NOIR: Deductive Mystery Game
NOIR: Deductive Mystery Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game 1: Killer vs. Inspector
Take on a rival in a game of cat and mouse, hunting down the Killer before they ice you.
As the Killer, kill the Inspector or 10 Suspects to win. As the Inspector, find the Killer before it's too late!
Setup
Arrange the 25 Suspect Cards, living side up, in a 5x5 grid as shown in the diagram below. Shuffle the 25 Evidence Cards to form an Evidence Deck and set the Evidence Deck nearby face-down.
Choose which player will be the Killer, and which will be the Inspector. Get their reference cards.
The Killer should draw an Evidence Card to be their Secret Identity by putting it face-down in front of them. They draw another Evidence Card face-down to be their spare disguise. They may look at their Secret Identity or Disguise at any time. They should then perform a Kill Action, as described below.
The Inspector should now draw 4 Evidence Cards. They should choose one of them to become their Secret Identity by putting it face-down in front of them. They may look at their Secret Identity at any time. The rest remain in their hand as their "Evidence Hand".
The game begins with the Killer's turn, then alternates between Inspector and Killer until one player wins.
Killer Actions
On the Killer's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Shift/Collapse
- Kill
- Disguise
Kill
Choose a suspect adjacent to your Secret Identity, then flip them over. That suspect is now dead.
If you kill the Suspect matching the Identity of the Inspector, they reveal themselves and you win!
You also win if you have killed 10 Suspects.
If you kill an Exonerated Suspect (one with an Evidence card on them), Canvas for the Inspector as follows:
Canvas: The Inspector must inform you if their current Secret Identity is one of the living suspects adjacent to this card, but not which one they are. Discard the Evidence card on the Suspect you killed and flip their Suspect card over.
If you kill the Suspect that is your Disguise, you cannot switch to them with the Disguise action.
Example: The Killer is Linus. Linus can kill any Suspects adjacent to him, like Marion, by flipping them over. If Marlon was Exonerated, the Inspector would have to announce if they are adjacent to Marlon.
Disguise
Pick up your Secret Identity and your Disguise. Put one of them face-down in front of you as your new Secret Identity.
Shift
Choose any row or column. Move that row or column 1 space in a single direction. Any Suspect cards that "fall off" are moved to the other side of the table. If the opponent shifted on the previous turn, you may not "undo" their shift by shifting the same row or column in the opposite direction.
Example: The Killer decides to Shift the middle row right. Julian will "fall off" and be placed in the empty space at the left.
Collapse
Choose and discard a Deceased Suspect from each row or each column of the board. The board then collapses down, to fill the empty spaces.
After either player uses a collapse, the Inspector should discard suspects in their Evidence Hand that were removed from the board, and replace them by drawing from the Evidence Deck.
Example: The deceased suspects can be discarded, making the board smaller.
Inspector Actions
On the Inspector's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Shift/Collapse (this works the same as the Killer's Shift)
- Accuse
- Exonerate
- Solve
Accuse
Choose a suspect that is adjacent to your Secret Identity. If that Suspect matches the Killer's current Secret Identity, then the Killer must reveal himself and declare you the winner of the game. You may accuse yourself instead of an adjacent suspect, to throw off the Killer's calculations.
Exonerate
Place a card from your Evidence Hand onto the board atop its matching Suspect card, and Canvas for the Killer as follows:
Canvas: The Killer must inform you if their current Secret Identity is one of the living suspects adjacent to this card, but not which one he is. If the suspect you canvas is dead, discard the Evidence card from the board. Otherwise, leave it in place. Draw a card to replenish your Evidence Hand to 3.
Solve
Name both the Killer's Secret Identity and Disguise (even if their Disguise is Deceased). If you are correct, you win! Otherwise, the Killer wins.
Other Rules
- If the Innocent Deck is exhausted, then the Exonerate action cannot be used. The Inspector cannot choose to "Pass", and must take another action instead.
- If a Suspect is on the edge of the board, effects that refer to "adjacent" Suspects never wrap around to the other side of the board.
- Adjacency is always orthogonal and diagonal. Adjacency never "wraps around" to another side of the board.
Game 2: Spy Tag
Find and capture the other spies before they do the same to you.
As a Spy, capture 2 other Spies to win.
Setup
Arrange the Suspects, living side up, in a 5x5 grid.
Shuffle the Evidence Cards and set the deck face-down nearby.
All players are Spies. Get their reference cards. Each player draws one Evidence from the Evidence Deck to be their Secret Identity and places it face-down in front of them. You may look at your Secret Identity at any time.
Choose a random player to be the first player. After their turn, play proceeds clockwise.
Spy Actions
On a Spy's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Fast Shift
- Capture
- Canvas
Fast Shift
This works the same as Shift in Game 1, except you can move a row or column 1 or 2 spaces.
Example: A Spy decides to Fast Shift the middle row right 2 spaces. Irma and Julian will "fall off" and be placed in the empty spaces to the left. Julian will end up below Barrin and Irma will be below Alyss.
Capture
Choose an adjacent Suspect. If that Suspect matches any other player's Secret Identity, they are Captured. Take their Secret Identity card as a trophy, then flip that Suspect Card over to its deceased side. The player who was Captured draws a new Secret Identity. When a player has 2 trophies, they win!
Example: Ophelia may choose any of the 3 Suspects adjacent to her. If the Suspect they choose is another player's Identity, they will take their Identity card as a trophy.
Canvas
Choose a Suspect adjacent to your Secret Identity. Each player must inform you their Secret Identity is one of the living suspects adjacent to this card. They do not have to state which one is adjacent.
Example: Quinton Canvasses Ryan, who is adjacent to him. Any Suspects adjacent to Ryan must declare they are adjacent, but do not have to declare specifically who they are.
Spy Tag with 4 Players
With 4 players, the Spies will be on teams with one another, and the first team to capture 3 enemy Spies is declared the winner! There are a few changes in this version:
At the start of the game, and whenever a player acquires a new Secret Identity, they reveal it to their partner.
Aside from this reveal, there is no secret communication allowed between the players. Any conversation must be open for all players to hear.
Allied players are not revealed by their teammates' Canvas actions, and cannot be captured by their Capture actions.
Game 3: Dragnet
Investigators try and crack a conspiracy case. Figure out who's in on it before your fellow Investigators do!
As an Investigator, solve the case by creating a line of Suspects that contains only Innocents and Secret Suspicions.
Setup
Arrange the 25 Suspect Cards, living side up, in a 5x5 grid.
Shuffle the 25 Evidence Cards to form an Evidence Deck and set the Evidence Deck nearby.
Give each player an Evidence Hand of 2 cards, and one face-down Secret Suspicion card. Players may look at their Secret Suspicion at any time.
Reveal 3 cards from the Evidence Deck, and place them face-up onto the board on top of their matching suspects.
All players are Investigators. Get their reference cards. Starting with a randomly chosen player, turns proceed clockwise.
Investigator Actions
On an Investigator's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Targeted Shift
- Rethink
- Question
- Solve
Targeted Shift
Place an Evidence Card from your Evidence Hand onto the board, atop the matching Suspect Card. Move the row or column containing that Suspect one space in a single direction. Any Suspect cards that "fall off" are moved to the other side of the table. Draw a card to replenish your Evidence Hand.
Example: An Investigator decides to Shift the middle row right by placing Geneva from his Evidence Hand onto her Suspect card. Julian will "fall off" and be placed in the empty space at the left.
Rethink
Place an Evidence Card from your Evidence Hand onto the board, atop the matching Suspect Card. Pick up your Secret Suspicion, then place either of the two cards in your hand face-down as your new Secret Suspicion. Draw a card from the Evidence Deck to replenish your Evidence Hand.
Example: An Investigator places Geneva from their hand on the board, then picks up their Secret Suspicion. They could set either Clive or Alyss as their new Secret Suspicion, then would draw a card.
Question
Place an Evidence Card from your Evidence Hand onto the board, atop the matching Suspect Card, then pick up an Evidence Card from atop another adjacent suspect card into your hand. Each opponent must answer truthfully if their Secret Suspicion is adjacent to the picked-up target.
Example: Ryan is placed from an Evidence Hand onto his Suspect Card, then Simon is picked up. If any other Investigators' Secret Suspicion is adjacent to Simon, they must say so.
Solve
Choose a row, column, or diagonal of 5 cards. All players who have a Secret Suspicion in that row or column must raise their hands (including yourself). If the number of raised hands equals the number of unmarked (without Evidence cards on them) suspects in that line, then you have created a complete line of connected conspirators and win the game!
Otherwise, you skip your next turn, and each player who raised their hand during your Solve attempt may pick up their Secret Suspicion into their hand, and place a new Secret Suspicion back down. This new Suspicion may be the one it was previously.
Once the Evidence Deck is exhausted, each player may use one final Solve action, ending with the player who drew the final card from the Evidence Deck. If no player is able to Solve successfully by that time, then no player wins.
Example: An Investigator chooses to solve the middle row, which has two unmarked Suspects. If any two Investigators raise their hands, then the solver wins the game!
Dragnet with 4 Players
Form teams of two. Turns pass across the table, and each team takes alternating turns. Partners may show each other their Secret Suspicions at any time.
Game 4: Buddy Cops
Two cops take on a dangerous killer. Use their unique skills to capture the killer before they take you or most of the town out.
As the Killer, kill both cops or 13 suspects to win. As the Cops, accuse the right Suspect to win.
Setup
Arrange the 25 Suspect Cards, living side up, in a 5x5 grid.
Shuffle the 25 Evidence Cards to form an Evidence Deck and set the Evidence Deck nearby.
Choose one player to be the Killer, another to be the Profiler Cop, and another to be the Undercover Cop. Get their reference cards.
Each player draws 3 Cards. The Killer should choose one of these cards to be his Secret Identity by placing it face-down in front of him, then sets the others aside as his Disguise Hand. He may look at his Secret Identity or Disguise Hand at any time.
The Killer should then Kill a Suspect, using the Kill Action described in the Killer Actions section below.
Each of the cops should choose one of the living Suspects in their hand to be their Secret Identity by placing it face-down in front of them. The Undercover Cop should then hand the remaining cards in their hand to the Profiler Cop, and should check the Profiler Cop's Secret Identity. Thus, the Profiler controls all of the team's Evidence Cards, and the Undercover knows both of their identities. The two Cops should not communicate further during the game. The Undercover Cop may look at either Cops' Secret Identity at any time.
The game continues with the Killer's first turn, then Profiler > Killer > Undercover > Killer repeating until the Killer or the Cops have secured their victory condition.
Killer Actions
On the Killer's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Shift (this works the same as Shift in Game 1)
- Kill
- Disguise
Kill
Choose a suspect that is adjacent to your Secret Identity, then flip them over to their deceased side. That suspect is now dead.
If you kill the Suspect matching the Secret Identity of a Cop, they must reveal themselves. See the Playing with a Dead Partner section.
If you have killed 13 Suspects, then you are declared the winner of the game.
If you kill an Exonerated Suspect, you Canvas for the Cops as follows:
Canvas: The cops must answer truthfully whether either of their Identities are one of the living Suspects adjacent to this card, but not which ones they are. Discard the Evidence card on the Suspect you killed and flip their Suspect card over as normal.
Disguise
Pick up your Secret Identity and your two Disguises. Put one of them face-down in front of you as your new Secret Identity.
Undercover Actions
On the Undercover's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Shift (this works the same as Shift in Game 1)
- Fast Shift (this works the same as Fast Shift in Game 2)
- Accuse
- Disguise
Accuse
Choose a Suspect that is adjacent to your Secret Identity. If that Suspect matches the Killer's Secret Identity, then the Killer must reveal themselves and declare you the winner. You may accuse yourself instead of an adjacent suspect, to throw off the Killer's calculations. If the suspect you choose is in the Killer's Disguise Hand, the Killer must discard that card, but does not lose the game.
Disguise
Draw a card from the Evidence Deck. Pick up your Secret Identity. Choose one of these two cards to place face-down as your new Secret Identity, and give the other one to the Profiler, who adds it to his Evidence Hand.
Profiler Actions
On the Profiler's turn, they choose and perform one of these actions:
- Shift (this works the same as Shift in Game 1)
- Accuse (this works the same as Undercover's Accuse)
- Exonerate
- Deputize
Exonerate
Place a card from your Evidence Hand onto the board atop its matching Suspect card, and Canvas for the Killer as follows:
Canvas: The Killer must inform you if ANY of their Identities or Disguises are one of the living suspects adjacent to this card. They do not have to state how many are adjacent or which ones they are. If the suspect you canvas is dead, discard the Evidence card. Otherwise, leave it in place.
Deputize
Choose a card from your Evidence Hand matching a living Suspect. Place this card face-down to replace the Undercover Cop's Secret Identity, and then place their old Secret Identity on the bottom of the Evidence Deck.
Playing with a Dead Partner
In order to win, the Killer must kill two cops. The first time either cop is killed, they switch roles and both continue playing. Perform the role switch as follows:
The old Profiler gives their evidence hand to the old Undercover, then the two switch reference cards.
The deceased cop picks up evidence from the top of the deck until they encounter the evidence card matching a living suspect. This becomes their new secret identity. Any picked up evidence cards for deceased suspects are discarded face-up.
Finally, the new Undercover may look at their partner's secret identity.
After this transition, the Undercover and the Profiler have switched roles, with the old Profiler being the new Undercover, and vice-versa.
Whenever either partner dies again, the Killer wins.
If a killed partner is unable to gain a new Secret Identity because there are no living suspects remaining in the Evidence Deck, the Killer wins with only a single Cop kill.