Evidence
Evidence Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 36 evidence / rumour cards
- 6 overview cards
- 42 search cards with a newspaper article on the reverse side
- 6 time-outs for the basic game (front side) / 6 professional tools for the variant (back side)
- Rule sheets in German and English
Rumours and Evidence
There are 6 different creatures who are said to be found in different locations around the world – referred to as "mysteries". For each mystery, there are 6 rumours and each is assigned a unique colour and symbol.
The rumours have different values ranging from -1 to 4. The higher the value of a rumour, the higher the probability that the mystery truly exists. The exact distribution can be found in the corresponding overview cards (see below).
Only one of these cards is the actual proof of the respective mystery - you must find out its value throughout the course of the game. This evidence is hidden under the overview cards and its value is unknown to you at the beginning of the game. All other cards are rumours.
Rumours show which value the matching colour's evidence does not have. You hold these rumours in your hands and play them round by round, revealing information to everyone.
6 overview cards (1 for each mystery)
Search Cards and Newspaper Articles
There are 42 search cards, each with a newspaper article on the back (7 per mystery). Among them is also one Hot Lead per mystery.
Throughout the course of the game, you will take search cards by performing the "Search" action. These represent your findings on the various mysteries. At the end of the game you flip the cards to the reverse side showing the newspaper article. These are the articles you have published in relation to each mystery, and their number determines, among other things, your score at the end of the game.
A Hot Lead, for example, will give you an extra point if you own it.
Time-Outs and Professional Tools
6 time-outs for the basic game (front side)
Time-outs allow you to exchange previously collected search cards in one mystery for another. These cards grant you the opportunity to bluff or alter wrong decisions.
6 professional tools for a more strategic game (reverse side)
Professional tools introduce 6 unique actions into the game.
Setup of the Game
Sort the search cards according to their colours. Place them face up as a stack next to each other in the middle of the table. Make sure that the Hot Lead is on top of each stack.
The number of search cards available varies depending on the number of players.
- 2 Players: 3 search cards + the Hot Lead per mystery
- 3 Players: 4 search cards + the Hot Lead per mystery
- 4 Players: 5 search cards + the Hot Lead per mystery
- 5 Players: 6 search cards + the Hot Lead per mystery
Place all other search cards back in the box. They will not be needed in this game.
Each time-out card is displayed above the matching stack of search cards.
Sort the rumours according to their colours and shuffle them separately. Place one card of each set face down below the matching search card without looking at it. This is the proof of existence for the respective mystery. Each evidence is covered with the matching overview card.
In a game with 2, 3 or 4 players, randomly draw more rumour cards, reveal them and place them with the matching mystery. The number of additional cards drawn depends on the number of players:
- 2 Players: 1 rumour per mystery
- 3 Players: 2 rumours per mystery
- 4 Players: 1 rumour per mystery
- 5 Players: no additional rumours
The person who last wrote something into a notebook becomes the start player. This player then shuffles all the remaining rumours together and distributes 6 of them face down to each player. This forms your starting hand of cards.
Special rule for 2 players: After both players are dealt 6 hand cards, distribute 6 additional rumours to both players. These cards are unknown rumours and must not be viewed under any circumstance! Place the 6 unknown rumours face down on the table in front of you, so that you can only see the backs of each card.
You may look at the front sides of your own hand cards. However, keep the values of your cards secret from other players. Everyone may see how many cards of each mystery is in a player's hand at any time.
Course of a Round
Beginning with the start player, each player takes a turn in clockwise order. Then a new round begins.
When it is your turn you perform the following actions in the following order:
- Mandatory: Play a Rumour
- Optional: Search
- Optional: Take a Time-Out
1. Play a Rumour
Play a rumour from your hand and place it in the display of the matching mystery. Place the rumours on top of each other so that the values of the cards below are not obscured.
Playing a rumour is a mandatory action! If this is the 5th revealed rumour of a mystery, uncover the corresponding hidden evidence and put it face-up on the overview card.
Special rule for 2 players: With two players, you must uncover one of the unknown rumours in front of you and place it face-up to the matching mystery before carrying out the "Play a Rumour" action. The decision of which card to reveal is based solely on the colour of the card back.
2. Search
This action is optional and may be skipped. If so, go directly to "3. Optional: Take a time-out".
Take one or more available search cards from the display and place them in front of you. The cards you take may also belong to different mysteries. How many search cards you can take depends on how many search cards and rumours you have.
You may never own more than 6 cards. The total number of search cards in front of you and rumours in your hand must not exceed 6.
That means that you may take 1 search card for every rumour you have played. If you have not used the action "Search" in a previous turn, you may also take several search cards at a later time. Note, however, that you may not exceed the 6-card limit at any time! The number and colours of your search cards must always be visible to all players.
In a two player game, the unknown rumours in front of you do not count towards the 6 card limit!
Example: Louis starts his turn with 3 rumours in his hand. So far, he has only taken 1 search card, which is displayed in front of him. He first plays a rumour from his hand and now has 2 rumours left in his hand. Together with the search card he now has 3 cards. This means that at the end of his turn he may take up to 3 search cards from the same or different mysteries. He decides to take 1 pink and 2 yellow search cards and thus keeps within his card limit of 6.
3. Take a Time-Out
This action is optional and may be skipped. In this case your turn ends and it is the next player's turn.
Every mystery has its own time-out. It allows you to exchange all of the search cards of the corresponding mystery you own for the same amount of other search cards.
Put the search cards you want to swap back in the corresponding stack. Make sure that the Hot Lead card is on top after you put it back!
Note: If you take a time-out, you must always return ALL search cards of that colour, and you must not keep any of them!
Then take the same number of search cards from the middle of the table and place them in front of you as usual. You may choose to take back different search cards or several of the same colour. However, you may never pick up search cards of the same mystery just discarded. Each player can only take one of the remaining time-outs per game. You may not discard search cards without replacing them.
Example: After Meghan has played a rumour and taken a green search card, she decides to use the available blue time-out. She puts her 3 blue search cards back on the stack and instead takes another green, a yellow and a white search card, which she lays open in front of her. However, she could also have taken 3 search cards of the same colour, if still available.
Exception for 2 players: Each player may take up to 2 time-outs per game, but only 1 per turn is allowed.
If you have used a time-out, place it in front of you to indicate that it is no longer available to others and that you are not allowed to take another time-out in that game (exception: 2 players). Then the next player's turn begins.
End of the Game
The game ends after the 6th round. Flip all of your collected search cards to the side showing the newspaper article page. All evidence should now be open in the middle of the table. If this is not the case, uncover all hidden evidence in the middle of the table.
Now check how many points each player will receive. Each newspaper article is worth as many points as the value of the evidence in the like-coloured mystery. Each Hot Lead earns you an additional point, even if the mystery's evidence is a 0 or negative. Finally, everyone adds up their points from all the mysteries.
Example: David has 3 white newspaper articles at the end of the game. One of them is the Hot Lead. The evidence of the Yeti has the value 2. David therefore gets 7 points for the Yeti mystery. (3 x 2 points for the collected newspaper articles, +1 for the Hot Lead = 7 points). He has 2 blue newspaper articles, each of them gives him 1 point, because the evidence of the sea monster has the value 1. He also has the yellow Hot Lead, which gives him 1 additional point. The evidence of the mummy does not give him any points with the value 0, but David still gets the point for the yellow Hot Lead. So he has a total of 7 + 2 + 1 = 10 points.
The player with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, the player with the most different colours of newspaper articles wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most newspaper articles in any single colour wins. If there's still a tie, you share your place on the front page of the news along with the victory.
The Tools of the Professional (Variant)
On the back of the time-outs you will find the tools of the professionals. Play with them if you already have experience with Evidence. They allow you to play a more strategic game and replace the time-outs from the basic game.
During set-up of the game, simply turn the time-outs over to the reverse side to reveal the grey professional tools. The cards no longer belong to a particular mystery but now allow you to perform different actions. The basic rules remain unchanged, unless otherwise described in the action.
Each player can only use one of the available professional tools exactly once per game. They can be used during step 3 of your turn, just as the time-outs are used in the basic game.
Exception for 2 players: In a game with two players you can use up to 2 professional tools per game, but only 1 per turn.
If you decide to use a tool, you must complete the action immediately. You may not save it for a later turn.
A used card is discarded in front of the player who used it. The player cannot use another professional tool until the end of the game (exception: 2 players). Previously used professional tools are no longer available.
Remember to include the points you earn or lose from these cards in your score at the end of the game!
Professional Tools
Plane Tickets: When scoring each mystery at the end of the game, if you have 2 or more newspaper articles in the mystery, you gain an extra point. Attention: this extra point may only be gained once per mystery. E.g. With 4 blue newspaper articles, you will only get 1 extra point.
Telescope: At the end of the game, each Hot Lead earns you +2 points instead of +1 point.
Fortune-Teller: You may secretly look at the covered evidence of one mystery. This card also gives you 1 point at the end of the game, which you can add to your score.
Take a Time-Out: Exchange all search cards you own in one mystery for the same number of search cards from other mysteries. The same rules apply as in the basic game.
Balloon Ride:* Take an available search card and place it in front of you. This must be carried out immediately. Your card limit increases from 6 to 7 as a result of the balloon ride, so you may have up to 7 Search cards in front of you at the end of the game.
Typewriter:* At the end of the game you can copy a newspaper article of your choice, of which at least 1 is already in your possession. You will get the same number of points for the typewriter as for the card you want to copy.
Attention: Hot Leads cannot be copied with the Typewriter! So you always get the basic value of the newspaper article and not the additional point.
The typewriter also earns you a minus point. It is also possible that at the end of the game the typewriter will give you a negative result!
At the end of the game you may have up to 6 search cards plus the typewriter in front of you, as it does not count towards your card limit of 6.
Example: Lucy took the typewriter during the course of the game. When scoring, she adds it to her 2 blue newspaper articles. One of which is the Hot Lead. The evidence of the blue sea monster has the value 3. For her blue newspaper articles, she gets 7 points. The typewriter gives her 3 points. Even if she has the Hot Lead, she doesn't get the extra point again! Finally, she subtracts the minus point due to the typewriter from her score.
She gets 9 points for the blue mystery: 3 points (blue newspaper article) + (3+1) points (blue Hot Lead) + 3 points (typewriter) = 10 points
- 1 point (minus point due to typewriter) = 9 points
* In the two-player game it is possible that one player has 7 newspaper articles and the typewriter at the end of the game if both the Balloon Ride and Typewriter were chosen as professional tools during the game.