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Top 5 Social Deduction Games


Top 5 Social Deduction Games:

So you’re a downright cheat and a filthy liar... well no kidding Sherlock, welcome to the human race. I bet you like to put the blame on others too.

Deduction games allow us the freedom to do the things we like to do while pointing the finger at someone else. Who doesn’t love that! So, let’s get to it.
Here are my top 5 social deduction games that will leave you feeling as giddy as a clam.

5. Deception - Murder in Hong Kong:

Essentially, this game is cluedo, mixed with story telling and social deduction. As the murderer you show the forensic investigator what murder weapon you used and what you left behind at the crime. Then over the course of three rounds the foresenic investigator will quietly show the players what happened based on clue tiles they recieve, such as what was the weather like or what was the time of the day. They will place a token on the answer that matches the crime. Then in order each player will sell their crazy theory on what the foresenic player is trying to say. This takes the best part of cluedo, trying to figure out the murderer and the weapon, then excels it with the players creating a rich narrative of how it all went down. If you are a cunning enough criminal you can allude capture and even pin the blame on another player with similar items. If you enjoy creating rich narratives with a little bit of lying then 'Deception in Hong Kong' is for you.
BGG Link

4. Sherrif of Nottingham:

Place your goods in your bag, look the sheriff in the eye, and tell them for the fifth time this round, that you only have five apples. This is a game where you are simply trying to get cards past the sheriff. You can go legit and only pass through with legal goods, or you can try and smuggle illegal goods for more points at the end of the game. Each player will play as the sheriff twice a game and you can check any bag you see fit. Other players, however, can bribe you to check or not check as they attempt to slip by. As the sheriff there is a fine line between being greedy and catching them out on smuggling. You can take their bribe and let them through, but on the other hand, if you catch them with contraband they must pay you a fine. So which is more rewarding. Be careful though, if they are telling the truth and you check them then you will owe them money. This is a pure battle of bluffing with constant mind games, where you have to assume, surely their lying this time?

BGG Link
Buy on Mighty Ape

3: Cheating Moth:

This game is as simple as uno. On your turn you play a card that is one number lower or one higher than the card in the middle. Whenever you want you may cheat one card at a time out of your hand. This is where the fun comes in and can be done in many ways e.g. giving it to another player, hiding it amongst another a card, dropping it off the table, or simply slipping it in your sleeve. Be careful though, there is a guard who can't cheat and their goal is to catch someone cheating and pass on the guard duty. This is a great game that keeps all players engaged in new and creative ways to shed your cards away.
BGG Link

2. Spyfall:

This game is easy to learn, all players are at a location, except for the one player who has no idea what the location is. That player is the spy and will have to figure out the location without being obvious in they fact they have no idea where they are. This is all done by asking simple questions to each other like "how's the weather?" Or "do you come here often?". The trick with this game is revealling to the other players in the know that you know the location through tricky answers or questioning, however you have to be cunning enough to not reveal the location to the spy. This always leads to laughs as the players are carefully dodging around the obvious while trying to reveal information.
BGG Link
Buy on Mighty Ape

1: Coup:

Coup is extremely straightfoward in design, you want to kill all your opponents by spending 7 coins to coup them, and call them out on their lying. Each turn you can do any action if no one calls you out on lying. But if you are lying and someone catches you, you will lose one of your two lifes. This is a great game as there are only three of each card in the deck so when you reach the fourth person claiming the same card, then you know someone has lied, but who?! It already feels like a classic game. It's easy to learn, easy to teach and can be played in repetition for hours, it is pure social deduction and in that it excels.
BGG Link
Buy on Mighty Ape


That's has been my current top five, social deduction games. Leave a comment of your favourite.

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