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Bystanders

How to play

A crime has happened. Each of you is a witness who saw a part of it. Put the pieces together by talking.

What you need

  • 4 to 8 people in the same room.
  • One phone per player, with a browser. There is nothing to install.
  • One host with an account. Everyone else joins with a 6-digit code.

Who you are

  • WitnessesMost players are honest witnesses. Your private card says what you saw. Read it out in your own words, but never show your screen.
  • Honest mistakesSome memories are wrong. Nobody knows which, not even the witness. Two other witnesses can always correct a mistake.
  • LiarsWith 5 or 6 players there is 1 secret liar, with 7 or 8 there are 2. A liar's card tells them whom to frame. Liars do not know each other.

A game, step by step

  1. LobbyThe host creates a room and shares the code or the QR code. The game starts when everyone has joined.
  2. Read your cardOne minute to read your card in private. Hold the card to see it; it hides when you let go.
  3. Phones down, talkCompare what you remember and work out who is mistaken. Stuck? A hint costs the team 25 points.
  4. More actsMedium and Hard cases continue with new facts and a new card for everyone.
  5. Cross-examinationEach player asks one question out loud, to anyone.
  6. VerdictAgree on the answers together. Only the host enters the team's verdict, including who the liars are.
  7. Case closedThe truth, the liars and your team score are revealed.

Scoring

  • 100 points for every correct answer, 50 for a bonus question.
  • 100 points for every liar the team names.
  • Up to 100 points per act when everyone is ready before the discussion timer ends.
  • Minus 25 points for every hint.
  • Sharp eyes: 25 points for every player who never reveals their blurred image, if the team names the culprit.
  • The game score is what counts in the end: the points you earned divided by the points the case offers, on a scale from 0 to 1000. It is one score for the whole table and means the same for every case and every group size, so you can compare it with other groups.
  • Ranks: Detective from 400, Inspector from 700, Chief Detective from 900.

Tips

  • Read every statement on every card aloud at least once.
  • Write nothing down at first: listen for details that do not fit together.
  • If two witnesses agree and a third does not, ask the third what exactly they saw.
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