leadership development through play

Stronger teams start with better leadership.

We run immersive, game-based workshops for leadership teams, founders, and people leaders. In under a day, you’ll solve real challenges together, build trust, and walk away with skills you’ll actually use back at work.

Designed for all kinds of leaders — different roles, personalities, and ways of thinking.

There will also probably be dragons involved.

Stronger leaders. Better teams.
Real results.

  • Tackle real challenges
    Step into high-pressure scenarios that mirror the real moments you face at work - only here, you can test new approaches without the fallout.

    • Break through decision bottlenecks and patch over trust gaps.

    • See how different leadership styles mesh (or clash) and work out the kinks in real time.

    Build stronger teams
    Feel united as one group, with clear ways of working together.

    • Resolve long-standing tensions through shared wins.

    • Create a common language for tackling tough conversations.

    Learn without the lecture
    Skip the PowerPoints and long theoretical lectures.

    • Candid input from everyone, not just the loudest voices.

    • Sessions that feel more like a challenge than a training.

  • Tackle real challenges
    Experience the pressure and complexity of leadership before the stakes are high.

    • Build decision-making confidence early.

    • Learn to navigate different personalities and leadership styles.

    Build stronger teams
    Discover how to lead without a formal title.

    • Step into leadership roles in the game and see how it feels.

    • Practice collaborating across different ways of thinking.

    Learn without the lecture
    Active, hands-on learning that sticks.

    • Get to test leadership without being “on display” in front of the whole room.

  • Tackle real challenges
    Games designed to stretch your adaptability, confidence, and decision-making.

    • Test your entrepreneurial mindset without risking your actual business.

    • Build resilience for those “well, that escalated quickly” moments.

    Build stronger teams
    Turn your small team into a united, high-functioning force.

    • Identify and leverage each person’s strengths.

    • Build trust that lasts beyond the session.

    Learn without the lecture
    No wasted time - just sharp, relevant learning that’s instantly applicable.

    • High energy, high engagement, high value.

  • Tackle real challenges
    Finally, a way to get leaders practising the hard stuff - not just talking about it.

    • Give them a safe environment to experiment with new approaches.

    • Watch them confront issues they’ve been avoiding.

    Build stronger teams
    Shift culture without writing a 50-page playbook.

    • Games that naturally build trust, collaboration, and mutual respect.

    • Real results you can see in the way people work together afterward.

    Learn without the lecture
    Engagement across different personalities and learning styles.

    • Keeps even the sceptics involved.

    • No one left sitting on the sidelines.

Most leadership training is forgotten before the week’s out.

We use game-based adventures to get your leaders solving real challenges together, building trust, and practising the skills they actually need - so the changes stick long after the session ends.

Our approach works for all kinds of leaders, with different learning styles, communication preferences, and ways of thinking - so everyone can contribute and grow.

A taste of the adventure…

It’s not quite this cheesy, and we don’t wear costumes - but you’ll get the vibe.

Available Quests

experience a variety of leadership games in one day.

leadership play day - october 2025

Leadership Play Day is built around three immersive games — each one tackling a different challenge of leadership and facilitation. You’ll get to choose which ones you play, so the day is shaped around the skills you most want to practice. Choose 1, 2 or all 3.

Forget long lectures and boring slides - this is hands-on, game-based learning that helps you practice the real stuff: tricky conversations, team dynamics, resilience, creativity, and more.

Running in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch - and virtually - Leadership Play Day is designed for leaders, facilitators, and curious humans who are ready to learn differently.

Power Quests

Fast, focused 2 hour games for targeted leadership skills

When time is short but the stakes are high, these short adventures get straight to the point:

The Moonlit Market (Entrepreneurial Mindset). Build adaptability, creativity, and risk-taking.

The Trouble Between (Difficult Conversations) . Practise saying what matters and keeping it constructive.

Custom Quest – Your challenge, our design.

Perfect for:
- Busy leadership teams & founders
- Leaders who need specific skills

the guild gathering

Immersive full-day or half-day adventures to unite your team

Custom-designed for your team’s goals, location, and leadership focus.
Past adventures include:

The Beast of Ulden – Courage and collaboration under uncertainty.

The Rat King and the Heist – Trust and quick thinking in high-stakes scenarios.

The Monster in Weatherell - A game of negotiation and risk-taking.

Perfect for:
- Team offsites
- Newly formed teams
- Cross-team alignment

epic journeys

multi-session leadership adventures for deep transformation

For leaders ready to set the tone for how they lead - and make it stick.

Over several weeks or months, you’ll take on immersive challenges, reflect on your leadership, and lock in the shifts your team needs. You’ll be playing our signature role playing game ‘A Quest Within’ for this series - designed to help us go deep, while having fun.

An investment that you’ll remember for a long time.

Perfect for:
- Leadership teams wanting to create a high performance culture
- Founders preparing for growth
- People leaders building deep skill and insights across teams

what leaders have to say…

  • “This is the most unique, wild, engaging and fun workshop I have ever been to. The experience and the learning will stay with me for a long time.”

    Cordula Plassmann | Coach & Facilitator

  • "I think this is an awesome way to bring leadership teams together. Role playing removes the natural inhibitions from the participants and lets you learn new aspects and perspectives, ultimately bringing you a better understanding of the team you work with as well as yourself. "

    Ed Letifov | TechTime

  • “The game creates a safe and engaging environment to explore leadership strengths and areas for growth. The debrief sessions were especially powerful, offering insights that conventional leadership courses often overlook.”

    Annelies Griemink | Thankyou Payroll

  • "Most people have done at least some of the stock-standard professional development that's out there, so why not try something new? The worst case is *just* having a whole lot of fun, and the best case is that fun sparking deep insights and reflections that help you to be a better leader. It's a win win, I reckon."

    Nicole Skews-Poole | Anchordown

  • “I was super sceptical, having never done anything like this before and it being VERY out of my comfort zone! BUT by the end of session one, I had one of those "ah ha" moments, and I then understood what it was all about! I learned so much about myself that I never knew or realised before.”

    Beckie Coe | Thankyou Payroll

  • "A Quest Within" was incredibly fun and engaging. I gained valuable insights into myself and the leadership skills I want to develop. It also inspired me to take action!

    Wenjing Xie | Snapper

  • "one of the best outcomes of 'A Quest Within' is not only the learning you have for yourself as a leader and your own motivations, but also the way you work as a team. Working in the 'play' space, allows for greater freedom and learning around the way we work together."

    Serena Lawrence | Wellington College

  • "It was very enjoyable to partake in a Quest Within and immensely beneficial to learn and reflect on applying leadership skills in an adventure with my co-workers."

    Participant | Snapper

  • "This is the kind of workshop to attend whether or not you have been to other leadership trainings. It will bring up new ideas and experiences that you wouldn't have been able to tap into before. I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on a leadership workshop that I know I will be referencing to others for months and years to come."

    Victoria Young | Zealandia

  • "I haven't been able to stop thinking about the workshop. I discovered unexpected things about myself, learnt a lot from my fellow adventurers, and it has sparked an interest in and joy for incorporating gameplay into my leadership, but also my day to day life - including parenting!"

    Kelly Hudson | Five and Dime

  • "The journey showed me parts of myself that I'd like to focus on, as well as some comparitive strengths through the reflection process. I highly recommend!"

    Angela Wei | Wētā FX

  • "Seeing how your team members react in a situation free of judgement teaches you a lot about them. It's worth doing for any team."

    Patrick Peters | TechTime

  • "It's refreshed my love of giving specific feedback. Receiving feedback on my gameplay was really helpful for reflection."

    Julie Reddish | Catapult NZ

  • "It's a practical, on the court, safe way to enhance leadership skills"

    Rachel Collingridge | Totara

  • "A Quest Within taught me to be more open and engaged with others, showing me the power of proactive interaction in team settings. I gained insights into how diverse problem-solving approaches can spark creativity. It makes me want to explore how I can continue to build stronger connections and confidently take on new roles."

    Neil Wu | Australian Spatial Analytics

  • "one of the best outcomes of 'A Quest Within' is not only the learning you have for yourself as a leader and your own motivations, but also the way you work as a team."

    Serena Lawrence | Wellington College

  • "This game brought a great balance of fun and practical leadership insight. Would happily recommend to other founders and teams."

    Louisa Murray | Whiringa

Teams and leaders we’ve worked with

Play gets results you can see at work

You might be thinking: “This all sounds fun, but is it actually effective?”

We use play because it lets leaders test new approaches without the real-world fallout. It’s safe, fast, and works for every learning style. You’ll see leaders trying new things, making decisions under pressure, and building trust - then carrying that straight into the work.

How it works

(in three quick steps)

  • We learn your world – You tell us about your team, your goals, and the leadership challenges you want to tackle.

  • We build your adventure – We design a custom game world that mirrors those challenges and gives your leaders space to test, fail, and adapt.

  • We connect the dots – We run the quest, debrief the learning, and leave you with clear actions your team can apply immediately.

(If you want the full nerdy version, you’ll find it on the Quest pages.)

frequently asked questions

  • Nope. You don’t need to know anything about role-playing games. There are no rules to memorise, no “right way” to play, and no weird acting required. You just need to be willing to show up, try something different, and join in.

  • Perfect. We love a sceptic. Most people arrive thinking “this is going to be weird” and leave saying “that was actually brilliant.” The game structure means there’s no pressure to perform, but plenty of space to contribute in ways that feel natural.

  • Absolutely not. We design every quest so that different personalities, thinking styles, and communication preferences have space to shine. Leaders who prefer to listen, observe, or reflect often end up making some of the sharpest moves in the game.

  • Yes — and we design with that in mind from the start. The structure, variety of activities, and multiple ways to participate mean leaders with different processing styles, communication needs, or sensory preferences can engage fully.

  • Every quest is built around the real leadership challenges you’re facing. We connect the dots during debriefs so your team walks away with practical insights, not just a good story. You’ll see the link to your day-to-day work straight away.

  • That depends on your quest:

    • Power Quests – around 90 minutes

    • Guild Gatherings – half or full day

    • Epic Journeys – multi-session programmes over weeks or months

  • Always. Even our pre-built games get tailored so the characters, challenges, and scenarios feel relevant to your world. We can also design something completely from scratch around your biggest leadership challenge.

  • Yes — we can run quests in-person across New Zealand and Australia, or online anywhere in the world.

  • You’ll see leaders making faster, sharper decisions, stepping into tricky conversations with more confidence, and collaborating in ways they haven’t before. Teams leave with a shared language, inside jokes, and concrete actions that carry into real work the next day.

  • Pick your quest, tell us what you’re trying to achieve, and we’ll design the rest. We’ll guide you from the first planning call to the final debrief.

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A group of seven people sitting around a wooden conference table in a modern office setting. The table has papers, laptops, and office supplies. Plush toys are arranged on a shelf behind them. The room features a large TV screen, a whiteboard, and a
Group of ten diverse people in a White studio with lighting equipment, some sitting and some standing, smiling at the camera.
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watch this

Our founder, Tamara Buckland, talks at Disrupt HR about role playing. Go on a short 5 minute adventure in this video to learn more about the benefits of role play and experience a little taste of it for yourself.