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Detectives and Criminals

over 5 years

Simple forum game I am testing for 8 people!

The players are secretly divided between 4 detectives and 4 criminals. Nobody knows who is on anyone's team.

At the start of the game, each detective will secretly receive the names of two people, one of which is a detective and one of which is a criminal. No two detectives will share any names in their reports.

A suitcase containing millions of dollars starts the game lying on the ground. At any time, someone can say they want to grab the suitcase.

When someone has the suitcase, their role will be revealed, and they will have 24 hours to pass it to another player whose role is still unknown. When that player recieves the suitcase, their alignment is revealed and they must pass it to someone in 24 hours... etc.

The detectives win if all detectives are revealed. The criminals win if 3 of the 4 criminals are revealed.

The winning team absconds with the suitcase with all the cash inside.

Post below if you are interested in playing ~ the game will start as soon as I have 8 players. Please join only if you will be sufficiently active (though there is no shame in asking for a replacement when you need to!)

over 5 years
if this happens again i wanna play...
over 5 years
I log back in and the game's already over lmao
over 5 years
omg maybe we could make it like dethy where theres an insane chief and a normal chief, and the normal chief knows the criminal but the insane chief thinks a detective is the criminal, and there could be a random chief who gets the name of someone who could either be a criminal or a detective, but its randomized even tho the random chief thinks hes a normal chief
over 5 years
oh yeah and it'd be if criminals guess the mastermind detective, they would win in that case

(*cough* not merlin at all *cough*)
over 5 years
i like all of these except number 4, it seems like it could be overpowered if they know who everybody is excluding the hidden roles imo
over 5 years
Yeah I think special roles would spice the game up a lot more.

Some combo of:

1) Hidden Detective - No reports, not on any reports.
2) Hidden Criminal - Not on any reports.
3) Winning Criminal - Pass to after 2 criminals have been revealed to win (otherwise crims must reveal all 4)
4) Mastermind Detective - Knows all except hidden detective, criminal.
5) Chief - knows the name of a criminal
over 5 years
how about a Chief role, someone who's sided with the detectives but begins the game with a report identifying one of the players as a criminal?? it could be interesting as the actual chief and the accused could debate over who's the true one but i'm not sure if it would disrupt balance??
over 5 years
Actually wait, ignore my first statement since the wincon you suggest isn't impossible. I still think villager-like roles would be good for balance tho.
over 5 years
if a detective took it first I would assume everyone would just end up claiming detective and having to out their reports at the same time - it may or may not be possible to logically deduce who is lying from it, especially if the OG detective keeps their report hidden.
over 5 years
Problem with that is the neutral party become something like a kingmaker, I think the proper way to balance it is to have 'villager'-alike roles alongside the detectives like Emirie mentioned.
over 5 years
i think we need like a third alignment, like neither criminal nor detective, to also prolong it, like maybe they win if the suitcase is pass to exactly two detectives and two criminals
over 5 years
Yeah the problem is whoever grabs it first is it an advantage, I myself was gonna grab it first but I was waiting for everyone to be more active first.
over 5 years

okiedokes says

omg you should have like one person who knows the name of all the criminals but if the criminal guess who it is then they win, and they show up as detective


this would be cool but also highkey it'd be very similar to merlin in avalon

to make it thematically different it could be someone who knows the names of all the detectives (even though in effect that's the same thing)
over 5 years
I think if there's at least 10 players, there's more chance of confusion/activity which would definitely prolong this and make it more entertaining.
over 5 years

LuminaryKaito says

@Preposterous but wouldnt it be detective-sided if the detectives grabbed it first????


its instantly sided towards whoever grabs it first lolol
over 5 years
also if a detective grabbed the suitcase and was revealed to be a detective, another detective who originally got them with a criminal in their report would be able to tell the detective with the suitcase not to give it to the other person in their report who they would know is a criminal??
over 5 years

Hatrium says

I think you need to add 1 role, this person is a good guy but does not get detective reports - to make it simple this is the one person that doesn't show up on any detective reports


yeah I think this role would give a good boost to the criminals that might be necessary (even though they overwhelmingly won this time)
over 5 years
@Preposterous but wouldnt it be detective-sided if the detectives grabbed it first????
over 5 years
omg you should have like one person who knows the name of all the criminals but if the criminal guess who it is then they win, and they show up as detective
over 5 years
Oh it's over already LOL ggwbreuigrbe-

But yeah I think this is criminal sided if Criminal is the first one to grab the suitcase.
over 5 years
I think you need to add 1 role, this person is a good guy but does not get detective reports - to make it simple this is the one person that doesn't show up on any detective reports
over 5 years
yeah maybe, or have a set time for the suitcase to be available to be taken so it's a race to be grabbed n each side has a fair chance?
over 5 years
okiedokez no you bloody bloody didnt I CARRIED EQUALLY AS MUCH AS YOU OK
over 5 years
I'm not sure, I think we just got unlucky. The odds of criminals blitzing successfully was around 15% and it worked out for them this time
over 5 years
yall are welcome i singlehandedly carried this game