"I'm buying this game right now!"
That was the reaction from one of our friends when we took Deception: Murder in Hong Kong to a neighborhood game night. And then she picked up her phone and ordered it on the spot.
Not everyone we've played with has loved this game so much (more on that later), but most agree that it's fast to play, easy to learn, and great for a casual game night.
Here's the low down: There's a bad guy among you, and it's up to the group to figure out who it is. In this respect, Deception is much like Werewolves, The Resistance and Avalon. They each have their own special take on the idea, though, and Deception's is this: not only do you have to figure out who the bad guy is (in this case, it's a murderer), but you also have to point out how they did it and what evidence they left behind.
The clues are right in front of you. Literally.
Players are each dealt a set of four Means of Murder and four Key Evidence cards, which are then placed face up in front of them. The murderer chooses his means and the evidence while everyone else's eyes are closed and then, the game is afoot. The group has three rounds and one guess each to figure out whodunnit and how.
Sound tricky? It is, but there's a useful twist. In Werewolves, the moderator sees all, but can't help. In Deception, that person has a roll in the game. The Forensic Scientist uses clue cards and plastic bullets to point the investigators in the right direction. Or tries to.
During a round, each person has thirty seconds to make their case for who they think did it. This method is, in my opinion, a bit of brilliance on the part of the game makers--the quiet ones can speak up without seeming out of character, and the loud ones have to shut up and listen. If, by the end, the guesses are all used up and none was exactly right, the murderer wins.
So, what's not to love? Well, there is one flaw. It's hard to see the cards everyone has in front of them, especially with a large group. We push our cards in close, and that helps, but a round table might work even better. Clearing wording and graphics would have clarified things, too.
Despite that drawback, we still recommend this game. And it seems that we're not alone. There are award stickers galore on the box. Clearly, my neighbor isn't the only one who wants to buy this game right now.
# Players . . . 4-12
Ages 14 and up
Game time . . . . . . . . 15-30 minutes
Ages 14 and up
Game time . . . . . . . . 15-30 minutes
Set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 minutes
Luck . . . . . . . .5 . . . . Strategy
*Interplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Visual Appeal . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Component Quality . .. . . . . 7
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