Asesino en Serie
Asesino en Serie Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 10 Destiny Markers
- 1 Turn Marker
- 40 Cards:
- 10 Intention/Role Cards
- 10 Good Intention Cards
- 20 Bad Intention Cards
- 1 Ritual card / death counter
- 12 Cards for the social game mode
How to Play the Tabletop Game, 5-10 Player Mode
Objective
The objective of the Killer and their accomplices is to murder 3 people and escape unpunished for their crimes. The objective of the rest of the players is to provide as much information as possible so that the Detective can catch the killer, or the Prosecutor can uncover them before their last crime.
1. Game Setup
Depending on the number of players, take the corresponding Intention/Role Cards; the rest are not needed for the game and can be returned to the box.
| Number of Players | Victim | Detective | Prosecutor | Journalist | Doctor | Killer | Accomplice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
Each player takes one Intention/Role Card at random, one Good Intentions Card, and two Bad Intentions Cards.
Each player must discard, face down in the centre of the table and without the other players seeing it, the Intention Card left over according to the icon in the upper right corner of their Intention/Role Card. The examples printed in the rulebook show a blue-and-red icon for the Victim card and a red icon for the Killer card. The discarded cards are set aside to one side of the table, as they will not be used in this game.
With three cards in hand, each player is ready to start the hunt.
The Intention/Role Cards count as Good Intentions or Bad Intentions cards as appropriate. The Killer and Accomplice are considered Bad Intentions cards, and the rest of the players are considered Good Intentions.
1.1 The Killer and Accomplices Are Planning Their Crimes
"Starting ritual": An Unstoppable Instinct
All players close their eyes. Slowly breathing deeply, each player looks inward. Everyone counts aloud, in unison, for ten seconds. The Killer will be breathing and counting among us. Players then open their eyes and observe, absorbed in our own depths. If there are accomplices, they too open their eyes, recognising each other in the scene. Before the ten seconds end, the Killer and accomplices must close their eyes again, hiding themselves among those who saw each other like that.
... When the ten seconds are over, everyone opens their eyes simultaneously and looks back at the others.
Whoever opens their eyes first and sees the centre of the table takes the Turn Marker (the knife). That player starts the game and chooses the direction of play.
2. Declaring Intentions
At first the information we have is scarce. People must be wary, form bonds of trust and devise the best strategies to catch the Killer. Meanwhile, the Killer and the Accomplice seek to create confusion, pretending to be people with good intentions, hiding their thirst for possessing the victims without raising suspicion.
Declare intention: On their turn, the player must play one of their cards face down in front of another player, declaring their intentions without anyone being able to see that card. For example, by saying "I have good intentions for you", "you seem like someone I can trust", "I don't trust you at all", or "you don't seem like someone to trust", among others. It is important that the intention is declared, but not necessarily with words; they could also be gestures or looks. Anything could give us clues about who wants to kill us. The declared card does not necessarily have to match the card that is played. Each declaration of intention is an opportunity to generate information. You may ask the player to whom you played the card "What did you play on me?", "What is this?", "What are your true intentions?" or say whatever you consider necessary. In this way you can gain the trust or suspicion of others, or affirm your own suspicions, which will be corroborated as the game advances.
Example declarations printed in the rulebook:
- Pedro (Killer): "Julio, I have excellent intentions for you."
- María (victim): "Julio, I don't trust you."
- Roberto (victim): "Julio, I trust you."
It is advisable to place the cards face down in the order in which they were played, from left to right. This helps players remember who declared intentions to them, what intentions each one declared, and when. Always keep your undeclared cards in hand to avoid confusion between declared cards and cards in the hands of the players.
If a third intention card is declared against a player, their destiny is sealed and no further intentions may be declared against them. Take a Destiny Marker, place it in front of that player with the heart side facing up. When a next player is sealed, the destiny of the previously sealed player must be resolved (see Resolve Destiny, "point 3").
Once an intention has been declared, the Turn Marker passes to the next player, in the direction indicated by the starting player.
3. Resolving Destiny
Shuffle and reveal: To resolve a player's destiny, that player takes the three cards played in front of them, shuffles them carefully so they are not shown, and then reveals them in front of the other players. The Intention/Role cards are resolved first. If two or more Bad Intentions cards appear in front of them, they have been murdered: they must leave the Destiny Marker with the skull face up on top of their cards. If one or no Bad Intentions cards are obtained, they were not a victim of the Killer, and they must pile their cards with the Destiny Marker with the heart face up.
Last words: If a player has been murdered, they have the right to their last words. In their last words, the player may express, for the last time, the greatest amount of information they have about who declared intentions to them and their suspicions. Then they must declare and play all the cards they still have in hand at that moment, if they have any.
After the above, the turn continues with the next player, as indicated by the Turn Marker.
Intention/Role Cards
When the destiny of each player is revealed, Intention/Role cards may appear that other players played on them. Each card has a specific action that must be resolved. Remember that each Intention/Role card also represents good or bad intentions, depending on its colour.
Killer (Asesino): If the Killer card is among the revealed intention cards, regardless of its combination with the other cards, the person is murdered.
Doctor (Médico): If the Doctor card appears among the revealed intention cards, it means the doctor has visited you and one Bad Intentions card that has been revealed is cancelled. This prevents the death of the player, always provided the Killer card is not among the revealed cards.
Detective (Detective): If the Detective card appears among the revealed intention cards, it means the detective has interrogated you, and you must confess whether or not you are the killer. If you are the Killer, then you have been caught and will be judged, granting victory to the Good Intentions team.
Journalist (Periodista): If the Journalist card appears among the revealed intention cards, the journalist has interviewed you, and you must declare in detail to whom you played cards and by whom you were played cards. You may also declare your respective suspicions about each revealed intention, including the Journalist card. Remember that you can always lie in your declarations if your strategy so warrants, but at your own responsibility.
Accomplice (Cómplice): If the Accomplice card appears among the revealed intention cards, the accomplice has crossed paths with you in your destiny. You have been left in Shock and, out of fear, you will avoid giving details about everything you had to see with the killers, and you will keep your suspicions to yourself, even if the press interviews you, so you may not use your "last words".
Prosecutor (Fiscal): If the Prosecutor card appears among the revealed intention cards, it means that the prosecutor, after their investigations, wishes to deliberate an accusation against the killer. You must ask: "Does the Prosecutor remain alive?" If the Prosecutor is to remain alive, they must reveal themselves and accuse one player of being the killer. The accused player must say whether the accusation is correct. If correct, the Killer has been caught and will be judged, granting victory to the Good Intentions team. If wrong, an important chance to stop this slaughter has been wasted.
Note: If more than one Intention/Role card appears when the destiny is revealed, the actions of each of the roles that appear must be resolved, in the order the player decides.
4. End of Game
The game ends immediately when:
- 3 deaths occur. The Killer and the Accomplice win.
- The Detective catches the Killer, the Prosecutor sentences them, or the Killer is murdered. The Good Intentions people win.
- The 3 deaths do not occur. The Good Intentions people win.
Suggestion for a points game: We suggest playing a series of 3 consecutive games, awarding the following points at the end of each game:
| Character | Survive | Murder | Surviving | Victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victim | +1 | 0 | +0.5 | +2 |
| Killer | +1 | +1 | 0 | +3 |
| Accomplice | +1 | +1 | 0 | +3 |
| Detective | +1 | 0 | 0 | +5 |
| Prosecutor | +1 | 0 | +0.5 | +3 |
Note: points are earned by the player who played the respective Intention/Role card, not by the player who received it.
To receive the points at the end of the round, you must look at the table, noting the corresponding amount of points according to the columns depending on the character or role you were dealt:
- Survive: You earn this score from this column if you manage to survive at the end of the round.
- Murder: You earn this score multiplied by the number of murders that have occurred in the game (only up to 3 points for Killer and Accomplices).
- Surviving: You earn this score multiplied by the number of survivors of the round, provided the Killer has been caught.
- Victory: You earn this score if your team won the round.
After the series of 3 rounds is finished, the winner of the Serial Killer series is declared to be the player with the most points.
How to Play, 2-4 Player Mode
1. Game Setup
To play this game mode, separate the following Intention/Role cards: Killer, Accomplice, Detective, Prosecutor, Doctor and Journalist. Also separate 7 Bad Intentions cards, 5 Good Intentions cards, the 6 Destiny Markers and the Ritual/Death Register card. Return the rest of the cards to the box.
In this game mode, the symbols in the upper right corner of the Intention/Role cards are not used.
Place the 6 Destiny Markers in a row. These columns form the possible crimes, where each player will declare cards as good or bad intentions, and then reveal the victims' destinies.
- For 2-player games, take one card each at random between the Detective and the Killer.
- For 3-player games, take one card each at random between the Detective, the Killer, and one other card at random from the 4 remaining.
- For 4-player games, take one card each: Detective, Killer, Prosecutor and Accomplice.
Form a deck with the remaining characters and intention cards.
- For 2-player games, deal 6 cards to each player and place 4 cards face down, forming the first row of the first 4 columns.
- For 3-player games, deal 4 cards to each player and place 3 cards face down, forming the first row of the first 3 columns.
- For 4-player games, deal 3 cards to each player and place 2 cards face down, forming the first row of the first 2 columns.
Objective
If you are the Killer, you win the game if you manage to avoid the Detective and the third murder occurs; in this case the Accomplice also wins. The Detective and the other players win if they manage to avoid the third murder when all destinies have been revealed, or if the Killer is caught by the Detective.
2. Game Turn
On their turn, each player may perform one of these two actions:
Play a card: Play a card face down and declare it as a good or bad intention, in one of the columns that is not sealed. When the third card is placed in a column, place the Destiny Marker at the bottom of that column; this means that destiny is sealed and could be revealed in later turns.
Reveal destiny: You may reveal the destiny of a column if the Destiny Marker is at its bottom. If an Intention/Role card is among the revealed cards, you must apply the effect of that card. Remember that each Intention/Role card also counts as a good or bad intention card.
If a column shows 2 or more bad intentions, a murder has occurred. Take the Destiny Marker and place it on the murder register card (the Ritual/Death Register card has spaces for the three murders).
This continues until the third murder occurs, the Detective catches the Killer, or all destinies have been revealed.
If a player has no cards to play and no destiny to reveal, they must pass. Passing is only possible in this case.
Effects of Cards When Revealed
- Killer: In the column in which it appears, a murder has occurred, regardless of the other cards that appear (it is not affected by the Doctor card).
- Accomplice: You may exchange up to two cards from your hand for the same number of cards from the hand of another player.
- Prosecutor: You may swap the position of up to 2 cards that have not been revealed among the declared cards.
- Journalist: You may reveal up to 2 cards from different columns. (The effects are not activated if other characters are discovered.)
- Doctor: Cancels one bad intention card from the column being revealed.
- Detective: If it appears in the same column as the Killer's card, the Killer has been caught. If not, you must show the cards you still have in hand to the other players and say whether you are the Killer or not.
3. End of Game
If the Killer and the Accomplice achieve the third murder before the Detective uncovers the Killer, they have won the game!
If the three murders are not completed, or the Detective catches the Killer, the innocents have won the game.
Let the hunt begin!
Asesino en Serie: Social Game
Asesino en Serie is a real-time social game with an indeterminate duration for each game. Let the hunt begin!
One of us will become the killer. Deep inside, they will discover an unstoppable instinct that until now had been repressed. The killer knows us well, and will convince one of us to become the accomplice of a terrifying plan: to eliminate, one by one, those who until now had been their friends. Killer and accomplice must go unnoticed in each of their crimes, hide the plan from their victims, and strike without leaving traces, footprints, or suspicion.
Will we be able to stop the slaughter in time? Finding and judging correctly, evading the strategy, the deception and the traps of a pair of criminal minds? Will the killer and their accomplice go unpunished?
Components
- 12 Role Cards
- Access to the Asesino en Serie app (optional)
1. Awakening the Instinct
Depending on the number of players, take one Killer card, the corresponding number of Victim cards and Special Character cards at random, taking care not to reveal which special characters will be in play. Only we will know which characters are in play as the game advances. This gives the game excitement and suspense.
| Number of Players | Killer | Victims | Special Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 12 | 1 |
Each player, in a ceremony held for the occasion, receives a Role card in strict secrecy. Only one of the players receives the Killer card, who must choose an accomplice, involving them in their deadly plan. This must be done discreetly, trying to ensure nobody else finds out about their alliance. The chosen accomplice will be approached when found alone, and shown their card. The request is irrefutable. Once the accomplice has been chosen, the hunt begins.
In addition, a common place called the official medium is chosen. Information relevant to the game is published there as cards, notes and even threats. This space can be physical (such as a wall newspaper, whiteboard, fridge, coffee table, etc.) or virtual (such as an email, blog or collaborative text).
The game has an optional mobile app. In it you can create games, invite friends, assign each player's roles, and use it as the official communication channel during the game. In the app you can post messages under the name of the character you represent, anonymously, but at the end of the game all players will be able to see who actually wrote each message.
2. Events
Each day, a series of events committed by the characters of this story will occur.
Crime: The Killer and the accomplice must plan their crime. Once the victim has been chosen, they will take the precise moment. There is absolute freedom as to the atmosphere they wish to create (threat cards, psychological harassment, little messages in the pigeonhole, pinches at dawn, cut sheets, garlic sweets, among other atrocities that may germinate in a criminal mind). Death is not real. The way to commit the Crime is to show the Killer's card to the victim, saying a phrase such as "you're dead", "your time has come", "goodbye", among others that could give the sensation of death. This card may be shown by the Killer or by the accomplice. Once the murder has been expressed as intention, nothing more is needed; neither running nor escaping will save you from death. If you are the Killer, it is important that there are no witnesses to the scene, since if you are seen by other players or common witnesses, judgement will be imminent, and they will have been uncovered!
Only one crime may be carried out while the Killer and the accomplice are at the scene and the victim is alone. The victim must hand their Role card over to the killers, and will be private, in game terms, from giving information about their killers directly to the rest of the players. They may, however, write and send their Farewell Letter. The Killer and the accomplice may only commit one crime per day.
Farewell Letter (Carta de Despedida): At the end of the day, the affected player may leave, narratively, clues about their murder, including about their killers, but never directly. Creativity is the fundamental value (key clues, riddles and hints, the killer's favourite colours, whether they prefer chocolate or vanilla...). Avoid references to physical appearance, clothing, etc. The criterion is fundamental. The letter may include a reference to the place or a reference to the time, but never both.
Examples printed in the rulebook:
- Example setup: Koke is murdered at 6 in the afternoon by Pablo, who is the Killer, and Francisca, his accomplice, heading to the classroom after lunch. Koke leaves his Farewell Letter in the official medium.
- Permitted: "After a grey day, just before dusk, around 18:00 hours, they viciously murdered me while I was having my snack."
- Permitted: "They are agile and know how to hide well. They took my life in the alley that connects the dining room with the classrooms."
- Not permitted: "They killed me, Pablete and Fran, behind the stairs." (refers to names)
- Not permitted: "They killed me at 6 in the afternoon in the corridor." (gives only time or place, not both)
Obviously, once murdered, the unfortunate players may join us for lunch, have a drink, join in homework or chat about life, but for game purposes they will be dead. Here lies one of the fundamental rules for the correct development of the game: the victim must carefully keep the identity of their killers, the secret to the grave, and withdraw from argumentative discussions about the deduction of the killers. Even so, they could leave some clue if it came from beyond, carefully and in silence, without anyone knowing. The clue should be of the same kind as those pronounced in the Farewell Letter.
Judgement (Juicio): They must stop the slaughter while they can. They may set traps and strategies, or any kind of situation that makes the killer instinct show, and thus increase and clarify their suspicions. Seek out suspects, make hypotheses, trust or distrust. Anyone may turn out to be the killer. Players, whether killers or not, may gather a group of 3 or more players to accuse another player, making that player show and hand over their card. The accused player also has the right to write their Farewell Letter as if they had been murdered.
If the killer is not the one accused, the game continues and the killer remains loose among us. There is no way to directly identify whether the accused player is an accomplice or not, so if they were, they will continue accompanying the killer in their crimes. The accused player is deprived of their benefits as a respected player, that is, of taking part in a judgement and in the deductive argumentation of the criminal mind.
3. Special Characters
Detective: If you are the Detective, your role will be fundamental to catching the killer. Each day after the game starts, you may demand to see the card of one of the players in solitude and discreetly (with the same discretion as the killer acts), corroborating their role in the game. In this way you can manage a judgement if you have discovered the killer, or narrow down your suspicions. But beware: you are still exposed to being murdered, since you are the most important target, and without you the criminal plan would be easier.
Maniac: If your role is the Maniac card, you are a madman or madwoman thirsty for blood, and your objective is to kill the killer. For this you do not even need an accomplice; you act alone. You may use your killing action once a day, just like the killer, but be very careful: each death in vain will mean you are closer to defeat, and you will draw the attention of the real criminals. Be cautious, as you could kill many innocents. If it happens that the Detective or the Maniac is selected as accomplice by the killer, the accomplice role takes precedence over the others. This means there could be a game without a Detective or without a Maniac, without affecting the basic rules of the game.
Doctor: If your role is the Doctor card, once a day you may show your card to any other player with the aim of avoiding their murder. This means that at the time of writing the Farewell Letter, the player may say that "the Doctor saved me just in time before I could die", or "I arrived just in time before dying", among other things that may happen. You will have privileged information about their killers, but be careful: you will also become the first target of the killer and the accomplice the following day.
It is possible that the player you showed your card to is not murdered, and your action loses its effect. But if you manage to predict a murder, you will almost have won the game with your play.
Journalist: If your role is the Journalist card, once a day you may interview a player by showing them your card. You may ask things like: "Where were you yesterday afternoon?", "What is your favourite colour?", "Who were you with at lunchtime?"
Afterwards, you may write a note about the interview and publish it in the official medium, together with the Farewell Letters. You have great power, because a reader could find an inconsistency in the interviewee's account, exposing the killer. Or, if you are an accomplice, you could manipulate the information, hiding some details and highlighting others for your convenience.
Prosecutor: If your role is the Prosecutor card, you may take part in a judgement 2 times a day, always provided the other players have not taken part in more judgements that day.
4. Silencing the Instinct
The game ends when a group manages to accuse the killer, stopping the slaughter and giving victory to the accusers.
The criminals win when half of the total number of players has been murdered and at least the killer is still alive. If there is an odd number of players, half is calculated by rounding down (with nine players, the killer wins after the fourth murder).
The killer's victory must be announced through the official medium of the game, citing a new start ceremony.