Box of Lies Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The First Time You Play
• Components
• Setup (2 Players)
• Play (2 Players)
  • The Describer
  • The Guesser
• Play (4-Player Game)
  • Get Ready (4 Players)
  • The Describers
  • The Guessers
• Win
• Variant

The First Time You Play

Punch out the player divider, its feet, and the tokens from their cardboard sheet. Discard the waste.

Components

150 mystery item cards, 9 numbered mystery boxes, cardboard player divider, Truth tile, Lie tile, 4 Question tokens, 2 plastic clips.

Setup (2 Players)

1. Place the top of the game box, which contains the numbered mystery boxes, upright and within reach of both players. Remove all of the boxes from their shelves and open them.
2. Shuffle the mystery item card deck. Draw nine cards. Set each card in a mystery box so that the side that was faceup is facing you. (Don't look at the other side!) Then, close the boxes and place them back onto the shelves.
3. Slide the player divider into its feet and set it up between the players. Place a plastic clip on each side of the fold so the divider stays upright.
4. For the first round, the older player is the Describer, and the younger player is the Guesser. Place three Question tokens, with the question mark sides up, in front of the Guesser. (The fourth Question token is only used in a 4-player game. See 4-PLAYER GAME for details.)
5. Place the Truth and Lie tiles facedown in front of the Describer. Then, shuffle the tiles around so that neither player knows which is which.

Play (2 Players)

The Describer

1. Without letting your opponent see, flip over one of the tiles in front of you, revealing either TRUTH or LIE. Now you know if you're supposed to tell the truth or lie this round!
2. Pick any mystery box from the shelf, place it in front of you, and open it. Without letting your opponent see, flip over the card inside to reveal your mystery item! Take a few seconds to analyze it.
3. When you're ready, tell your opponent what's inside, either being honest or lying, depending on what tile you flipped.

If you flipped over TRUTH, you must accurately describe what's on the card. If you see a puppy lounging inside a cake, tell your opponent you see a puppy lounging inside a cake!

If you flipped over LIE, you must lie about what's on the card. Make up something on the spot. Be original and don't say what's actually on the card! Changing one detail and passing it off as a lie is cheating! Try not to describe something you saw on another card, either, since that might give you away.

REMEMBER: It's all about delivery! You're trying to trick your opponent. If you're telling the truth, you want your opponent to think you're lying, and if you're lying, you want them to think you're telling the truth.

The Guesser

1. You get to ask three questions about the item your opponent described. Flip over a Question token each time you ask a question.
2. The Describer then answers you based on the tile they flipped over earlier. If they flipped TRUTH, they must answer you honestly. If they flipped LIE, they must make up an answer that builds on their lie.
3. Once all three questions have been asked and answered, it's time for a verdict! Say whether you think the Describer is telling the truth or lying.
4. The Describer then reveals their tiles. If you guessed right, you win the round! If you were wrong, they win.

Place the box that was used this round aside, and then switch roles. The new Describer reshuffles the Truth and Lie tiles, takes a box from the shelf, and plays as described!

Play (4-Player Game)

Teams take turns describing and guessing!

Get Ready (4 Players)

1. Split into two teams. Sit next to your teammate, and place the divider between the teams.
2. Set up the mystery boxes as described in the core game.
3. For the first round, the team with the oldest player will be the Describers. The other team will be the Guessers. Place two Question tokens in front of each Guesser.
4. Place the Truth and Lie tiles facedown in front of the Describers, and shuffle them.

The Describers

1. Without letting your opponents see, each Describer flips over a tile. One of you will lie and the other will tell the truth!
2. Together, open any mystery box from the shelf and flip over the card.
3. Each of you tells the other team what's in the box. (It doesn't matter who goes first.) Whoever flipped over TRUTH must be honest. Whoever flipped LIE must lie.

The Guessers

1. Each of you gets to ask two questions. You can ask one to each Describer or both to the same Describer. Flip over a Question token each time you ask a question.
2. The Describer must then answer your question based on what they flipped earlier (TRUTH or LIE).
3. Once all four questions have been asked and answered, it's time for a verdict! As a team, declare who you think is lying and who you think is telling the truth.
4. The Describers reveal their tiles. If the Guessers got it right, they win the round! If they were wrong, the Describers win.

Win

2 Players: The first player to win three rounds is the WINNER!

4 Players: The first team to win three rounds wins the game!

Variant

When you get the hang of the game and you want to play it like they do on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, try without the Truth and Lie tiles. This way, the Describer has to decide on the spot whether they will tell the truth or lie!