It’s Your Move

Congratulations to all of you playing the game! I’m sure you’ll find Marriage to be one of the most mentally challenging games you’ve ever encountered. Let’s start by reviewing the rules:

First off, the object of the game is to be the first one to arrive at Shalom Buy It, the pot of gold at the end of the game board. There are three basic moves you can make: Pass, Fold, and Raise-You.

Pass means you don’t engage, but stay silently present and “in the game.” The second move is Fold. In this move, you give up or give in, realizing you have no chance of winning that round. And the last move is “Raise-You,” where you act in a way that will lead to positive change.

Now we’ll illustrate how the game is played. Let’s run through a round with an imaginary couple, Gila and Gershon. The game starts in the upper left corner at the 7 p.m. mark. The couple each roll their dice, and since Gershon has the higher number, he makes the first move. He takes the top card from the pile and reads aloud: “Dinner isn’t ready yet? I’m starving! Why can’t you just have it ready on time for once?”