Described by Lisa Bany, who learned this version of Panel of Experts from Nick Johne

One of the best ways I know to let go of perfection is to improvise something that is so amazing and outlandish, and that has never actually been done before, so there are no wrong answers, and no one knows more about this thing than you.

To get started I like to make a list of suggestions for a variety of animals, or non-human creatures (like unicorns or aliens), and another list for suggestions of sports or hobbies. Next we decide on three or four players who will serve on the panel. I then randomly choose an animal/creature off of list one (such as penguin), and a sport or hobby off of list two (such as football).

I introduce the panel to the audience, and the brilliant folks who have invented Penguin Football. The panelists make up stories behind Penguin Football – how it came to be, how they train the penguins, etc. After the panelists have told us a bit about it, the audience asks questions, and the panelists improvise their answers to the questions.

Panel games are great for playing characters, and for getting used to fielding questions. Also, because there’s no such things as Penguin Football, or the other amazing things that get invented in this game, there’s no possibility of being wrong, which really opens up our creativity.