🗡️🔥 Diablo 2: Hellforge Retrospective
Descend into Sanctuary’s depths, slay bugs, loot insights, and forge a stronger sprint. Share your triumphs, curses, and the spells that keep us grinding forward.
Template Columns
⚔️ Summon New Tactics
Identify fresh practices to start powering our quest.
Base column: Start🛑 Banish Dark Arts
Highlight habits or blockers we must stop to avoid the abyss.
Base column: Stop🔁 Keep the Sacred Relics
Celebrate ongoing strengths we’ll continue to wield.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A game‑themed sprint retrospective that lets the team surface wins, blockers, and new tactics using Diablo‑style language.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a fun, high‑energy review after a sprint with many challenges or bug‑heavy work.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by reminding the team of the Diablo theme and explain the three columns: Summon New Tactics, Banish Dark Arts, Keep the Sacred Relics
Give each participant 3–5 minutes to write individual notes on sticky notes or virtual cards for each column, focusing on concrete examples from the sprint
Collect the notes and, column by column, have the group read them aloud, grouping similar items together
Facilitate a brief discussion for each column to clarify, prioritize, and decide on actionable items, especially for New Tactics and Banish Dark Arts
Close the session by voting on the top two actions to implement in the next sprint and capture them in the sprint board
Pro Tips
Encourage vivid, game‑style language but require a clear underlying action so ideas stay actionable
Use a timer for the silent writing phase to keep energy high and prevent over‑analysis
When grouping notes, assign a “loot rarity” label (common, rare, epic) to highlight high‑impact items
FAQ
What if the team struggles to come up with items for a column?
Prompt them with specific questions like ‘Which bug felt like a demon?’ for Banish Dark Arts, or ‘What new power‑up helped us win?’ for Summon New Tactics, and allow a brief group brainstorming.
How do we keep the fun theme from becoming a distraction?
Set a clear timebox for each phase and remind participants that the theme is a framing device; the focus remains on concrete actions and improvements.
Can we use this retrospective for non‑technical work?
Yes, the columns map to any process: new practices, things to stop, and strengths, so the game metaphor works for marketing, design, or operations teams as well.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective