The Good Practice Odyssey
Discover our original board game dedicated to the 'good practice Odyssey’, which facilitates networking and peer learning, as well as the collection and sharing of CAP-funded projects!
The EU CAP Network team is always eager to test engaging and dynamic ways to facilitate networking and peer-to-peer learning, and our National Network (NN) meetings are great opportunities for this.
After compiling a handbook on selected facilitation techniques for the NNs, presented during the 4th NN meeting in September 2024, at the 5th NN meeting, in March 2025, we took the idea of ‘gamification’ (making work activities more like games in order to make them more interesting or enjoyable) one step further...
The 5th NN meeting took place in Nafplio, Greece, in collaboration with the Greek NN, and ‘good practices’ were the key topic. This and the venue naturally inspired the organising team at the EU CAP Network (which, incidentally, includes two Greek colleagues) to imagine a networking activity based on the Greek masterpiece. And so the ‘Good Practice Odyssey’ board game was born!
Gamifying networking
The process of gathering and sharing examples of good practices funded by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a key activity of the NNs, and yet gathering them can often be complex, resource-intensive and sometimes unpredictable, making it a significant challenge. Just as Homer's hero Odysseus faces numerous obstacles on his journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, National Networks can be faced with serious obstacles in collecting, analysing and sharing good practices.
The Good Practice Odyssey board game simulates the different steps of identifying, collecting, and disseminating good practice examples. Players split into teams and navigate through nine distinct steps, each requiring them to discuss their experiences and collectively determine the best approach for finding new project ideas, identifying key contacts, verifying if the project is indeed a good practice example, and deciding on the most effective dissemination methods.
However, much like the original Odyssey, the journey is filled with surprises! At every third step, players encountered an unexpected ‘incident’ – for example, the need to further investigate a project's financial details. In these situations, they have to draw an ‘incident’ card randomly, without prior discussion, and face the consequences. A fortunate draw allows them to advance to the next step, but an unlucky pick could set them back several steps – or even back to the start! For instance, if a drawn card reveals that their selected ‘good practice’ example is actually under scrutiny by the Paying Agency, they have to start over with a new project.
Overall, the board game was widely appreciated by participants, as it provided an opportunity to exchange insights on how they each manage the different phases of the process within their national contexts. Their motivation to reach the end of the game sparked insightful discussions, with teams debating the best approaches while also facing unpredictable setbacks. The element of random ‘incidents’ heightened the excitement, as the team's progress hinged on selecting a ‘favourable’ card.
Join the fun!
Despite sirens, cyclops and sea monsters, our Good Practice database keeps being updated with inspiring CAP-funded projects. Check it out - it's safe! - and stay tuned for the next edition of the Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards – ARIA 2025.
The board game is now available for free download on the event page, and all NNs can customise and use it for their own activities.
The board game, the facilitation handbook and other useful resources for networking will soon be available in our Networking section, where you can already find a host of useful information and tools for this key activity related to the implementation of the CAP.
