Jolly Thinkers PJOL01 Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, Mixed Colours

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Different people approach problems in different ways, and I loved some of the wild theories that got thrown around. Not to mention, the passionate cases people make for them when presenting their case, reminiscent of some of the greatest courtroom dramas seen on screen. Evidence collection– the Forensic Scientist places one of each of their six bullet markers on the six Scene tiles in front of them. They should put the marker on a word they think relates to the nature of the crime to tip-off the Investigators. The Investigators can freely discuss the evidence as it is laid out before them, while the Murderer must try and subvert their investigation. to 12-player game: 1 Murderer, 1 Forensic Scientist, 1 Accomplice (optional), 1 Witness (optional), all remaining: Investigators

If you’re a fan of social deduction games, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is a no brainer to add to your list. It plays brilliantly well, pulling out all my favorite facets of a social deduction game: wild theories, impassioned speeches, betrayal, deep discussion, and a whole load of making up to do at the end. The job of the Forensic Scientist is to give clues to the Investigators. However, the Forensic Scientist can’t speak. Instead he will use tiles to give hints to the Investigators. This expansion adds new Roles, Scene tiles, and Clue and Means cards to Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. The Accomplice is on the side of the Murderer. They know the Murderer’s identity and the Clue and Means cards relating to the crime. They must help the Murderer to win. I’m a huge fan of social deduction games like Avalon or Werewolf, simply because the bulk of the gameplay comes down to group discussion and theory. Relationships can be built up and come tearing down over the course of just half an hour. Trust destroyed. Hearts broken.

If the Accomplice and Witness are in the game, there are further steps to take for them, but we don’t need to go into those details. Just know that they’re fun to have in the game as well. If you were the Murderer, which two cards would you choose (1 blue, 1 red)?

We love the unique game play of deducing a pair of cards from vague clues given by the Forensic Scientist. Did I mention that everyone only gets one actual guess at the right answer? That’s necessary to make the game somewhat challenging, but it makes the guessing to game time ratio very small compared to its peers. In Codenames your team gets a handful of guesses over a 10-15 minute game. In Mysterium each person gets about 7 guesses in a 45 minute game. Deception gives everyone one guess in 20 minutes of playtime at a minimum, depending on how much discussion you allow. Subtle Investigation Each round, after an indeterminate amount of discussion, everyone’s supposed to go around and present their official hypothesis for weapon and clue within a 30 second time limit. I don’t quite understand this quirk of a rule, as it seems to create unnecessary structure. I suppose it forces people to contribute, which might help bring shy players more into the game, but it seems rather arbitrary and ends up creating more awkwardness rather than less. It also hurts whatever anemic possibilities there are for a social deduction metagame because now there’s no play in trying to hide and stay quiet as the murderer. Social deduction works when people are freed from too much structure and are given the chance to be creative with their lying and manipulating. Too much structure handcuffs the magic. I understand why you would want a time limit, because discussion can go on forever analyzing different possibilities from the vague clues. But I think it would have worked better with an overall timer rather than mandating a hypothesis carousel. Matters Of TimeFive promo cards for Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, including three means cards and two clue cards. Secondary language on these cards are Korean instead of Chinese. Thanks for a great review. My wife and I enjoy deduction games but we don’t necessarily get into the “social deduction” games (werewolf and the like) but this one keeps getting so much great buzz I’m sure we’re going to have to try it out sometime. 🙂 Reply The players are not allowed to interrupt or disturb the player making their Presentation, EXCEPT to make an attempt to "Solve the Crime".

They continue to participate as normal and may still present during all Presentation phases but may not make another attempt to solve the crime. Most notable, though, are the three new role cards: the Lab Technician, Protective Detail, and the Inside Man. The flow of the game remains the same, but players now have new powers, which can greatly up the angst in the room.Great online store for board games. They always arrive perfectly and undamaged which is important to me. Social deduction games can be a little confusing for those new to the game. And, by their very nature, can be quite difficult to teach ‘as you go along’, as if anyone reveals their identity, the game is ruined. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong brings together all the best aspects of a social deduction game to create a fast-paced and fascinating whodunnit.