De Mol
De Mol Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Game board
- 10 question card sets of 50 cards each. Each set consists of:
- 8 question cards
- 8 joker cards
- 6 mole cards
- 24 answer cards
- 2 flag cards
- 2 advertisement cards
- Pencils (potloden)
- Notepad
- Rulebook
Requirements
A smartphone or tablet with a QR scanner is needed to play the game. An internet connection is not required to play. However, an app is needed for this; these are free to download.
In addition, there is a special "De Mol" timer that can be used to make the game even more exciting. Go to www.demolspel.nl and use the timer on your smartphone, tablet or PC. An internet connection is required for this.
Preparation
Place the game board on the table. The box contains 10 sets of cards. Each set is based on a country where the TV programme Wie is de Mol? has previously been played. For each new game, you open one set of cards.
Remove the first card with the flag and the two advertisement cards. Then sort the remaining 46 cards as follows:
Sorting the Cards
Sort the cards as follows:
- Question cards (vragenkaarten): Shuffle the question cards well and place them on the indicated spots on the game board.
- Joker cards (jokerkaarten): Shuffle the joker cards well and place them on the indicated spot on the game board.
- Mole cards (molkaarten): Take one card for each player. Shuffle the cards face down and distribute them among the players.
- Answer cards (antwoordkaarten): Shuffle the answer cards well and place them in a pile next to the board.
Note: In a game with e.g. 3 players, take the mole cards for player 1 through player 3. This is indicated above the QR code. With more players, add one mole card for each player, in order.
Finally, you see one card with an X, which you can set aside.
Each player receives a notepad sheet and takes a pen or pencil. Fold the sheet in half. The other players may not see your notes.
Choose the level at which you want to play. Beginners are advised to play the starter variant, which is explained below. The rules for the advanced variant are found later in the rulebook.
Each player scans their own mole card that they received. Start the QR-code scanner and point the camera at the card. Follow the instructions of the app. A text now appears on the screen stating whether you are the Mole or not. The screen shows one of the following:
- "You ARE the Mole! The code word is: SECRET. Good luck!"
- "You are NOT the Mole! Discover the code word and unmask the Mole. Good luck!"
Warning: Absolutely do not show anyone else which card you have or what appears on your card. Make sure the text is gone before you pass the smartphone on.
One player is the Mole. After scanning his card, only he gets to see the code word that the other players must discover. The Mole's role is to make sure the other players do not succeed in discovering it.
Start the timer.
The Game Begins
The timer has started: you have 45 minutes to find the code word. Turn over the top question card and read the question aloud. Take the 24 answer cards and try to find the correct answer. Each question has 3 possible answers. You may already look at all 24 cards and perhaps try to sort them into groups yourselves.
Game tip: Because the Mole knows the code word, he also knows the correct answers. After all, he can see whether the letters appear in the code word.
Before you discuss together, each player notes his or her own answer choice on the notepad. Circle on your sheet the symbol that is also on this question card, and then write in the letter that belongs to the correct answer. When everyone has done this, let each other know which answer you think is correct. The players must keep discussing until there is a majority for a certain answer. Place the card with that answer on the game board with the large letter facing up. Place the two other answer cards that you selected for this question next to the game board. You may still need them later to exchange an answer/letter. But watch the time, because you have only 45 minutes to find the word. Place the used question cards on the "question discard pile" on the game board.
Game tip: The role of the Mole is to lead the players onto a false trail. For example, he can vote with the minority so that a stalemate arises, which may cost a lot of time. Or he can try, subtly, to bring the players to other ideas. But be careful! Do it all very inconspicuously, because as soon as the players realise that you are the Mole, your role is over for the rest of the round.
Once the players have placed an answer card on the board, they all secretly note who they think the Mole is. Write the name of the player on the same line as your answer to this question.
Jokers
The players may take a joker card three times. After each question, you must decide together whether you want to use a joker for this question. Joker cards contain an important tip for answering the question. The question card has a small symbol. Choose the joker card that has the same symbol on it. If you decide not to use the joker for a question, this joker card goes back into the box. You may not change your mind later and use this joker card after all. Joker cards that you have used are placed on the "joker discard pile" on the game board, so you can always see how many you have already used. Deciding whether or not to use jokers also always requires a majority decision.
Game tip: Here too lies a nice opportunity for the Mole: try to keep the group from making a sensible joker decision. Get them to take a joker when it is actually not needed, or ensure a tie in the vote where possible.
Then the next question card is turned over and read aloud. The players again note the letter of their own answer choice; the players discuss and choose their joint choice, and then again secretly note who they think the Mole is.
In this way, all 8 question cards are played and any jokers are used. There are then 8 letters on the game board, lying in a random order. Together they must form a word related to the country of the questions. What is the order of the letters? You may swap letters here with the cards you set aside. Was a given answer perhaps not correct after all? As soon as the players have chosen a word (or when the time has run out), they may vote once more for the Mole.
Game tip: If the Mole sees that a letter combination arises that is also in the code word, he must quickly try to lead the players away from this letter combination. For example, try to find a word that also fits the country and suggest that word.
End of the Game and the Winner
The game ends when the players have chosen a word by majority vote, or when the time on the timer has run out. Now the Mole reveals himself and tells what the code word is.
If the players have not discovered the code word, the Mole has won. If the players have discovered the code word after all, the final score is calculated. For each question, a correctly filled-in letter earns 3 points. For each question, it is indicated how many points a correct vote for the Mole yields. Add up the points of the correct answers (letters) and of the votes for the Mole. Note the final score in the designated box on your notepad. This is your final score.
The player with the highest score is the winner.
Advanced Variant
A lot trickier! After each question, the players place one letter of the correct answer on the board, and the two answer cards that they think are wrong go back into the box and out of the game. You may no longer use these cards, and you may not look at them again. Advanced players may also decide to use fewer jokers.