“The body can’t go where the mind hasn’t been.”

How prepared is your department and what strategies are in place to ensure operations continue when disaster strikes? The UMB Prepared Card Game is designed to transport you into the mindset of preparing for and responding to various disaster scenarios.

Players should have their department's Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan or Business Continuity Plan (BCP) while playing, although it’s not necessary. It’s best to play with a group of people and there is no player limit. To start, choose someone to be the Mayhem Maker and grab a few colleagues!

How does the UMB Prepared Card Game work?

The Mayhem Maker is asked to perform a few simple instructions to prepare for game play. Preparation requires distributing cards and rolling the dice to determine scenario conditions like the day of the week, time of day, and hazard scenario.

The Mayhem Maker asks the group, “How could the BCP be used to overcome disruptions caused by this scenario?” Allow everyone an opportunity to participate and ask questions. Everyone wins when the group provides three answers to the question, “How do (or could) we prepare should this scenario occur for real?”

What if my department doesn’t have a COOP plan?

No problem! As a UMB employee, you have unlimited access to the COOP E-tool, which is a user-friendly planning tool that helps departments create a COOP plan. This plan identifies alternate and secondary operating mechanisms to overcome the absence of a key person, place, or thing.

How can I request a game?

You may request one card game per unit by emailing emergencymanagement@umaryland.edu and a drop off time will be scheduled.