An Industry. A Mystery. A Table of Strangers.
Written by Clarice Song
On 29 January 2026, we ran AuroraSync, our first tabletop simulation exploring careers in the tech industry. The idea didn’t come from a grand plan. It came from restless energy around the current career discovery scene. For years we had been observing the typical career workshop format: A speaker shares their journey, the audience listens, a few confident participants ask questions, and the rest leave with advice that may or may not apply to them.
But careers rarely unfold in neat stories. They are messy, evolving, and deeply personal. Advice can be helpful, but it rarely answers the deeper question many people carry quietly:
"Would this kind of work actually suit me?"
So we began imagining something different. What if career discovery could feel more like an experience than a lecture? Something that introverted participants, reflective thinkers, and curious explorers could all engage with comfortably. The inspiration came in an unexpected place.
In July 2024, we were running a small career discovery session involving mixology. At the venue, we noticed another event happening ‘murder mystery dining’. Strangers gathered over dinner, solving fictional mysteries together. And we wondered: What if career discovery could work like that? Participants could step into different professional roles, navigate challenges, make decisions, and uncover how industries actually work.
The idea stayed with us for months. We had never attended such experiences ourselves, and designing one felt ambitious. Eventually curiosity won.
In October 2025, we began building the first prototype. AuroraSync launched in January 2026, and the tickets sold out. The experience was structured as a three-course narrative:
Course 1: The Fragmented Truth of the Sector
Participants discovered pieces of the tech ecosystem.
Course 2: Hidden Notes & Role Realities
Participants took on professional roles and worked together to solve a complex case.
Course 3: The Big Reveal & Career Clarity
The mystery unfolded revealing the trade-offs and tensions that professionals face in real work.Participants worked in groups of five alongside a flash mentor. experienced professionals who shared candid perspectives from their own careers.
What surprised us most was what participants discovered beyond the game. They saw how teams function within systems. They experienced how decisions affect others.
They encountered the tensions between values, responsibilities and outcomes. Most importantly, they began asking more personal questions:
"Would I enjoy this type of work?"
"Does this environment fit me?"
"What kind of role suits my strengths?"
We’re deeply grateful to our mentors who helped bring authenticity to the experience. AuroraSync was our first attempt at designing mystery dining simulations for career discovery. And it will not be the last. Our next tabletop experience is already in development < Sunset Ward>, exploring the realities of work in the health and community care sector.
At a time when employability and job matching dominate conversations, we believe there is also space for something slower: Helping people discover what kind of work truly fits them. Sometimes the best career insights don’t come from advice. They come from experience. Stay tune and catch us at our next!
