Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect Graft

BETHESDA, Md. —  On the corporate excitement scale, George Sammet realized his job as head of ethics training at Martin Marietta Corp. ranked right up there with building maintenance.

That’s why he decided to add some color to the drab world of teaching employees how to stay on the straight and narrow by producing a board game for the defense contractor titled “Gray Matters.”

Sammet chose the name because the difference between right and wrong in the complex defense industry isn’t always black-and-white.

Martin Marietta spent about $10,000 to develop the game and has sold it to 165 companies and 41 universities for the $25 it costs to produce each one.

The game consists of a series of scenarios drawn from real-life situations. Groups discuss each scenario and pick the best answer from one of four choices.

Players begin at zero and move up and down a scale of rewards and penalties ranging from “Receive nomination for vice president” at the top to “Asked to return digital watch” at the bottom.

Other stops include: “Given parking space in same ZIP code as your office;” “Asked to leave room when the meeting topics get really important,” and “No longer have to contribute to the coffee fund.”