Victim Number Nine

Oh no, a serial killer is on the loose! For the longest time, you haven’t been able to find any evidence. But now you’ve learned that there is one victim that will provide you the golden clue. The only problem? You don’t know which one.

Material Needed

Character Cards: 10 possible characters.

Number Cards (21): values 1-6. Each number is included as many times as its value. (Ex: there are 3 cards with number 3.)

Action Cards: 30 cards; 10 different actions

Objective

Correctly guess the secret number.

Setup

Give each player a random character card. These are public. (For an easy first game, you can leave out this part.)

Shuffle the number cards.

Place 1 card facedown in the center (victim)
Place 3 card facedown besides it (clues)
Deal all (remaining) cards among players.
Everyone starts with the same number of cards. Any leftover cards are added to the clues.

Shuffle the action cards and give each player 3. The remaining cards become a facedown draw pile.

Gameplay

Turn-based, clockwise, youngest player starts. Each turn, you play a card (if possible), then draw a new card.

When you play a number card, add it to the clues (but revealed). Pick “higher” or “lower”. All other players must say how many cards they have that are higher / lower than your number (inclusive).

Action cards usually ask all players to do something that might provide information.

At the end of your turn, you can choose to guess the number. Say it out loud and secretly check the victim. You are correct? The game ends and you’ve won! Otherwise, you are out of the game and the rest plays on.

Actions

Optional: give some cards permanent powers. Protecting you from actions, allowing you to lie on certain stuff, etcetera.
Clue: secretly look at one card from the clues.
Test of Trust: pick a number. Publicly reveal one card from the clues. If it has the same number as the one you picked, you may secretly view all other clue cards.
Leak: everyone must reveal one of their numbers (and add it to the clues). Only allowed to be played if you have at least two cards of the same number.
Trade: trade one number card with another player.
Peak: ask another player
Sum: everybody sums the number cards in their hand and tells the outcome
Action Swap: everybody must swap all their action cards for new ones from the draw pile
Pairs: pick a number. Everyone answers the question: “do you have at least two cards with that number?”
Street: everyone answers the question: “do you have a street (three subsequent numbers)?”
Person of Interest: swap the victim card with a number card from your hand. You may not guess the victim at the end of this turn.
Deadline: take two turns in a row (after this one).
Tactics Change: reverse the playing direction

Alternative Rules Ideas

All you have are number cards.

Almost all cards are hidden (and out of player’s hands) at the start
Numbers serve both as a clue and money => As in, with a “5” you can buy “5 hidden clue cards”

IDEA: Maybe one complete number is removed at the start. (So make piles per number, equal number of cards. Shuffle order. Make someone else choose one to remove, then recombine into deck again.)

IDEA: Obviously more engaging, especially for younger players, if it has a theme. So you’re looking for an actual creature / person with three properties:

Body color/pattern (clothes?)
Hat
Length
Eye size
Hair style
Shoes
Jewelry / weapon / accessories (in hand or around them)

How do you create a game where clues are automatically laid out by the game, so all players can become detectives (and you can play with low player counts)?

You’d have to number the cards
When in that order, they always change only one thing between them and the previous character
This way, you can say things like “skip 9 cards, pick the next card, it’s a clue” => and all that while the pile is facedown and the dealer doesn’t know what’s happening
- Make it cyclical then, so you can do one more cut and don’t always start at 1. (Two more cuts if you keep track where you started with your thumb.)

Another Alternative Implementation

People get 1 card with their requirements for the murderer. The table is filled with directions, or clues, pointy arrows, whatever. Each turn, they try to change the board to make their suspect become the murderer. (Or to avoid suspicion for their suspect.)

At the end of each turn (or round?) people guess the suspect. And if they guess exactly who another player is holding, they are out of the game. => Or to prevent elimination, they give away their character (and the other player gets loads of points), and get a new character.

When guessing the victim, you MUST follow 1 or 2 of the “rules” dictated by the game board. The other parts can be filled in by you, calling people’s bluff or strategizing on what they did or didn’t do.

he board might be partially hidden or uncertain? So people can also read the board in different ways, instead of everybody arriving at the same answer?

Can I combine the character and map cards? So we only have one card type, simplifies the game. In that case:

There’s one card where all “investigation” starts.
Characters will have arrows or rules about what they try to communicate
There are also non-character cards. These do special stuff. If you hold one in your hand, others can guess “You have no suspect” to be correct.

On your turn, you may rotate or reveal/hide a card on the map, then guess a suspect others might be holding. However, you may not touch any card that shares a property with your suspect.

Make the map really small. Leave some cards out of the game (unknown), otherwise players can guess simply by counting which cards haven’t been seen yet.

Oh no, a serial killer is on the loose! For the longest time, you haven't been able to find *any* evidence. But now you've learned that there is one victim that will provide you the golden clue. The only problem? You don't know which one. ## Material Needed **Character Cards:** 10 possible characters. **Number Cards (21):** values 1-6. Each number is included as many times as its value. (Ex: there are 3 cards with number 3.) **Action Cards:** 30 cards; 10 different actions ## Objective Correctly guess the secret number. ## Setup Give each player a random **character card**. These are public. (For an easy first game, you can leave out this part.) Shuffle the **number cards**. - Place 1 card facedown in the center (**victim**) - Place 3 card facedown besides it (**clues**) - Deal all (remaining) cards among players. - Everyone starts with the same number of cards. Any leftover cards are added to the *clues*. Shuffle the **action cards** and give each player 3. The remaining cards become a facedown *draw pile.* ## Gameplay Turn-based, clockwise, youngest player starts. Each turn, you **play a card** (if possible), then draw a new card. When you play a *number card*, add it to the *clues* (but revealed). Pick "higher" or "lower". All other players must say how *many* cards they have that are higher / lower than your number (inclusive). *Action cards* usually ask *all players* to do something that might provide information. At the end of your turn, you can choose to **guess the number.** Say it out loud and secretly check the victim. You are correct? The game ends and you've won! Otherwise, you are out of the game and the rest plays on. ## Actions * **Optional:** give some cards permanent powers. Protecting you from actions, allowing you to lie on certain stuff, etcetera. * **Clue:** secretly look at one card from the *clues*. * **Test of Trust:** pick a number. Publicly reveal one card from the *clues*. If it has the same number as the one you picked, you may secretly view all other clue cards. * **Leak:** everyone must reveal one of their numbers (and add it to the *clues*). Only allowed to be played if you have at least two cards of the same number. * **Trade:** trade one number card with another player. * **Peak:** ask another player * **Sum:** everybody sums the number cards in their hand and tells the outcome * **Action Swap:** everybody must swap all their action cards for new ones from the draw pile * **Pairs:** pick a number. Everyone answers the question: "do you have at least two cards with that number?" * **Street:** everyone answers the question: "do you have a street (three subsequent numbers)?" * **Person of Interest:** swap the *victim* card with a number card from your hand. You may *not* guess the victim at the end of this turn. * **Deadline:** take two turns in a row (after this one). * **Tactics Change:** reverse the playing direction ## Alternative Rules Ideas All you have are *number cards*. - Almost all cards are hidden (and out of player's hands) at the start - Numbers serve both as a **clue** and **money** => As in, with a "5" you can buy "5 hidden clue cards" IDEA: Maybe one complete *number* is removed at the start. (So make piles per number, equal number of cards. Shuffle order. Make someone *else* choose one to *remove*, then recombine into deck again.) IDEA: Obviously more engaging, especially for younger players, if it has a theme. So you're looking for an actual *creature / person* with three properties: - Body color/pattern (clothes?) - Hat - Length - Eye size - Hair style - Shoes - Jewelry / weapon / accessories (in hand or around them) ***How* do you create a game where clues are automatically laid out by the game, so *all* players can become detectives (and you can play with low player counts)?** - You'd have to number the cards - When in that order, they always change only *one* thing between them and the previous character - This way, you can say things like "skip 9 cards, pick the next card, it's a clue" => and all that while the pile is facedown and the dealer doesn't know what's happening - Make it cyclical then, so you can do *one* more cut and don't always start at 1. (Two more cuts if you keep track where you started with your thumb.) ## Another Alternative Implementation People get 1 card with *their* requirements for the murderer. The table is filled with directions, or clues, pointy arrows, whatever. Each turn, they try to change the board to make *their* suspect become the murderer. (Or to *avoid suspicion* for their suspect.) At the end of each turn *(or round?)* people guess the suspect. And if they guess exactly who another player is holding, they are out of the game. => Or to prevent elimination, they give away their character (and the other player gets loads of points), and get a *new* character. When guessing the victim, you **MUST** follow 1 or 2 of the "rules" dictated by the game board. The other parts can be filled in by you, calling people's bluff or strategizing on what they did or didn't do. he board might be partially *hidden* or *uncertain*? So people can also read the board in different ways, instead of everybody arriving at the same answer? Can I **combine** the character and map cards? So we only have one card type, simplifies the game. In that case: - There's one card where all "investigation" starts. - Characters will have arrows or rules about what they try to communicate - There are also non-character cards. These do special stuff. If you hold one in your hand, others can guess "You have no suspect" to be correct. **On your turn**, you may rotate or reveal/hide a card on the map, then guess a suspect others might be holding. **However, you may *not* touch any card that shares a property with your suspect**. Make the map **really small.** Leave some cards out of the game (unknown), otherwise players can guess simply by counting which cards haven't been seen yet.