The Nordica Crisis Management Game is an interactive simulation where players step into the role of decision-makers, guiding a fictional Nordic society toward a just and sustainable future, before crises spirals into societal collapse.
Over three decades, players work to keep Nordica within a safe and just space, respecting planetary boundaries while meeting society’s needs. To navigate an uncertain future, players must plan strategies, respond to crises and adapt plans while protecting the foundations of societal well-being. Each round challenges participants to balance long-term prevention with short-term preparedness, reflecting real-world crisis management challenges.
Rather than presenting crisis management as a purely technical exercise, the game emphasises the strategic choices, trade-offs and uncertainties that policymakers must navigate when multiple risks come into play and interact at the same time.
Throughout the game, players encounter crises ranging from environmental shocks to social and economic disruptions. Some emerge suddenly, such as infrastructure failures or pandemics. Others unfold gradually over time, reflecting slow-building challenges like environmental degradation or social inequality. By confronting these scenarios, participants experience how decisions made today influence both the resilience and sustainability decades into the future.
Turning research into interactive learning
The game builds on Nordregio’s research on sustainability, resilience and crisis governance, which are often explored seperatley. Using the theoretical framework of Doughnut economics (Raworth et al, 2017) this game brings together planetary boundaries and societal foundations into a practical simulation where players develop strategies, test them under conditions of uncertainty, and reflect on the consequences for society.
At the heart of the game lies a guiding challenge:
How can we strengthen resilience and short-term crisis preparedness without losing sight of sustainability and long‑term crisis prevention? The game explores how proactive strategies can help reduce risk drivers while strengthening the capacity to cope with shocks and recover from disruptions.
Designed for dialogue and learning
The Nordica Crisis Management Game is designed for use in:
- Policy workshops and stakeholder dialogues
- Crisis preparedness training
- Educational settings
- Team building exercises
Each session typically lasts around 1.5 hours and invites groups of 4–6 participants to jointly develop strategies, test them against crisis scenarios, and reflect on the outcomes.
The collaborative format encourages discussion about how prevention, preparedness and learning interact across sectors and governance levels.
Game background and development
The Nordica Crisis Management Game was developed by Hedda Thomson Ek, Elin Slätmo, Anne Katrine Ebbesen and other colleagues at Nordregio.
To cite this work: Thomson Ek, H., Slätmo, E., Ebbesen, A. K. (2026) Nordica Crisis Management Game.
The work is part of the Nordic thematic group for local and regional resilience and attractiveness. The Nordic thematic groups contribute to the Nordic Co-operation Programme for Regional Development and Planning 2025–2030 under the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy (EK-R).
