ESL Role-Play - Dinner Party Duplicity

This fun ESL role-play is designed for 12 students, if you have more people, you can divide the class in two.

Level: Upper-intermediate and advanced.

Instructions: Down below you have 6 thief cards and 6 police cards. Cut them up and divide them amongst the students. Tell your class this is a mingling activity. They must walk around the room as if they were at a party and make small talk with the other guests collecting information as they go.

The aim of the Dinner Party Duplicity game is for the police to find their respective thieves. When they have finished, ask them who they are and which crook they are after.

You are an identity thief from Denmark. You were dating a woman in America for 4 months in order to get your hands on her sensitive information, like her bank accounts, maiden name and date of birth. When you got the data you took out credit cards in her name and left the country to spend the money ($50,000). Don’t let anyone know what you did. Talk about your hobbies instead – you like travel, computers and reading thrillers.

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You are a French thief and your speciality is online scams. You make websites that look exactly like some reputable banks’, but when people log in with their confidential pin numbers they are logging into your computer instead. You have stolen £170,000 already. Don’t mention this to anyone, talk about your hobbies instead: designer clothes and the internet.

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You are a diamond smuggler. You recently smuggled diamonds from Sierra Leone to China. Selling the jewels has made you a cool half a million dollars. You don’t trust the other guests at the party so don’t tell them about your business; instead talk about your interests: flying aeroplanes and sailing.

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You are a bank robber. Last week you dressed up as a maintenance worker and robbed €300,000 from a bank in Switzerland. Don’t let anyone know you were in Switzerland though. Tell them you were in Germany visiting the Berlin wall and some art galleries. You love art and plan to buy some with your new wealth. Try to find some art dealers at the party.

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You are a house burglar. Last week you were in Canada and you stole $250,000 worth of jewellery and cash. Make sure nobody suspects your true identity. Mingle with the guests and tell them about your hobbies: learning French, baking cakes and playing the violin.

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You are a burglar. Last week you attended a party in Japan and while the owners weren’t looking, you stole a very old and valuable sword. You sold it for $250,000. Don’t tell anyone you were in Japan. Talk about your interests instead: making model aeroplanes and Asian cooking.

You are here to find the thief who stole your sister’s identity. He dated her for 4 months and told her he loved her, but he was really just getting close to her to steal her personal information. She is in debt by $50,000 and is going to lose her house. You never met the identity thief, but you think he is from a country in Europe, maybe Germany or Denmark and you know he likes computers. You suspect he is wearing a disguise because you do not recognise him from your sister's description. Do not let him know you are looking for him.

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You are a police officer from Interpol. You are searching for an online scammer who has been setting up fake websites. Bank customers log in thinking the website is genuine and then reveal their passwords to the thief. The perpetrator has stolen £170,000 so far. You are not sure of his/her identity, but you found a French designer label at the crime scene. Look for someone with expensive clothes, but do not reveal why you are there.

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You are a private detective looking for a diamond smuggler. The person you are after is a professional smuggler and has recently made $500,000 in illegal sales. You don’t know what he/she looks like, but there is one clue about the person’s identity – she/he left a keychain of an aeroplane at the office. Talk to people to find out their interests, but if you suspect someone, don’t say anything until the end of the game.

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You are a Swiss undercover police officer. You are here to find a bank robber who got away with €300,000. You believe he/she dressed up as a maintenance worker and that’s how he/she got access to the money. You found a ticket stub for an art gallery at the crime scene. You don’t know if this was an accident or on purpose. Try to find someone who was in Switzerland last week and who has a connection with art. If you find the person, do not let him/her know yet.

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You are a police officer from Canada. You are searching for a thief who has been robbing houses when the families are not there. The crook has stolen $250,000 worth of jewellery and cash. You are not sure of his/her identity, but you found some flour on the floor of the crime scene. Chat to the guests and look for someone who has something to do with flour, but do not reveal why you are there.

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You are a Japanese cop and are looking for a burglar that stole a valuable sword last week. The sword is worth $250,000 and you suspect one of the guests is responsible. You found a small tube of superglue at the crime scene. Talk to everyone there and find out why one of them might need superglue. If you suspect someone, wait until the end of the game to reveal your suspicions.