# Escalation Map — Start Here

> One page, thirty seconds, then print and run.

**What this is:** A 25-minute, 4–12 person conflict post-mortem that plots the arc of a getting-hot disagreement as a heat ladder — Warm · Heated · Boiling · Point of no return — writes what could have kept each rung one degree cooler, and circles the earliest cheap move. Names are not allowed on the map; only the shape of getting hot. Printable rung cards, no account. 4–12 people · 25 min · offline + online.

## Pick your lane

- **Just run it (5 min):** draw the four-rung ladder, sticky-note what happened at each level, write a cheap move per rung, circle the earliest one, each person names their next-time move.
- **Before the next tense moment:** run it on a conflict that just cooled — the map will name the rung you're actually sitting on right now.
- **Remote:** the same ladder on a shared board; it transfers cleanly.

## What's in the folder

| File | What it is |
|---|---|
| `escalation-map-prop-cards.pdf` | Poker-spec print sheet: four rung cards (Warm / Heated / Boiling / Point of no return) + a "one degree cooler" move card + a blank card to author your own |
| `escalation-map-run-sheet.pdf` | The print edition: run sheet + debrief bound as one A4 document; `-Letter.pdf` is US Letter |
| `escalation-map-activity-poster.pdf` | The whole post-mortem on one A3 wall sheet — meta, the run of show, the four rungs, the earliest-cheap-move prompt |
| `escalation-map-guide.md` · `-debrief.md` · `-start-here.md` | The facilitator guide, the debrief, this page |
| `escalation-map-license.md` | License & tiers, rebrand guide, version record |
| `SKILL.md` | Skill manifest for AI agents — the runnable prep |
| `escalation-map.zip` | The whole folder, one download |

## Print list (per group)

Four rung cards spread as a ladder on the wall, one "one degree cooler" card in reach, and blank cards for events and moves. The `escalation-map-activity-poster.pdf` goes up so the "no names, only shape" rule stays visible. Nothing needs a projector or an account.