Agatha Christie: Death on the Cards
Agatha Christie: Death on the Cards Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Box Contents
- 25 Detective cards
- 22 Event cards
- 18 Secret cards
- 4 Devious cards
- 10 'Not so Fast...' cards
- 1 Murderer Escapes! card
Aim of the Game
Players aim to uncover each other's secret cards in order to discover the Murderer in time to stop them escaping.
If at any point a player has all of their secret cards revealed, then they are plunged into social disgrace and lose the ability to play certain cards (see 'Revealing Secret Cards').
The player with the You're The Murderer!! secret card wins the game if the draw pile is exhausted and The Murderer Escapes! card is revealed, or if all of the other players are in social disgrace.
All of the other players win if the You're The Murderer!! secret card is revealed. The killer is unmasked and will be held to account for their crime.
Set-up
For 3-4 players (see the 2-Player Rules and 5 & 6-Player Rules for 2, 5 and 6 players).
- Secret cards. Shuffle together the secret cards listed in the table below:
| Game | Secret cards |
|---|---|
| 2-player game | 5 secret cards + You're The Murderer!! secret card |
| 3-player game | 8 secret cards + You're The Murderer!! secret card |
| 4-player game | 11 secret cards + You're The Murderer!! secret card |
| 5-player game | 13 secret cards + You're The Murderer!! + You're The Accomplice! secret cards |
| 6-player game | 16 secret cards + You're The Murderer!! + You're The Accomplice! secret cards |
Return the remaining secret cards to the box.
Deal 3 cards face-down to each player. After looking at their cards, they place them face-down in front of them. Now, one player knows they are the Murderer.
- Deal 1 'Not so Fast...' card to each player to start their hand. Give 1 player aid card to each player.
- Place the Murderer Escapes! card face-up in the middle of the table.
- Take all the detective cards, event cards, devious cards and remaining 'Not so Fast...' cards. Shuffle them thoroughly and deal 5 cards face-down to each player. The players add these cards to their hand, so only they can see them.
- Place the remaining cards face-down on top of the Murderer Escapes! card. This forms the draw pile. Turn over the topmost card and place it alongside to start the discard pile. Turn over 3 cards from the draw pile and place them face-up in a row to form the card draft. Now you are ready to play!
- The player whose birthday is closest to Agatha Christie's (the 15th of September - flip a coin in case of a draw) starts the game, and players take turns clockwise.
Player's starting hand: 5 cards (Step 4) plus one 'Not So Fast...' card (Step 2). Face-down in front of the player: 3 secret cards from Step 1. At the centre of the table: the draw pile on top of the Murderer Escapes! card, the discard pile, and the card draft (3 cards).
How to Play
On a player turn you may:
- Play one event card in front of you
- OR Play one set of detective cards in front of you
- OR Add one detective card to one existing set of detective cards
At the end of your turn, you may discard as many cards as you wish and draw back up to a hand of six cards.
Note: If you cannot or do not want to play any cards on your turn, you must discard at least one card from your hand.
Playing One Event Card
Play an event card from your hand face-up and take the action described on the card. After taking the action, place the card face-up on the discard pile, unless otherwise stated.
Playing One Set of Detective Cards
Play one detective set face-up in front of you and take the action described on the card. You own this detective set.
Each original detective card has a set number on the top left-hand side, which shows how many cards of the same type are required, in order to play a valid detective set in front of you.
There are 7 different types of original detective cards:
- Hercule Poirot
- Miss Marple
- Mr Satterthwaite
- Parker Pyne
- Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent
- Tommy Beresford
- Tuppence Beresford
In addition, there is an extra wildcard type of detective card: Harley Quin Wildcard.
For example, to be able to play a Hercule Poirot detective set, you must have three cards to play at once. If you do not have three Hercule Poirot cards, you may use one or more Harley Quin Wildcards instead to make up to the required set number.
Notes:
- You must play at least one original detective card that is not a Harley Quin Wildcard. You cannot play a valid detective set with only Harley Quin Wildcards.
- The action you take is on the original detective card, not on any Harley Quin Wildcard.
- Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Beresford detective cards may be used as wildcards for each other's sets. The subsequent action cannot be cancelled by a 'Not so Fast...' card.
Adding One Detective Card to an Existing Set
You may add one matching original detective card of the same type to expand one of your existing detective sets in front of you and take the action on the card again OR you may add one Ariadne Oliver detective card to an existing detective set owned by another player.
Notes:
- Harley Quin Wildcards cannot be added to existing detective sets.
- Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Beresford detective cards may be added to each other's existing sets on the table in front of you. The subsequent action cannot be cancelled by a 'Not so Fast...' card.
End of Your Turn
At the end of your turn, detective cards remain in sets but played event cards and 'Not so Fast...' cards, and passed devious cards are placed face-up on the discard pile. Then, you may discard as many cards as you wish from your hand to the discard pile. Now you must draw cards until there are six cards in your hand.
Note: You may only draw cards on your turn.
There are two options when you draw cards: to take the topmost card from the draw pile or draw a card from the face-up card draft instead. Each time you draw a card from the card draft, it is immediately replaced with the topmost card from the draw pile, which is turned face-up and added to the card draft.
Devious Cards
Devious cards are only used during the actions described on the Card Trade and Dead Card Folly event cards.
If you are passed a devious card, you have been tricked and must carry out the action described on the card. Afterwards the devious card is placed on the discard pile.
Note: Devious cards cannot be played to the table like event cards.
'Not so Fast...' Cards
Unless stated otherwise, before the action on a card is taken, any player may play a 'Not so Fast...' card to cancel the action.
Multiple 'Not so Fast...' cards may be played by multiple players to cancel previous 'Not so Fast...' cards. After all cards have been played, determine whether the action is taken or not. Afterwards all 'Not so Fast...' cards are placed on the discard pile.
Note: 'Not so Fast...' cards cannot be played to the table like an event card.
Revealing Secret Cards
Once a secret card is revealed, it remains face-up as a mark of shame (unless another card allows it to do otherwise). If all of your secret cards are revealed face-up and you are not the Murderer, you are plunged into social disgrace and may no longer play cards on your turn as usual. Instead, on your turn, you must discard one card from your hand, then draw another card. You may still play 'Not so Fast...' cards and must still participate in actions described by the cards: Point your Suspicions, Card Trade and Dead Card Folly.
End Game
If at any time the You're The Murderer!! secret card is revealed then the Murderer has been caught and all other players share the victory.
The Murderer wins if the draw pile is depleted and the Murderer Escapes! card is revealed. The Murderer has managed to confuse the players in order to bide their time before the police arrive. They disappear into the night, never to be seen again.
If all the secret cards of all the other players are revealed, leaving only the Murderer with unrevealed secret cards, then the Murderer wins, leaving all other players in social disgrace.
2-Player Rules
When there are only two suspects around the table, you will know who the Murderer is from the beginning, making the game a fast-paced race to catch the culprit or escape justice. The rules are the same as in a 3-4 player game. However, you must remove all three Point Your Suspicions cards and the one Blackmailed! card from the game before playing.
5 & 6-Player Rules
In a 5-6 player game, the You're The Accomplice! secret card is also used. The rules are the same as the 3-4 player game, except the following:
- After looking at their secret cards, one player knows they are the Murderer and one player knows they are the Accomplice. If a player has both cards, please reshuffle.
- Before continuing, the Murderer and Accomplice must discover each other. All of the players close their eyes for a count of ten. During the count, the Murderer and Accomplice open their eyes and look around to identify each other. Both close their eyes again before the count reaches ten, when all players open their eyes again.
- The Accomplice and Murderer share the same aim to allow the Murderer to escape and they will work secretly together against the other players to make this happen. If an Accomplice secret card is revealed face-up, the player is immediately considered in social disgrace. In this case, the Murderer may still be able to escape. The Accomplice would share in the Murderer's victory or loss.
Strategy Tips
The Murderer and Accomplice (if used) will try and sow suspicion between the other players. They may sneakily discard more cards so the draw pile is depleted more quickly and collect 'Not so Fast...' cards to protect themselves from revealing their secrets.
All players should keep an eye on the actions and motives of others. It is wise to note the cards drawn by others and to form alliances with other trustworthy players.
Secret card text: You're The Murderer!! - if this card is revealed, you are caught and have lost the game. If the Murderer Escapes! card is revealed, you get away with murder and win the game! You're The Accomplice! - if the Murderer escapes, you both win the game, even if this secret card is revealed! However, if the Murderer is revealed you both lose the game.
Game Turn Example
In a 3-player game, Jane has the You're the Murderer!! secret card. After several rounds all players have one secret card revealed.
- On Jane's turn, she plays a set of detective cards: two Hercule Poirot detective cards and one Harley Quin Wildcard to match the set number (3). She chooses Adam to reveal his second secret card. Adam plays a 'Not so Fast...' card to cancel that action. The set stays on the table and the 'Not so Fast...' card is discarded. At the end of her turn, Jane discards some cards and draws her hand up to six cards.
- On Adam's turn, he plays a Dead Card Folly event card and asks all players to pass a face-down card to the player on their right hand to add to their hand. Jane is passed a devious card: Social Faux Pas by Adam and must reveal a secret card of her choice. The devious card is then discarded. Adam draws cards.
- On the next turn, Alex plays an event card: And then there was one more... They take a face-up secret card from Adam and add it face-down in their secrets. They now have four secret cards. Alex draws cards.
- On Jane's turn, she adds a Tommy Beresford detective card to her existing set of Tuppence Beresford and Harley Quin Wildcard. She then asks Adam to reveal a secret card of his choice, which can't be cancelled by a 'Not so Fast...' card. Jane draws cards.
- Adam plays the event card: Point Your Suspicions. He suspects Jane but unfortunately he can't persuade Alex. Adam plays a 'Not so Fast...' card, but Jane counters with one of her own. He plays another but so does Alex. Adam has no more 'Not so Fast...' cards. Jane and Alex point to Adam and he must reveal his last secret card. He is plunged into social disgrace and now may not play cards on his turn.
- Alex now knows the Murderer so adds one Ariadne Oliver detective card to the Hercules Poirot set in front of Jane. She has one face-down secret card remaining and no 'Not so Fast...' cards, so Jane reveals the You're the Murderer!! secret card - Alex and Adam win!