Three Opinions

Content Warning: discussion of antisemitism, white nationalism, sexual assault, references to abortion, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Donald Trump, “messianic Jews” / the Jews for Jesus, and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories

This is a game about the Trump administration’s pattern of crypto-antisemitism and pandering to white nationalists, and how it relates to American racism in general. It explores this pattern through an Ashkenazic Jewish family from Squirrel Hill, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The title comes from the adage, “Two Jews, three opinions.”

The family mostly attends different synagogues, due to varying beliefs and observance levels. No one was present at the synagogue shooting, but a few may be members of one of the three synagogues targeted: Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha, Dor Hadash, or New Light. Others are members of other synagogues, or unaffiliated, or non-Jewish. Some family members support Trump, some oppose him, and some are undecided or apolitical.

This game is an expression of my queer Jewish rage. How could any of us be duped into voting for an actual fascist? “Never again” is now, whether the target is Jews, asylum-seekers, Muslims, drag queens, or trans people. I don’t mind admitting that I’m still angry with Jewish people who voted for “Orange Hitler”. Shame on you. You should have known better. That doesn’t mean we aren’t still family, though. 

How do progressive Jews reconcile the importance of Jewish pluralism with how many Orthodox Jews still support Trump? How can I coexist in the same communities with them, when they stand with people who don’t want me to exist, and who won’t allow my friends control over their own bodies? Like several rabbis I respect, Three Opinions does not provide an easy answer, but it might leave players with some new questions.

Intended Transformative Impacts:

• To allow players harmed by the Trump administration to experience emancipatory bleed
• To educate players on antisemitic microaggressions
• To promote interfaith and intercultural understanding among Jews and non-Jews
• To serve as a laboratory for activists to try de-radicalizing fictional Trump supporters

Who This Game is For:

This is primarily a game for US citizens who did not vote for Donald Trump. It is also for those who voted for him, and later came to regret it. Given Trump’s public disregard for consent and preference for hateful name-calling, I have to assume anyone who still supports him may be disruptive in the same ways. Some groups might allow one close friend who voted for Trump, if they know how to be civil and tolerant, but this is not recommended. It would be more prudent to practice with changing a fictional Trump supporter’s mind, before trying with a real one.

Three Opinions is like a Passover seder: it works great with all Jewish players, but it can be even better if you invite the right non-Jewish friends. This game centers Jewish players and characters, so some knowledge of how to run a Shabbat dinner is assumed. If you are an invited guest, please be respectful and polite. For non-Jewish players, it may act as a window into the kind of casual anti-semitism we sometimes face, even in otherwise progressive spaces. This may be some players’ first experience as a member of a minority religion, in a space where another religion and culture is dominant.

I hope this game will help Jewish and non-Jewish liberals and leftists to be better allies to each other. May it also help us to make peace with the fact that we may always be in community with people whose politics are actively harmful to us, whether as Jews or as LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC, women, or disabled people. 

Three Opinions was my final project for Uppsala University's graduate certificate program in Transformative Game Design. It represents half of the master's degree they recently (mid-2023) announced. As with many of my freeform larps, I consider it also a tabletop RPG because it is played around a table, with paper and pens.