The Set Up
Arrange the students in a semi-circle. Assign each student a title or role in hierarchical order from left to right:
The King (first on the left therefore head of the semi-circle).
The Queen
The Prince
The Princess
The Duke of Wessex
The Earl of Kent
Peasants (remaining students, numbered sequentially; “Peasant 1, Peasant 2…”)
Explain the Rules
The teacher initiates the game by pointing to someone (e.g., The Prince) and asking: “Who killed King John?”
The chosen player (The Prince) responds: “Not I.”
The teacher replies: “Then who did kill King John?”
The Prince then accuses another player (e.g., The Queen) by saying: “The Queen killed King John.”
The accused (The Queen) denies the accusation: “Not I.” The accuser (The Prince) then asks: “Then who did kill King John?”
The Queen then accuses another player (e.g., The King) by saying: “The King killed King John.”
The pattern continues until someone makes a mistake.
Mistakes
Players make a mistake and have to go to the bottom of the rank, if they:
Take too long to respond.
Mispronounce a word or stumble.
Forget a phrase or add unnecessary words.
Address someone by the wrong title.
Fail to act in character (optional).
When a mistake occurs:
The player who made the mistake moves to the lowest position (Peasant 1 or lower).
Everyone who was in a lower position to that person, moves up one rank, taking on the title of the position directly above them (for example Peasant 1 becomes The Earl of Kent, The Earl of Kent becomes The Duke of Wessex and so on)
Playing with a Timer
After a practice round, set a timer (e.g. 5 minutes).
Play the game, following the established pattern.
When the timer goes off, whoever holds the title of The King is declared the winner!