid detection.
To play in real life, the kids act as the crewmate or the imposter and complete tasks throughout the library, while still avoiding their demise by getting caught by the imposter.
Advanced Planning
Weeks in advance, you will determine what your tasks will be, how many players you will have (or limit it to), and order your necessary supplies (see Supply List on page six). You will map out where each task will be so it can be referenced for set-up and when players are looking for their tasks to complete.
You will also need to create your deck of Crewmate & Imposter cards, task assignment cards and task number cards (see Resources). At this time, you may also want to see how you can broadcast music from YouTube through your intercom system and program your sound button.
Marketing
The event was promoted on our social media, printed calendars and on our website. We started promoting a month in advance.
Budgeting
This can be relatively low cost if you structure your "tasks" around items you already have. Extras, if you have the budget, are headlamps if you plan to play in the dark and disguises (silly hats and accessories). We also used colored bandanas to differentiate players.
Day-of-event Activity
Prior to the participants' arrival, you will need to set up various tasks throughout the library and display the corresponding task number cards nearby, set up your intercom to play the Among Us music, and program your sound button (see Resources). All of this can take quite a bit of work to set up, so having volunteers or additional staff will be a huge help if you can round them up.
As players arrive, you will have them gather in a room that you are designating as the âMeeting Roomâ. This is where the participants will come to vote on the imposter and the âSafe Spaceâ where they can review the map, ask questions, and get assigned their tasks. Once everyone has arrived, have them seated so you can go over the rules (see Resources).
Once you have gone through them and answered any questions, you can distribute the disguises, name tags, and headlamps. Finally, holding the *shuffled* task and crewmate assignment decks upside down, have the participants draw one of each. It is IMPERATIVE that they keep these two cards secret! Gameplay is quiet.
Program Execution
Full program plan is available to download.
Each player will hold on to these two cards. Before heading out into the library, they can refer to the map you created earlier to help them locate their first task. They will line up, you will begin the Among Us soundtrack, and they can leave to locate and complete their task. When a task is completed, the participant will come to the âMeeting Roomâ to turn in their task card and get a new one (they are constantly recycled to keep the game going).
*Staff must be available throughout play to reset tasks as soon as they are complete so they can be recycled. We had 24 tasks and seven staff/volunteers. One staff member must remain in the âMeeting Room" and another should be available to handle the intercom system.
Task completion continues until someone calls a âMeetingâ by pressing the button and sounding the alarm. Calling a meeting usually occurs when a âdead bodyâ is discovered, or someone suspects they know who the imposter is. Everyone drops what they are doing and runs to the âMeeting Roomâ immediately!
*Make sure your button is near the intercom, so the person can also sound the alarm over the system so everyone can hear it!
In the âMeeting Room,â players hash out and vote on who they think the imposter is. This is also a good time to distribute drinks or snacks if you want to have those available. We provided each kid with a mini dry-erase board and marker. They will write who they think the impostor is, and a staff member will tally up the votes. If the person with the most votes IS the imposter, the game is over, and the crewmates have WON! If the person with the highest vote is NOT the imposter, the person is out of the game, but the game continues. If there is a tie, it is a wash and no one is kicked out of the game. Players can pass on voting, meaning they do not have to vote, though this is considered a SUS (suspicious) move!
Play continues for 30 minutes (the background music will help you with timing), with meetings being called whenever needed. If at the end of 30 minutes the imposter has not been caught, the imposter wins the game!
Advice
Tasks: Try them out! They shouldnât be too difficult. The player has to be able to complete it without being held up in any given spot for more than a couple of minutes, and it will need to be easily and quickly reset when completed (See Resources for a list of ideas). Assign a staff member or volunteer to a set number of tasks, have them work in that area to be available to help when needed, and quickly reset the tasks as necessary.
Timing of program: We held our program after hours due to the amount of set-up involved. This allowed us to use the entire library to spread the tasks out. Our program was two hours long, and we played three rounds. An after-hours participation waiver example is available in the Resources at the end of the document.
Map: Having a map of the library readily available to pin the task locations, blow up, and use in the âMeeting Roomâ will be very helpful! If a map is not available or it is too difficult to recreate the layout, be sure to at least have a key that gives an idea of where to find each task. Kids may not be familiar with the library, and you donât want them just wandering around looking for tasks (thatâs not fun).
Communication: The first time we played this, we realized quickly how much the staff and volunteers needed a way to communicate since we were spread all over the library. The second time, we used walkie-talkies, which was very helpful (see Resources)!
Headlamps: We played the game in the dark to make it interesting, but it is optional. The library does have emergency lights that do not turn off, so there was some light, but the kids loved hunting through the library with headlamps. The headlamps shared in the Resources section do have a âflashingâ mode, which we used to indicate if a player had been âkilled,â which was very helpful!
Age ranges: We tested this program with our Teen Advisory Board (7th - 12th grade) and they had a blast. It was a smaller group of 12, and they helped us to tweak a few things and suggested some changes; then, we ran it with 3rd - 6th 6th-graders a second time. Both age groups loved it and begged us to host it again. I wouldnât recommend lower grades than that due to the dark library and possible frustration with tasks. They will BEG you to let them play, though.
Number of players: We capped our registration to the number of tasks we had, which was 24. It was a good number of kids to handle for a program of this nature. If you have more than that, I recommend another session on a different day or right after.
Have fun! This is definitely one of my top 5 programs that we hold after hours. If you have any questions about hosting this at your library, please do not hesitate to contact me! Iâm happy to help; adeluna@whiting.lib.in.us
Supporting Materials
- Feedback (Coming Soon!)
- Programming Librarian Facebook Group
More Programs
Dramatic Comics Reading
Audiences:
Percy Jackson Party
Audiences:
