Le Tricheur
Le Tricheur Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
If you are the Cheater: accumulate as much money as possible and try not to get caught.
If you are not the Cheater: accumulate as much money as possible, unmask the Cheater, or try to pass yourself off as the Cheater.
Calculating Winnings
Players work out their respective winnings by adding or subtracting amounts as the case requires, as described below.
If the Cheater has managed to fool all the players and nobody has unmasked him, he keeps all of their winnings.
When the Cheater is unmasked, he loses his accumulated winnings. The players who succeeded in unmasking him share his winnings in equal parts.
Players who did not unmask the Cheater keep their winnings. However, the Cheater receives a bonus of $200 for each player he managed to fool. This amount cannot be taken away from him.
If three or more players falsely accuse a player of being the Cheater, the falsely accused player receives a bonus of $200 for each false accusation. This amount cannot be taken away from him. In addition, if all the players accuse the same player, he receives an additional bonus of $500.
End of the Game
The player who finishes with the highest amount of money is the grand winner.
Good game!
Game Summary
Le Tricheur is a strategic quiz game in which the players must answer general-knowledge questions and try to accumulate as much money as possible. Among them, someone has received all the answers: that is the Cheater. The players must try to unmask him. Conversely, the Cheater must try to fool everyone without getting caught.
A game consists of ten regular questions. During the game, however, the host challenges certain players by testing their knowledge, to really put the players to the test. On a few occasions, the players are invited to name someone they suspect of being the Cheater. On other occasions, the players have the opportunity to question rivals. When all the questions on a card have been asked, the players hold the final vote on the identity of the Cheater. Finally, the host invites the Cheater to reveal himself.
Players who unmask the Cheater share all of his accumulated winnings. Otherwise, if the Cheater fools all the players, he pockets the total of their winnings. A falsely accused player may pocket bonus winnings. At the end of the game, the player who has accumulated the largest sum of money is declared the winner.
Before Playing
- Choose a host. Preferably choose someone lively. The host's task is to ask the regular questions and the test questions, invite the players to vote, in short, he directs and runs the game.
- Hand a pencil and an answer sheet to each player so that each can write down their answers and keep track of their winnings.
- The host takes a Host's Card (Carte de l'animateur) and the Cheater card (Vous êtes le Tricheur) with the same number. He also takes Not the Cheater cards (Vous n'êtes pas le Tricheur), one fewer than the number of players. For example, with 4 players, the host takes 3 Vous n'êtes pas le Tricheur cards and the Vous êtes le Tricheur card (same number as the Host's Card). He shuffles them and deals them to the players. Caution, these cards must remain secret!
The Cards
Host's Cards (Cartes de l'animateur)
These cards are for the host. They contain all the information needed to run a game: questions, answers, test questions (identified by a black devil) and instructions for moving to the vote (identified by a red devil). The host keeps his card for the whole game.
The cards are numbered as follows: Le Tricheur, 1 to 100; Le Tricheur vol. 2, 101 to 125; and Le Tricheur Junior, 126 to 175.
Cheater Cards (Cartes Le Tricheur)
There are two types of Le Tricheur cards: the Vous êtes le Tricheur cards and the Vous n'êtes pas le Tricheur cards.
Vous êtes le Tricheur (You are the Cheater): these cards reveal that you are the Cheater and contain all the answers to the questions that are asked. They are numbered in the same way as the host's cards. Thus, the Vous êtes le Tricheur no 1 card contains the answers to the questions of Carte de l'animateur no 1, and so on. Only one player receives this card; that player is the Cheater. He must try to accumulate as much money as possible while trying not to be unmasked. He is not obliged to answer correctly. He may give the right answer or invent one, according to his game strategy.
Vous n'êtes pas le Tricheur (You are not the Cheater): these cards reveal that you are not the Cheater. The players who receive them must try to accumulate as much money as possible and unmask the Cheater. They may also try to pass themselves off as the Cheater in order to accumulate more money.
The card illustrations in the booklet (sample host's cards and sample player cards) are not transcribed here; they show the card layout only.
Playing the Game
After giving the players time to look carefully at their Le Tricheur card, the host asks the first question printed on his Host's Card. The players secretly write their answer on their answer sheet. The host then asks them to reveal it aloud, in turn. Players who have the right answer circle the amount of money corresponding to it on their answer sheet. (Misspelled answers that are phonetically correct are accepted, unless the question is about spelling.) The host asks the 2nd question, and so on, until all the questions have been asked. A game consists of 10 questions, which is the content of one Host's Card.
Test Questions
After the 2nd, 5th and 7th questions, the host asks a test question (identified by a black devil) to a player of his choice among those who answered the previous question correctly, in order to test their knowledge further and see whether they could be the Cheater. The purpose of these questions is mainly to unsettle the player, so the host decides whether or not to disclose the answers to these questions.
Vote and Questioning
After the 4th and the 8th questions, the host asks the players to vote on the identity of the person they believe to be the Cheater. These moments are identified by a red devil. Each player states their choice aloud, in turn. If they wish, players may write the name of the player they suspect to be the Cheater on their answer sheet.
A thirty-second period is then granted to the player who received the most votes, or to any other player who received more than one vote, to question the person of their choice in order to clear themselves or to try to unmask the Cheater.
Final Vote
After the 10th question, the players total their winnings so far and write the total in the space provided on their answer sheet. The host then asks them to proceed to the final vote, in writing, and then to formally accuse aloud the player they believe to be the Cheater. When everyone has stated their choice, the host asks: "Qui est le Tricheur?" ("Who is the Cheater?"), at the same time inviting the Cheater to reveal himself.
Although the host may state, for fun, his own opinion on the identity of the Cheater, his vote does not affect the calculation of winnings in any way.