We currently live in a golden age of fibbing and boasting at the gaming table. Don’t believe me? Check out this list of bluffing-centered lie fests and get set for some silver tongued trickery.
Ca$h ‘n Guns
Ca$h ‘n Guns is one of a handful of games where you point gun-shaped objects at people, in this case, after grabbing for the loot from a preceding heist we never see. Each round has a “Boss” who counts down the times when you point the firearms. The Boss has immunity from one of the shots pointed at them, due to clout and maybe a bulletproof vest. Who knows.
You only have so many cards that allow you to actually fire the gun, so it’s all about staring over the barrel of your sidearm and convincing someone you’re really willing to blow them away this time and they should probable drop out of the standoff.
Dead Last
Taking the thrill of a tontine, where only the last surviving member of the group gets to have the spoils, Dead Last is a game about subtle conspiracy. Each round, players vote to kill off one of their own, making the game much like a morbid reality game show. Alliances form, but ultimately have to evaporate as only the survivor wins the game.
Don’t seem too cocky or too meek or the group will turn on you. Just be perfectly average and seem to win by accident. Now that’s lying.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
We’ve all seen the classic Werewolf, where you take rounds deciding who in the village to kill, hoping to stop the creature slaying people between rounds. In many ways it’s the inspiration for half of the fibbing and voting games out there today. One Night Ultimate Werewolf is both a streamlined and a more complex version of the game. It’s more complicated in that there are many more roles than just townsperson and werewolf, each providing added information and goals.
There’s only one round of voting and all the townsfolk need to do is kill one monster. It plays in just ten intense minutes.
Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler is a smash Kickstarter hit that’s part Werewolf and part important history lesson, created by the designer of Cards Against Humanity. Fascists and liberals vie to pass their associated legislation while attempting to either assassinate or elect the secret Hitler player into power. It’s for 5-10 players and has some amazing production value, including a beautiful wood box edition. You read more about the game here, though as of right now, it’s not in stores. You’ll just have to wait.
Spyfall
More than just a bluffing game, Spyfall is a game about using context clues to make your lies more believable. In each game, one player is the spy while the others know where they are, but are still left to guess each other’s roles. It’s up to the spy to conduct conversations in such a way that they tease information from the other players while hiding the fact that they have no idea what’s going on or where they are. Non-spies try to discover who the spy is, but must walk a careful line between giving away too much information (and letting the spy discover where they are) and giving away too little (and appearing to be the spy themselves).
Does that sound convoluted enough? Sounds like pretty good spy training actually.
So check out these games for spinning gossamer webs of misinformation and intimidation. Let us know which one really honed your fibbing skills.
Featured Image Credit: Max Temkin