deduction

Phantom Ink

Renowned mediums are competing to figure out a secret object and prove they can connect with the "World Beyond". The first team to figure out the secret object wins!

To set up Phantom Ink, divide players so that the Sun team and the Moon team each have one Spirit and up to three Mediums. The mediums on a team share a hand of seven question cards, and the spirits begin the game by choosing one of the five objects on a card as the secret object. On a turn, the mediums pass two question cards to their spirit, with sample questions like "What color is it most commonly?", "What fictional character has it or uses it?", and "If it were a musical instrument, what would it be?"

The spirit discards one question card face up, then returns the question card it's going to answer to their mediums, then slowly writes the answer one letter at a time for all to see. As soon as the mediums think they know what this clue word is, they yell "Silencio", and the spirit stops writing. The other team of mediums might see only the letter "Y", but if you know the question is "What color is it?", then you know the clue must be "yellow". To end your turn, draw two new question cards.

On a turn, instead of handing over question cards, you can attempt to guess the answer — and to do so you write like the spirits, one letter at a time. If you write an incorrect letter, the spirits will stop you, marking out your error, with your partial guess giving the other team more information. If you guess the entire word correctly, you win!

The Office: Downsizing Game

"Oh, it is on like a prawn who yawns at dawn." Huh? It's a game of workplace survival! Can you make it through the workweek at Dunder Mifflin without getting downsized out the door? Roleplay as your favorite The Office character and try to make it 'til Friday without getting fired. Be part of Team Michael, intent on exposing Toby as the Scranton Strangler. Be part of Team Toby, just itching to issue a pink slip (or two or three). Orrr, BE TOBY in disguise! Each day of the week comes with a new email from HR and enough episode-specific gameplay references to separate the avid show watcher from the hard-core Dunder Mifflin devotee. Will you triumph in the finger gun face-off? Your job may depend on it.

—description from the publisher

Stella: Dixit Universe

Starseekers! Explore the sky and bring some light back to your world.

Stella is a competitive game in the Dixit universe. In each round, players interpret Dixit cards on a board after receiving a common clue word. Each player observes the Dixit cards and secretly associates these cards with the clue word, marking on their erasable personal slates the cards that they choose. Selecting the same cards as the other players allows you to score more points. Conversely, selecting a card that no one else chooses may cost you dearly.

At the end of the fourth round, each player calculates their total score. Whoever has the most points — which is possibly more than one person — wins.

Take calculated risks, but beware of the fall.

—description from publisher

The Chameleon

A bluffing deduction game for everyone.

Each round involves two missions, depending on whether you’re the Chameleon or not.

Mission 1: You are the Chameleon. No one knows your identity except you. Your mission is to blend in, not get caught and to work out the Secret Word.

Mission 2: You are not the Chameleon. Try to work out who the Chameleon is without giving away the Secret Word.

At the beginning of the round each player receives a card that tells them if they are the Chameleon or hunting the Chameleon. Two dice are rolled and this gives everyone (except the Chameleon) the coordinates to a specific word on a Topic Card – this is the Secret Word for the round. Each Topic Card features 16 related words (e.g. countries, books, food, etc.)

Each player must now say a word relating to the Secret Word. The Chameleon can only make an educated guess based on the 16 words in front of them.

Snakesss

The group has a multiple-choice question and only two minutes to work it out. The snakes amongst you already know the right answer — and they'll stop at nothing to keep you away from it.

In Snakesss, you deal out the cards and try to answer a multiple-choice question with the rest of the players. The more people who get it right, the more points you cash in — unless, of course, you get one of the snake cards. All the snakes already know the answer, so their job is a bit simpler. To score points, they have to sabotage the discussion and mislead the other players.

—description from the publisher