Intent to Kill
Intent to Kill Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Components
- Civilian Cards
- Game Board
- Game Modes
- Setup (Logic)
- Game Goals
- Secrecy Rules
- Gameplay
- The Murderer Phase
- The Detective Phase
- Detective Actions
- Building Actions
- Surveillance
- The City Phase
- End of Round
- End of Game
- Setup (Intuition)
- Murderer Cards
- New Murder Conditions
- Evidence Tokens
- Detective Cards
- New Detective Actions
- Changes to the City Phase
- New Unlimited Actions
- Surveillance and Motive Details
- Detective Card and Murderer Card Details
- Game Variations
- Scenarios
- T-Men
- On Dangerous Ground
- Touch of Evil
- D.O.A.
- Panic in the Streets
- The Street with No Name
- Stranger on the Third Floor
- Split Second
- Credits
Components
- Game Board
- Detective Marker
- 8 Building Markers
- 24 Evidence Tokens
- Surveillance Token
- 5 Crime Scene Cards
- 54 Civilian Cards
- 2 Pencils and a Notebook
- 4 Memo Cards
- 14 Detective Cards
- 24 Motive Cards
- 14 Murderer Cards
- 9 Social Group Tokens
- Game Rules
Civilian Cards
Each game is played with 20 Civilian cards. Each Civilian card contains several important characteristics.
Occupation
Occupation is used instead of a name in the game. Each occupation is unique and represents a single civilian.
Social Group
The role a civilian plays in the city. There are 9 Social Groups, each has a unique color and a symbol:
- Authority
- Press
- Outcasts
- Medicine
- Government
- Labor
- Criminals
- Jet Set
- Immigrants
Characteristics
Distinguishing features of civilians which the Detective can use to identify the Murderer:
| Sex | Age | Build | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| male | young — 20 | S — thin | short |
| female | middle-aged — 40 | M — medium | medium |
| senior — 60 | L — heavy | tall |
Each civilian possesses a unique combination of characteristics. All characteristics are equally common among all the civilians in the game.
Intimidated Civilian
If a card is laying on the Game Board with its intimidated (black and white) side up, the Detective cannot question this civilian. Only the Murderer can intimidate a civilian during their Phase. During the game, the Detective can comfort intimidated civilians (flip their cards back to the colored side).
Game Board
The Game Board contains the city and the victim area.
City
The city is divided into 16 blocks. Blocks with a common border (the side of the square) are considered adjacent. The board does not circle back on itself: the corner blocks only have 2 adjacent blocks.
If the rules instruct you to move a Civilian card or the Detective marker, you must move it to an adjacent block (see example on the right). One block can only contain 3 civilians at a time (the Detective marker is not considered a civilian).
Example: The Detective has to move to an adjacent block. The green arrows indicate blocks the Detective marker can move to.
Buildings
There are 8 Building markers in the city, their position depends on the chosen scenario. Every game the city contains:
- 2 Police Stations
- 2 Diners
- 2 Hospitals
- 2 Fire Stations
Buildings are especially important for the Detective as they allow them to take various additional actions.
Victim Area
At the start of the game, Crime Scene cards are placed in the Victim area. As the game progresses, the Murderer replaces them with Civilian cards of their victims. The Crime Scene cards placed on the Game Board indicate blocks where bodies were found (civilians can no longer enter such blocks). The Civilian cards in the Victim area help the Detective see the m.o. of the Murderer and determine their Motive. There can be 5 victims at most in one game.
Game Modes
Before setting up the game you can choose a Game Mode — Logic or Intuition.
Even though there are more game mechanics and components in Intuition Mode, both Modes are equal, just designed for players with different preferences.
Logic Mode
The Logic Mode is designed for players that seek a battle of genius minds, enjoy making impeccable logical sequences and fully controlling the game. We recommend using the Logic Mode when getting to know the game to get acquainted with the basic game mechanics. The following setup and game rules are designed for the Logic Mode.
Intuition Mode
The Intuition Mode is designed for players that seek an engaging story, are ready to tackle unpredictable challenges and those who don't mind trusting their gut. After several Logic Mode games, feel free to try the Intuition Mode with additional mechanics and components. Learn more about them on p. 14–15 and add them to your game.
Setup (Logic)
When playing in the Logic Mode, put the following components back into the box:
- Detective cards;
- Murderer cards;
- Evidence tokens.
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Decide which of the players will be the Murderer and which will be the Detective (the Murderer is an easier role for a beginner player). The players should sit across from each other if possible.
In a game with three or four players you can split up into 2 teams: in this case several players can play as the Murderer or the Detective, making decisions together. If there are three players, we recommend two players play as the Detective.
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The Murderer and the Detective both receive a page from the notebook and a pencil.
The Murderer and the Detective cannot see each other's notes.
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Place the Game Board at the center of the table.
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Set the Building markers as shown in the illustration.
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Place the 5 Crime Scene cards in the Victim area in order: card 1 in slot 1, card 2 in slot 2 and so on.
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Shuffle all Civilian cards. Without looking, pick 20 random cards out of the deck and put the rest back into the box — you will not need them during this game.
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The Murderer shuffles the 20 Civilian cards, draws one randomly and looks at it, without showing the Detective. This civilian is the Murderer.
Then the Murderer draws another card randomly and looks at it in secret. This civilian is the Person of Interest.
Note: we recommend playing your first game without the Person of Interest. Ignore all rules concerning the Person of Interest if at least one of the players is playing for the first time.
The Murderer writes down their characteristics and those of the Person of Interest. There are two spaces for these notes at the bottom of the page. Then the Murderer shuffles both drawn civilians back into the deck.
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The Detective takes the deck of Civilian cards and places 2 cards from it into each of the corner blocks and 1 card into each of the rest of the blocks. Civilians are placed into blocks with the colored (unintimidated) side up.
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Take the Motive cards and choose 6 of them.
Note: during your first game use the "Maniac", "Sadist", "Cutthroat", "Vigilante", "Killer" and "Terrorist" motives. See recommendations for the follow-up games on page 18.
The Murderer shuffles the 6 Motive cards, draws 1 randomly and writes it down next to their characteristics — this is the Murderer's Motive. Then the Murderer shuffles their card back with the 6 cards and places all of them in front of themself in a 3×2 grid.
The Detective receives duplicates of these Motive cards and places all of them in front of themself in the same order.
Two decks of Motive cards are used for convenience.
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The Murderer takes the Social Group tokens, shuffles them and draws 3 random tokens. Then they look at them in secret, without showing the Detective, picks one and places it in front of themself facing down. This Social Group are Supporters of the Murderer. The Murderer writes down the name of this social group. After that the bottom part of the page is folded in such a way so that the Detective cannot see the hidden information.
Then the Murderer puts the two remaining tokens back into the box (the Detective cannot look at them). Stack the 6 remaining Social Group tokens, facing down and place them into the Social Group tokens slot on the Game Board.
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The Detective receives the Surveillance token, keeping it in their play area.
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The Detective places their marker into any block of their choice.
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The players receive Logic Mode memo cards: the Murderer receives the memo card containing Game Phases, while the Detective receives the memo card containing Game Phases, Building Actions and questions.
You are ready to begin a game in Logic Mode.
Follow-up games: When you get acquainted with the game, feel free to change the beginner setup of the Game Board and the Motives. See "Game Variations" on page 18.
Game Goals
The Murderer has to kill five civilians, while following their Motive and hiding their identity.
The Detective has to identify the Murderer and determine their Motive.
Secrecy Rules
During the entire game, both the Murderer and the Detective have to strictly follow the rules and not peek at each other's notes.
If during the game, the Detective peeks at the Murderer's notes, their cards or the contents of the decks, the Murderer wins.
If the Murderer peeks at the Detective's notes or lies when they're supposed to tell the truth or murders a civilian against their motive, the Detective wins.
If breaking the rules becomes apparent after the game, the player that broke the rules loses that game anyway.
Gameplay
The game lasts 5 or 6 rounds. The round during which the fifth murder occurs becomes the last.
Each round consists of three consecutive phases:
- The Murderer Phase;
- The Detective Phase;
- The City Phase.
The Murderer Phase
The Murderer Phase consists of two steps:
- intimidation;
- murder.
Intimidation
At the beginning of their phase, the Murderer must intimidate civilians. They choose two civilians in the city and flip their cards to the black and white side. Now the Detective cannot question these civilians.
The Murderer can intimidate any civilian (even the murderer themself), except for the civilians in the same block as the Detective marker. If there are no more civilians to intimidate — nothing happens.
Murder
Then the Murderer chooses a victim — a civilian that fits all the conditions:
- fits the Murderer's motive;
- is not in the same block as the Detective marker;
- is not the Murderer (you cannot commit suicide).
Note: the Murderer can choose their allies or the Person of Interest as a victim, the "Cultist" Motive even forces them to do so.
If all the conditions are followed, a murder occurs:
- The Murderer takes a Crime Scene card from the Victim area in order: if this is the first murder, then take card 1, if it's the second — take card 2 and so on.
- The Crime Scene Card is placed into the block where a civilian was murdered. We recommend placing the card diagonally as to mark that there can be no other cards in this block.
- The card of the murdered civilian is placed into the Victim area in place of the taken Crime Scene card.
Note: the placement of the civilian card of the Murderer, and how far it is from the victim does not matter. In this story, the Murderer is a dangerous cunning opponent that can move seamlessly and make up an alibi. Besides, there are many ways to commit murder without being present personally.
Once in a game, the Murderer can refuse to murder (for example, when there is no suitable victim on the board).
In this case, skip to the Detective Phase immediately after intimidating civilians. The game will last six rounds instead of five. If the Murderer refuses to murder for the second time, they automatically lose.
Example of the Murderer Phase
Matthew is playing as the Murderer, his civilian identity is the Nurse, his motive — "Maniac". At the beginning of his phase, he intimidates the Actress and the Waitress. Then he chooses a victim — the Cat Lady: she fits the motive (all of the victims have to be of the same sex, but since this is the first murder, the sex of the victim can be either of the two — and Matthew decides to choose women), there is no Detective marker in the same block as her, and she is not the Murderer. The card of the Cat Lady is moved to the Victim area into the top slot (because this is the first murder), the Crime Scene card is moved to the block where the Cat Lady was. The Murderer Phase ends.
The Detective Phase
The Detective Phase consists of two steps:
- initial response;
- investigation.
Initial Response
The Detective moves their marker to a new Crime Scene — the block where a murder has just occurred. If a murder hasn't occurred, the Detective marker stays at the same spot.
If there are civilians at the Crime Scene, the Detective moves them to any adjacent blocks of their choice (but not other Crime Scenes). In an exceptional case, when a civilian or civilians cannot be moved to adjacent blocks, the Detective can move them to any block of the city.
Note: if a block already contains three civilians, you cannot move other civilians to this block. Additionally, civilians can never move to Crime Scenes.
Investigation
During the investigation step, the Detective can take 2 different actions from the list below:
- Questioning civilians.
- A Police Station action.
- A Diner action.
- A Hospital action.
- A Fire Station action.
See more about each action below under the title "Detective actions".
Additionally, during investigation, the Detective has 2 movement points, which they can spend to move around the city. One movement point allows the Detective marker to move to an adjacent block. Unlike civilians, the Detective can move to Crime Scenes or blocks with three civilians. Movement points can be spent freely: before actions, after them or in between them. However, you cannot move in the middle of an action: for example, if the Detective questioned civilians in one block, and then moved to another, the action of questioning is considered finished, and the Detective cannot continue questioning in the new block. Unspent movement points and actions do not transfer over to the next round.
Additionally, the Detective can set up surveillance as many times as they wish. See more in "Surveillance".
Detective Actions
Questioning Civilians
The Detective can question all civilians in a block, except for the intimidated ones. Civilians can be questioned in any order one by one. The Detective can ask each civilian one question from the list on the right. You can ask several civilians the same question.
The Murderer answers the questions from the point of view of each civilian. The Murderer has to answer the questions honestly with a "yes" or a "no", however, they can lie if the civilian being questioned is the Murderer, the Person of Interest or is from the Supporters. The Murderer does not have to lie, they can tell the truth as well. An experienced Murderer will lead the right people to the detective and deter them from revealing their identity.
List of Questions
- Is the Murderer male?
- Is the Murderer female?
- Is the Murderer young?
- Is the Murderer middle-aged?
- Is the Murderer senior?
- Is the Murderer of thin build?
- Is the Murderer of medium build?
- Is the Murderer of heavy build?
- Is the Murderer tall?
- Is the Murderer of medium height?
- Is the Murderer short?
You can keep a record of questions in the table on your notebook page.
You can download more notebook pages on the website page of the game.
Building Actions
If the Detective marker is in the same block as a building, the detective can use the action of that building.
There are four types of buildings:
- Police Station: place the Surveillance token onto a civilian in this or an adjacent block (or move the already placed token onto another civilian as usual).
- Diner: question one unintimidated civilian in this or an adjacent block.
- Hospital: comfort one intimidated civilian in this or an adjacent block (flip their card to the colored side).
- Fire Station: take a random token from the Social Group stack. You can move every civilian of this social group once. Then shuffle the token back into the stack.
Note: the action of the Fire Station is the same as moving civilians during the City Phase (see page 13).
Surveillance
Surveillance allows the Detective to determine the Murderer's motive. Besides the two actions during the investigation step, the Detective can use the Surveillance token that has already been placed on a civilian: remove the token, and ask the Murderer: "Can you murder this civilian right now?"
The MURDERER MUST ANSWER HONESTLY, according to the usual rules of choosing a victim.
A placed but not used Surveillance token goes back to the Detective if the Murderer kills this civilian (which is a de facto way of answering the same question).
If the Detective has placed the Surveillance token onto the Murderer themself (or the Detective marker is in the same block as the chosen civilian), then the Murderer must answer "No" regardless of their motive.
Usually the Detective places the Surveillance token using the Police Station action. If the token is already on a civilian card, the Detective can move it to another civilian card instead.
A used Surveillance token always goes back to the Detective. They can place it again.
Surveillance is a free action which can be used several times during one Investigation, for example, use the token placed during the last round, then place a new one using the Police Station and use that one as well.
Surveillance can be combined with any other action and movement and used in between them.
Some motives allow the Murderer to kill almost any civilian at the beginning of the game. See more about how the Surveillance token works with different motives on page 16.
The Detective can keep record of their search for the Motive of the Murderer by flipping Motive cards, or making notes in the table in their notebook page. Surveillance does not help with identifying the Murderer or any of their characteristics.
Note: if the Detective uses Surveillance after the fifth murder, the Murderer still has to answer honestly, according to their motive, as if the game is supposed to go on for another round.
Note: the other side of the Surveillance token is used only in game with additional rules (see page 18).
Example of the Detective Phase
Helen is the Detective. She moves her marker to a block where a murder has just occurred — this is the Initial Response. There are no civilians in this block so she doesn't have to move any. Then Helen starts the Investigation.
First action: there is a Police Station in the block with the Crime Scene and Helen uses its action: she places the Surveillance token on the Paperboy in the adjacent block. After that, she uses the Surveillance: she takes the token off the Paperboy and asks Matthew if he can kill him. "No" — says Matthew. Helen realizes that she can disregard the "Psychopath" motive (the victims, including the Paperboy, only share two different ages, which means a psychopath would be able to kill him), the "Sadist" motive (the Paperboy is not intimidated, therefore, a sadist could kill him) and the "Terrorist" motive (the Cat Lady – the only victim – and the Paperboy are from different social groups, which means he could be a target of a terrorist). She flips these motive cards in her play area. However, there is a possibility that Matthew cannot kill the Paperboy because he is the Murderer.
Next, Helen wants to move to the block with the Musician and the Dispatcher and spends two movement points to do so.
Second action: Helen questions civilians in this block. She asks the Musician: "Is the Murderer female?" Matthew replies as the Musician: "Yes". Helen asks the Dispatcher: "Is the Murderer female?" Matthew replies: "No". One of the civilians is lying! This means that one of them is either the Murderer, the Person of Interest or is from Supporters. Helen writes down the civilians and their answers to analyze during the game.
Helen has spent 2 movement points and taken 2 different actions so the Detective Phase ends.
The City Phase
The City Phase consists of two steps:
- working with the public;
- moving civilians.
Working with the Public
If there are intimidated civilians in the same block as the Detective, comfort them — flip their cards to the colored side.
Moving Civilians
The Murderer takes a random token from the Social Group stack and shows it to the Detective: the Murderer can move every civilian of this Social Group once. Civilians move one by one in any order. Then the Detective does the same: takes a random token from the stack and moves civilians of that Social Group if they wish to do so.
If you drew a token of a Social Group, members of which are not present in the city (there were none from the beginning of the game, or they became victims of the Murderer), the player can move civilians of any Social Group of their choice, and then put that token into the box. After that, shuffle both tokens back into the stack.
Tip for the Detective: at this stage you can gain information about social groups that are definitely not the Supporters of the Murderer, since the Murderer keeps their token at their play area.
End of Round
If the fifth murder was committed during this round, the game is over. If it wasn't, start a new round with the Murderer Phase.
Example of the City Phase
The block with the Detective marker has no intimidated civilians, so Helen skips Working with the public. Matthew draws a random token from the Social Group stack – he drew the "Immigrants". He moves the Musician and the Nun to adjacent blocks. Helen notes that the Immigrants are definitely not lying since they are in the Social Group stack.
Then Helen draws a token – she draws the "Outcasts" and moves the Veteran and the Greaser to adjacent blocks. Again she notes that the Outcasts are truthful. Then Helen shuffles both tokens back into the stack. The City Phase has ended.
End of Game
Finish the round in which the fifth murder was committed. Now the Detective has to name the civilian they think is the Murderer, as well as their Motive and the Murderer confirms or denies the Detective's conclusions. If both conclusions are correct, the Detective wins. If at least one of them is wrong, the Murderer wins.
Note: if the players wish and the Detective is confident in their conclusions, the game can be ended ahead of time. The Detective can state their conclusions at the end of the fourth or even the third round. We recommend playing to the end anyway: even the most rock-solid conclusions can be the result of a trick of an experienced player.
Setup (Intuition)
In Intuition Mode the Detective and the Murderer gain additional abilities. If you use them efficiently you can make the game more difficult for your opponent. We recommend you play in this Game Mode once you've played several Logic Mode games taking on both roles.
Changes to the Setup
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Shuffle all Murderer cards and place the deck facing down next to the game board. Then the Murderer places 2 Murderer cards from the top of the deck underneath each Crime Scene card without looking.
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Shuffle all Detective cards and place the deck facing down next to the Detective. Take the top 3 cards and place each one in a row facing up next to the deck — these are the available Detective cards.
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Place the Evidence tokens next to the Game Board facing down. This is the Evidence pool.
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The Murderer takes 8 Motives and places them in a 4×2 grid.
Note: during your first game in the Intuition Mode use the "Psychopath", "Maniac", "Sadist", "Cutthroat", "Killer", "Terrorist", "Radical" and "Robber" motives. See motive recommendations for follow-up games on p. 18–19.
Murderer Cards
The Murderer cards represent tricks and manipulations the Murderer employs during the game.
Immediately after the murder, the Murderer takes the two cards that were underneath the current Crime Scene card, looks at them, picks one and places it face down in front of themself, then puts the other one under the bottom of the Murderer card deck.
Each card indicates at what point in the game it can be played. Most cards can be played during the Murderer phase, but there are some abilities that are played in response to a certain Detective action. Place used cards in a separate discard pile. If the deck runs out and the Murderer needs to draw a new card, shuffle the discard pile and deal the top card of the new deck to the Murderer.
The Murderer may have as many cards as they wish.
If there is an Evidence symbol on a card, the Detective takes an Evidence token after this card is played.
New Murder Conditions
The Murderer has to take a new condition into account when choosing a victim:
- the victim is not affected by protective effects (such as "Curfew").
Evidence Tokens
They're the silent witnesses to a crime that help the Detective find the Murderer. Immediately after the murder, the Detective receives one random Evidence token from the pool.
The Detective keeps the evidence facing down, without showing it to the Murderer. Detective receives them whenever a new civilian is killed by the Murderer. Detective tokens can be exchanged for Detective cards.
Detective Cards
Detective cards represent the help of other police officers, their talent as an investigator, the work they do with evidence, and their administrative resources. Unlike the Murderer cards, Detective cards are not easy to obtain.
During their phase, the Detective receives cards by checking for evidence. See "New Unlimited Actions" → "Checking for Evidence" for more information.
Upon receiving a card, the Detective must either play it immediately or save it for later. However, the Detective can only have one saved card. If they receive a new one, they must immediately play one of the two cards. Most of their Detective cards are played only during their phase, unless indicated otherwise on the card.
New Detective Actions
A new action is now available during the Detective phase:
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Study the Crime Scene.
While in a block with a Crime Scene, the Detective may take 2 random Evidence tokens from the pool and keep one. The second Evidence token is discarded. Remember, the Detective marker can move to Crime Scenes (unlike civilians).
Changes to the City Phase
After moving civilians, replenish Detective cards: discard the far-right card of the available cards, slide the two remaining cards to the right and place a new card to the left of them.
Used Murderer and Detective cards go to their respective discard piles. If a deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new deck.
New Unlimited Actions
Checking for evidence
The Detective can discard an Evidence token (facing up) with a symbol of a Building which is in the same block as the Detective marker, and take one Detective card out of the three available ones or from the top of the deck.
If the Detective draws a card from the available cards, immediately slide the remaining cards to the right and place a new card in the empty space. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile.
The Detective can hold one card to use later. When receiving the second card, they must immediately play one of their cards or discard it with no effect.
Playing the Detective card
The Detective can play the card they saved for later (or the one they just received while checking for evidence). If there is an Evidence symbol on a card, the Murderer takes another Murderer card from the top of the deck after the Detective card is played.
Surveillance and Motive Details
Vigilante
If the Detective marker is in a block on the edge of the city, the Murderer cannot kill in five blocks around it, if the marker is in the corner — in just three blocks.
Cannibal
The Cannibal can escape investigation for quite a while — not just any Detective can crack such a gruesome motive. The victims have to include civilians of all three builds. The Murderer can do that in any order, for example, first, kill three civilians with the heavy build, then a civilian with the medium build and lastly one with the thin build. In this case the Murderer will almost always answer "Yes" to Surveillance questions. One can catch a Cannibal right before the last murder: if they haven't killed a civilian of a certain build, they will have to choose such a victim (and will answer "No" to Surveillance questions with other civilians).
Cultist
According to the conditions of the Cultist motive, the Murderer can kill the Person of Interest at any moment except for the first round. If the Person of Interest is not murdered yet and there are four victims already, the Murderer has to choose the Person of Interest as their next victim. In this case, they will have to answer "No" to Surveillance questions (if the Person of Interest is not the one under Surveillance) even if the Social Group of a potential victim is different from the last.
Psychopath
If a Psychopath consecutively kills civilians of the same age, they have to answer "Yes" to any Surveillance question (if the Murderer themself is not the one under Surveillance). If there are civilians of two ages among the victims, the Murderer has to answer "No" to Surveillance questions regarding the third age.
Radical
Surveillance of a Radical works in the same way. The Murderer can choose anyone as their victim, if only it's not their last chance to choose the third Social Group. If the Murderer took the lives of two civilians each of two different Social Groups, the fifth victim cannot be a civilian of any other 7 Social Groups (and will have to answer "No" when they are under Surveillance).
In very rare cases, the "Radical" and the "Psychopath" Motives can be impossible for the Murderer to follow. If such a combination of civilians is drawn during setup, we recommend choosing 20 other civilians for the game.
Note: Motives that have nothing to do with the placement of components of the Board (such as the "Psychopath" and the "Maniac") allow the Murderer to choose anybody except for the Murderer themself as their first victim.
Detective Card and Murderer Card Details
Some cards, such as "Curfew" take effect for a limited time. Place them next to the Game Board (unless the card states otherwise). Such cards are discarded only after their effect expires.
Union Strike and Stubborn Witnesses
These cards forbid the Detective to question civilians in any way: using the Questioning action, using the Diner building or playing the "Testimony" card. If a civilian somehow leaves the block the "Stubborn Witnesses" card was played on, they can be questioned as usual.
Hide in the Crowd
The Detective can refuse Surveillance after this card is played and use their Surveillance in the next round or later in this round (for example, after using movement).
Curfew
In rare cases this card leaves the Murderer with no suitable victims. In this case, they have to refuse to murder (see page 9). Thus, the Detective can win ahead of time.
Blackmailing
The Murderer can play this card at any moment of the Questioning (when the Detective questions the first, second or third civilian). Each time the Detective asks a question, the Murderer decides whether to answer as usual or to play this card instead.
Cordon
Civilians in a block with this card can be questioned (if they are not intimidated). Murderer and Detective cards still affect these civilians, if their effects don't murder them or move them out of the block.
Bribe the Police and Sixth Sense
The effect of a canceled card is completely ignored, as if it was discarded. If the discarded card has an Evidence symbol, you do not receive an additional Evidence token/Murderer card.
Police Raid
This card works the same way as Social Group tokens in the City Phase: you can move all civilians of the same color to adjacent blocks (leaving some of them as is).
Criminal Profiling and Full Confession
The Murderer cannot lie, they have to truthfully point to the Social Group of the Person of Interest or the Motive that is not theirs.
Homemade Bomb
This card allows to murder several victims in one block. Only one of them is considered the victim, the rest don't have to fit the Motive. All the murdered civilians are moved to the Crime Scene slot with a corresponding number, meanwhile the Murderer secretly notes which one is the victim (so it can be checked at the end of the game). The identity of the victim is not revealed to the Detective during the game. The Murderer cannot use the "Homemade Bomb" in a block they are occupying. The Detective does not receive Evidence for a murder committed with a "Homemade Bomb".
Aid to Investigation
When using this card, choose a Building of the Board. The action is taken as if the Detective is in a block with this Building and is using its action. Using this card can allow the Detective to use the action of a Building they already used in this round.
Game Variations
This section is for players who are well acquainted with the game and wish to enrich their game experience. This section describes rules of choosing Motive combinations as well as alternative placements of buildings and civilians.
Motives and Combinations
Before you begin a game, you can use virtually any combination of motives — they are purposefully designed as different as possible. However, some combinations of civilians and buildings, chosen for the game can significantly alter the game balance.
Combinations described in "Scenarios" can be used in a standard game. In case you want to choose the motives yourself, keep in mind the recommendations below.
- With due experience of the Murderer and certain placement of the civilians the "Psychopath" motive is almost indistinguishable from the "Cannibal" motive. We do not recommend using these two Motives together. This also applies to the "Radical", however situations where this Motive overlaps with other Motives occurs a lot less often. Avoid using the first two together and add the third Motive with the other two with caution.
- The "Terrorist" and the "Cultist" may seem very similar but an experienced Detective can tell them apart. Do not use this combination when playing with beginners.
- If you are using alternative Building placements (such as the one "On Dangerous Ground" scenario), the "Spy" and the "Cutthroat" can overlap significantly. Do not use them together in this case.
- The "Killer" and the "Spy" are the most difficult Motives for the Murderer. The "Sadist" is distinguished easier than most others. Try to balance them out with Motives that are easier to follow as to not expose yourself, such as the "Maniac" and the "Psychopath". This is especially important in the Logic Mode, where only 6 Motives are used.
Adjusting Game Difficulty
This is an asymmetrical game, the difficulty of each role can vary from game to game.
There is a common pattern. During the early stages of getting to know the game, the Murderer is at an advantage. The Detective works openly and is forced to draw conclusions off of incomplete information. With experience the win rate of the Detective increases significantly. Even in situations when the Surveillance token is placed on the Murderer, an experienced Detective can identify the Murderer and their Motive.
We offer three ways to adjust the balance of the game that can help either side.
There are four cards in the Detective and Murderer decks with the Evidence symbol. Effects of such cards affect the game more than others.
If you intend to use these rules, make sure to agree on them with the other players before the game.
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You can add and remove the more valuable cards from the game in any combination. For example if you feel like the Detective is at an advantage, you can remove all four cards with the Evidence symbol from the game.
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You can keep these cards in the game but disregard the effect of the Evidence symbol for one of the players. For example, before the game you agree that the Murderer cards with the Evidence symbol still gives the Detective an Evidence token, but the Detective cards with the same symbol are ignored. You can combine this approach with the previous one.
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You can forbid the Detective to use Surveillance during the fifth round when all slots in the Victim area are taken, or even in the fourth round. Flip the token to the other side to indicate this.
Scenarios
Each scenario in this section offers a new arrangement of game components and introduces additional rules for the Murderer and the Detective.
Most of the scenarios were created for the Intuition Mode, and their rules use components for that mode. However, you do not have to play the entire scenario exactly as this section suggests. To play in Logic Mode, you can adopt only the arrangement of buildings and civilians or a combination of motives — they are balanced for both modes. We have indicated which motives to remove if you play in Logic Mode, but you can choose any 6 suitable ones from the list.
For example, if the following motives are listed: Spy, Cutthroat, Psychopath, Vigilante, Terrorist, Sadist, Maniac, Robber — when playing in Logic Mode take all motives except for the "Maniac" and the "Robber".
The scenarios of the game reference the golden stories of the noir era of Hollywood. For a more immersive experience, each scenario offers the Detective a specific role: place a card of a specified civilian in front of the Detective player — this is the Detective themself. This is necessary only for the ambience: the characteristics of the civilian do not matter in the game, the Detective's marker still is not considered a civilian.
T-Men
A gang of counterfeiters is operating in the city. The criminals have managed to produce high quality banknotes, which attracts the attention of the U.S. Treasury. Treasury agent O'Brien arranges a meeting with an informant from the gang, but the contact is killed before the meeting. O'Brien infiltrates the gang and tries to find out whether the murder was an accident.
Detective: Agent
Motives used: Spy, Cutthroat, Psychopath, Vigilante, Terrorist, Sadist (Logic Mode: remove Maniac and Robber)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
Deal the Murderer 1 random Murderer card at the beginning of the game.
After the Detective uses Surveillance for the first time, leave the Surveillance token on the same block (not on a civilian card). After that, instead of taking any action that places a Surveillance token, the Detective can move the token to any civilian up to 2 blocks away from the Surveillance token. The Surveillance itself is conducted as normal.
On Dangerous Ground
Detective Jim Wilson has been in the police force for eleven years. Constantly confronted with the dregs of society, he becomes more and more irritable and violent. Now Jim is on the hunt for an unknown murderer, intimidating and beating all suspects indiscriminately. Will his brutal methods help him arrest the criminal? Or will his uncontrollable outbursts bring Jim to the point of dismissal from the police force?
Detective: Patrolman
Motives used: Killer, Psychopath, Vigilante, Cultist, Sadist, Maniac (Logic Mode: remove Spy and Robber)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
Remove one "Vehicle impoundment" card from the deck. The Detective receives the second such card at the start of the game. The effect of this card cannot be canceled. While this card is in the Detective's hand, they can hold 2 Detective cards at a time.
Touch of Evil
A small town on the border of the state is marked with the seal of evil... A murder occurs here, after which a dozen dynamite sticks go missing. District Attorney Mr. Ader personally takes on the case: he suspects a foreign policeman of drug connections, and a police captain is caught tampering with evidence.
Detective: State Attorney
Motives used: Spy, Sadist, Cutthroat, Maniac, Radical, Psychopath (Logic Mode: remove Terrorist and Vigilante)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
At the start of the game the Murderer receives a "Homemade Bomb" card. The Murderer must use this card during the game.
D.O.A.
Frank Bigelow, a wealthy auditor, learns in one eerie moment that he has been poisoned with a slow-acting fluorescent poison and is doomed to die in 24 hours. That's not much time, but the living dead have nothing to lose!
Detective: Benefactor
Motives used: Spy, Sadist, Radical, Maniac, Cannibal, Robber (Logic Mode: remove Killer and Vigilante)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
There must be a Benefactor among the participating civilians. Instead of the first murder, place the Philanthropist card on the slot of the first victim. The Murderer may choose any block and place the first Crime Scene card there. The rest of the murders are committed as normal.
In this scenario, during the Initial Response, do not move any civilians from the Crime Scene. The civilians are moved as normal during the City Phase and according to the effects of the cards. In this way, the Murderer can choose a victim in a block where a murder has already occurred.
Panic in the Streets
A murder has been committed at the docks! Unknowingly, the Murderer has contracted pneumonic plague from his victim. Clinton Reed, Captain Lieutenant of the U.S. Public Health Service, realizes that he only has 48 hours to save the city from a terrible fate. In order to do so, it is urgent to identify all those who have been in contact with the disease vector, including the Murderer himself, who continues to leave bodies behind.
Detective: Surgeon
Motives used: Robber, Spy, Psychopath, Sadist, Vigilante, Cultist (Logic Mode: remove Radical and Cutthroat)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
Take 5 civilians each from the "Immigrants", "Medicine", "Outcasts", and "Labor" Social Groups into the game. The Detective receives the "Curfew" card before the start of the game. While this card is in the Detective's hand, they can hold 2 Detective cards at a time.
The Street with No Name
An unknown person posts bail for a criminal suspect and then murders them. The police have no evidence, so the FBI takes over. They decide to catch the murderer using "bait". The FBI recruits an agent who, disguised as a regular citizen, infiltrates the gangster's neighborhood and becomes a potential victim of a new crime. But with each new murder this assignment becomes more and more dangerous.
Motives used: Sadist, Spy, Vigilante, Robber, Maniac, Terrorist (Logic Mode: remove Cutthroat and Cultist)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
Take 6 civilians from the "Criminals" social group and 2 civilians from each of the other 7 Social Groups to use in the game. The Detective receives a "Police Raid" card before the start of the game. While this card is in the Detective's hand, they can hold 2 Detective cards at a time.
During their first turn, the Detective chooses one of the 19 remaining civilians and notes them in their notebook page. This civilian becomes an undercover FBI agent, played by the Detective. If the selected civilian falls victim to the Murderer, play the murder as normal, but the game is cut short by one round (the Murderer will choose four victims instead of five) — the FBI agent manages to get out of danger, but wastes precious time.
Stranger on the Third Floor
Reporter Michael Ward is a key witness in a murder case. Unexpectedly, Ward finds the body of a man killed in the same way. He reports it to the police, but gets arrested. In a desperate attempt to save her lover from the death penalty, Ward's girlfriend Jane goes to the city's most dangerous blocks in search of the real Murderer.
Detective: Riveter
Motives used: Killer, Robber, Radical, Vigilante, Terrorist, Maniac (Logic Mode: remove Sadist and Spy)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
Place 1 Evidence token face up onto each block except the center and corner blocks. If the Detective marker moves to a block with an Evidence token, they receive it immediately. The Detective cannot receive evidence in any other way.
Split Second
After a mysterious murder at a gas station, the military begins evacuating a mining town. Colonel Stuart suspects that foreign intelligence agencies are involved in the murder and begins to investigate. He must catch the Murderer before dawn, because at 6:00 a.m. the nuclear bomb tests will begin at a nearby test site.
Detective: Veteran
Motives used: Cutthroat, Cannibal, Terrorist, Maniac, Sadist, Killer (Logic Mode: remove Robber and Vigilante)
The scenario uses its own arrangement of Building markers on the Game Board — see the illustration.
Additional Rules
At the beginning of the game, the Detective receives a "Sixth Sense" card. At the start of each of their phases, the Detective must "evacuate" one building token from the city (remove it from the board into the box).
Credits
Game Designer: Arthur Khodzhikov Illustrations and Design: OWL Agency Game Development: Pavel Iliin Producer: Vladimir Grachov Art Director: Sergey Dulin Executive Editor: Anna Davydova English Translation: Luiza Kretova Editorial Director: Alexander Kiselyev
Playtesters: Elena Vornoskova, Matvey Chistyakov, Luiza Kretova, Dana Kuznetsova, Alexander Ilyin, Denis Klimov, Yuliya Kolesnikova, Shynaraj Muhtarova, Mihail Kasatkin, Koblandy Kudabaev, Natalya Yadryshnikova, Isabek Matkulov, Ernat Dautbekov, Aleksej Funkner, Gabriella Gert, Anton Khodzhikov, Sergej Skurydin and others.
Publisher: Hobby World General Manager: Mikhail Akulov Production Manager: Ivan Popov Head of International Production: Vladimir Sergeyev Editor-in-Chief: Valentin Matyusha Prepress: Ivan Sukhovey Creative Director: Nikolay Pegasov International Distribution: Maria Nikolskaya
Special thanks to Ilya Karpinsky.
Reprinting and publication of the game's rules, contents, and illustrations without the copyright holder's permission is strictly prohibited.
Rules version 1.0
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