TABLETOP GAMES
The Collaboration Collection
Four Games for Every Kind of Team · 2024 Edition
2–10,000 PLAYERS · AGES: STARTUP TO ENTERPRISE · GAME NIGHT APPROVED
EMPIRE
The Total Territory Control Game
Strategy M365 Expansion Required 280M+ Sold
2–300
Players
12+
Ages
30hr
Max Session
★★★★
Complexity
1What's In The Box
1 Persistent Chat Board (channels, threads, searchable history) · 1 HD Video Arena (up to 300 players, Together Mode, breakout rooms, live captions in 30+ languages) · 1 Microsoft 365 Expansion Pack (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint tiles) · 1 Telephony Module (Teams Phone, $10/user/mo add-on) · 700+ Third-Party App Tiles (Trello, Asana, Jira, Salesforce, Zendesk) · 1 Power Automate Engine (workflow automation) · 1 Compliance Shield (HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP, SOC 2) · 1 Copilot AI Token (meeting summaries, early preview in 2024)
2Setup
Requires Microsoft 365 ecosystem for full play. Install desktop client or use browser. Essentials: $4/user/mo (meetings + 10GB storage). Business Basic: $6/user/mo (+ web Office apps, 1TB storage). Business Standard: $12.50/user/mo (+ desktop Office). Business Premium: $22/user/mo (+ advanced security). Setup time: moderate — expect 1–3 weeks for enterprise deployment with IT administrator configuration.
3Objective
Control all communication territory — meetings, chat, files, calls, and tasks — within a single unified board. Victory is achieved when every team workflow runs through EMPIRE without requiring external tools. The game rewards players who invest heavily in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem; it penalises those who attempt to play without the expansion pack.
4Key Rules
Rule 1: Meetings support up to 300 players per session (1,000+ with Premium license add-on) for up to 30 hours. Rule 2: Persistent chat channels remain accessible before, during, and after meetings — all messages are permanently searchable. Rule 3: Files shared in channels auto-save to SharePoint; co-editing is real-time. Rule 4: Together Mode, breakout rooms, reactions, polls, and whiteboard are available in all sessions. Rule 5: Meeting recordings with transcription auto-save to OneDrive.
5Watch Out! (Hazard Cards)
⚠ Resource Drain: EMPIRE is a heavy game — notorious for consuming CPU and RAM on older hardware. Expect lag on underpowered machines. ⚠ Complexity Tax: Setup and configuration require IT expertise; the learning curve is steeper than lighter games. ⚠ Ecosystem Lock: Full enjoyment requires the M365 expansion pack — playing without it feels incomplete. ⚠ Video Quality: While solid, HD video performance occasionally trails the dedicated video game FLASH in head-to-head comparison. ⚠ Messaging Feel: Chat, while functional, feels less fluid than dedicated messaging game NETWORK.
🎯 Winning Strategy
EMPIRE dominates when your entire group is already invested in Microsoft 365. The more Office apps your team uses daily, the more powerful this game becomes — Outlook integration for scheduling, SharePoint for files, Power Automate for workflows. In regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government), the Compliance Shield makes EMPIRE the only approved game. Don't try to play EMPIRE as a standalone — it's designed as a total ecosystem game.
Game Night Quarterly · Review
★★★★☆
The most comprehensive game in the 2024 collection — if you're willing to commit to the full box. EMPIRE does everything: meetings, chat, calls, files, tasks, and workflows in one package. The $4/mo entry is the lowest in the collection. The Compliance Shield is unmatched. But the weight, complexity, and ecosystem dependency mean this isn't the game for casual game nights. For enterprise-scale play, nothing else comes close.
FLASH
The Instant Video Card Game
Party Game Cross-Platform 300M Daily Players
2–1,000
Players
8+
Ages
40m free
Session Limit
★★☆☆
Complexity
1What's In The Box
1 HD Video Engine Card (adaptive bitrate, works on low bandwidth — the sharpest video in the collection) · 1 Breakout Room Deck (sub-sessions for group work) · 1 Virtual Background Pack (immersive scenes, blur, custom images) · 1 Webinar Stage (large-scale events up to 10,000 view-only) · 1 AI Companion Token (meeting summaries, action items — free on all paid tiers in 2024) · 1,000+ App Marketplace Tiles (Slack, Salesforce, Google Workspace, Miro, Figma) · 1 Zoom Phone Module · 1 Clips Reel (async short-video sharing)
2Setup
Download desktop or mobile app (required — unlike browser-native CLICK). Free: $0 (100 players, 40-min group limit). Pro: $13.32/user/mo (30hr meetings, cloud recording, AI Companion). Business: $18.32/user/mo (300 players, SSO, managed domains). Enterprise: custom (1,000 players). Setup time: minutes — the fastest unboxing in the collection. Even first-time players can join a game instantly.
3Objective
Deliver the highest-quality video meetings with the least friction. FLASH wins when every participant — internal or external — can join, communicate, and collaborate without confusion. It is a specialist game: it does one thing better than anything else in the collection. Victory is speed, clarity, and universal accessibility.
4Key Rules
Rule 1: Free play lasts 40 minutes for groups (the shortest free session in the collection — EMPIRE and CLICK both offer 60). Rule 2: AI Companion is included on all paid tiers at no extra cost — generates summaries, identifies action items, drafts messages. Rule 3: Video quality dynamically adapts to network conditions — the most resilient video engine available. Rule 4: Zoom holds 55.91% global videoconferencing market share in 2024 — making it the most universally recognised game. Rule 5: Healthcare sector dominant: 49% of providers use FLASH for telehealth.
5Watch Out! (Hazard Cards)
⚠ No Persistent Chat: Zoom Chat exists but is not a real messaging solution. Most FLASH players also need NETWORK (Slack) or EMPIRE (Teams) for day-to-day communication. ⚠ Free Tier Cap: 40-minute group limit is the strictest free session in the collection. ⚠ Higher Entry Price: $13.32/mo Pro is more than triple EMPIRE's $4/mo Essentials entry. ⚠ Integration Depth: 1,000+ apps connect, but many integrations are surface-level — you still jump between tools. ⚠ Legacy Security Perception: 2020 "Zoombombing" era is resolved but lingers reputationally.
🎯 Winning Strategy
Play FLASH when video quality and universal access are the priority — client meetings, webinars, external stakeholders, and cross-organisation sessions where everyone must join without friction. The AI Companion (free on paid plans) gives FLASH a cost advantage over EMPIRE's paid Copilot add-on. Pair with NETWORK (Slack) for persistent messaging to cover the chat gap. FLASH is not a complete collaboration system — it's the best single-purpose game in the collection.
Game Night Quarterly · Review
★★★★☆
The fastest, most intuitive game in the 2024 collection. FLASH's video engine remains unmatched for quality and resilience. The AI Companion inclusion at no extra cost is a standout. The 55.91% global market share proves it: when people think "video meeting," they think FLASH. The messaging gap means you'll need a second game for daily communication, and the $13.32/mo entry is steep for budget teams. But for pure video excellence and cross-platform reach, FLASH is still the game to beat.
NETWORK
The Connection-Building Strategy Game
Engine Builder 2,600+ Expansions Salesforce Family
3–50
Players
10+
Ages
∞
Session
★★★☆
Complexity
1What's In The Box
1 Channel Board (the most refined messaging surface in the collection — threaded, searchable, persistent) · 2,600+ Expansion Pack Slots (GitHub, Jira, Asana, Figma, Notion, Linear, Datadog, PagerDuty — the largest integration catalogue in any game) · 1 Huddles Module (lightweight audio/video, up to ~50 players) · 1 Slack Connect Bridge (cross-organisation channels) · 1 Workflow Builder Engine (no-code automation) · 1 Canvas Notepad (rich docs pinned to channels, early 2024) · 1 Emoji Culture Kit (custom statuses, reactions, channel personality)
2Setup
Desktop, mobile, and browser client. Free: $0 (90-day message history, 10 integration slots — a significant restriction). Pro: $7.25/user/mo (full history, unlimited integrations). Business+: $12.50/user/mo (SAML SSO, compliance exports). Enterprise Grid: custom. 3-player minimum on paid tiers. Acquired by Salesforce in 2021 — deep CRM integration. Setup time: fast for small teams, weeks for Enterprise Grid deployment.
3Objective
Build the most connected workflow engine possible. NETWORK wins not by containing everything itself, but by becoming the nervous system through which all other tools communicate. Every integration slot filled is a connection made; every workflow automated is a round won. Victory is measured in context-switching eliminated and information flow accelerated.
4Key Rules
Rule 1: Channels are the core mechanic — create channels for projects, teams, topics, or social groups. Rule 2: Threaded conversations keep discussions organised without cluttering the main channel view. Rule 3: Slack Connect allows cross-organisation play — invite external partners into shared channels without guest-account chaos. Rule 4: Workflow Builder enables no-code automation: trigger actions, collect information, route approvals. Rule 5: 87% of players report improved collaboration — the highest satisfaction rate in the collection.
5Watch Out! (Hazard Cards)
⚠ Video Limitation: Huddles cap at ~50 players with basic video. No webinar capability. Requires FLASH (Zoom) or CLICK (Meet) for serious video gameplay. ⚠ Free Tier Restriction: 90-day message history and 10 integrations make the free version severely limited for long-term play. ⚠ Per-User Scaling: At $7.25–$12.50/user/mo, costs compound for large organisations — especially when adding a separate video game. ⚠ Channel Overload: Large organisations can accumulate hundreds of channels, creating noise that requires active governance.
🎯 Winning Strategy
Play NETWORK when your team's toolchain is diverse and messaging is the primary gameplay. Engineering teams (GitHub + Jira + CI/CD), creative agencies (Figma + Notion + Miro), and cross-organisation collaborators (Slack Connect) extract the most value. Always pair with FLASH for video needs. The Salesforce connection makes NETWORK essential for sales-driven organisations. If your team lives in fewer than 10 tools, EMPIRE may offer better all-in-one value.
Game Night Quarterly · Review
★★★★☆
No game in the 2024 collection matches NETWORK for messaging depth and integration density. The 2,600+ expansion pack ecosystem is extraordinary — it turns Slack into the connective tissue of any workflow. Canvas (2024) and Workflow Builder add substance beyond pure messaging. The video limitation is the game's single biggest gap: you will need a second box. But for developer-centric, multi-tool, culture-forward teams, NETWORK is the game that makes every other tool in your stack better.
CLICK
The Zero-Setup Party Game
Party Game Browser Native Google Workspace
2–100
Players
6+
Ages
60m free
Session Limit
★☆☆☆
Complexity
1What's In The Box
1 Browser-Native Board (zero download required — the only game that plays directly from your browser) · 1 One-Click Join Card (launch from Gmail or Google Calendar with a single click) · 1 Google Docs Co-Editing Module (real-time document collaboration during sessions — unique to CLICK) · 1 Security Kit (participant controls, access management, encryption) · 1 Noise Cancellation Filter · 1 Recording Pack (cloud recording to Google Drive, paid tiers) · 1 1080p Video Card (available from February 2024)
2Setup
Open browser. Click link. You're playing. No download. No install. No account required for guests. Free: $0 (100 players, 60-minute sessions — the most generous free video tier). Business Starter: $6/user/mo (30GB storage, custom email). Business Standard: $12/user/mo (150 players, recording, 2TB). Business Plus: $18/user/mo (500 players, 5TB). Setup time: literally zero. The fastest game in the collection to start playing.
3Objective
Start a meeting with zero friction, zero complexity, and zero cost. CLICK wins through pure simplicity — it removes every barrier between "I need a meeting" and "we're meeting." The Google Docs co-editing mechanic is CLICK's secret weapon: no other game lets players collaboratively edit documents in real-time during a live session as natively.
4Key Rules
Rule 1: Free tier offers 60-minute sessions with 100 players — the longest free video session available (FLASH only offers 40 minutes). Rule 2: Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides can be co-edited live during any meeting — changes appear in real-time for all players. Rule 3: Google Meet holds 5.52% global video market share in 2024 — smaller than FLASH but dominant in education and emerging markets (India, Brazil). Rule 4: 1080p video available from February 2024. Rule 5: No app download ever required — fully browser-based.
5Watch Out! (Hazard Cards)
⚠ Feature Ceiling: Fewer advanced meeting controls than EMPIRE or FLASH — limited breakout rooms, fewer host tools, no webinar mode on standard plans. ⚠ Participant Cap: 100 players on free and entry-level plans — EMPIRE offers 300, FLASH offers 1,000. ⚠ Integration Scope: Narrower app ecosystem than FLASH (1,000+) or NETWORK (2,600+). ⚠ Google Chat: The messaging companion (Google Chat) is less refined than NETWORK or EMPIRE's persistent chat. ⚠ Ecosystem Dependence: Full value only unlocked within Google Workspace.
🎯 Winning Strategy
Play CLICK when your team lives in Google Workspace and wants meetings that start instantly with zero ceremony. The 60-minute free tier makes it the best no-cost option for small teams and educators. The Google Docs co-editing mechanic is a unique advantage: if your meetings involve collaborative writing, editing, or data work, no other game replicates this natively. Don't expect enterprise-grade controls or webinar capability — CLICK trades depth for speed and simplicity.
Game Night Quarterly · Review
★★★½☆
The lightest, fastest, most frictionless game in the 2024 collection. CLICK asks nothing of you — no download, no complex setup, no steep learning curve. The 60-minute free tier is genuinely generous, and the Google Docs in-meeting collaboration is a mechanic no competitor has matched. The trade-off is scope: fewer features, smaller player caps, narrower integrations. For Google Workspace teams seeking meetings that just work, CLICK is the perfect pick-up-and-play game. For anything more complex, reach for a heavier box.
🎲 Player's Quick Reference Card
EMPIRE
FLASH
NETWORK
CLICK
Game Type
Territory control
Speed card game
Engine builder
Party game
Entry Price
$4/user/mo
$13.32/u/mo
$7.25/u/mo
$6/user/mo
Free Session
60 min · 100
40 min · 100
90-day hist.
60 min · 100
Max Players
300 (1,000+)
1,000
~50 video
100–500
AI Included
Preview 2024
Free (all paid)
Not yet
Higher tiers
Best Move
M365 all-in-one
Video + webinars
Messaging + apps
Simple meetings
Ecosystem
Microsoft 365
Agnostic
2,600+ apps
Google WS
"The best game night isn't about finding one game that does everything — it's about choosing the right game for the right moment. EMPIRE for the long campaign, FLASH for the quick battle, NETWORK for the meta-strategy, and CLICK for the spontaneous round. The wisest players own more than one box."
— Game Night Quarterly, Holiday 2024
All product names are trademarks of their respective owners · Star ratings are editorial game assessments as of 2024
For informational purposes only · Not professional procurement advice · No actual board games were manufactured
The Collaboration Collection · 2024 Edition · Published by the Guild of Tabletop Infrastructure
🎲 Game Night Approved 🎲