My Murder Mystery: A Dead Monkey
My Murder Mystery: A Dead Monkey Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setting Up the Crime Scene
Take the first card from the deck and read the prologue aloud: it will provide the general context for the story you are about to play. Then, set the card aside and lay out the rest of the cards from the deck on the table as explained below.
IMPORTANT: When handling cards, be careful not to accidentally read details that may reveal parts of the plot.
- The front of the cards is always visible to everyone and can be read freely.
- The back of the cards, marked with an exclamation point in the top-left corner, can only be read if indicated by the rules.
Place all 8 Location cards face down in the center of the table in a 4 x 2 grid, without revealing their backs. These cards contain the clues that will help uncover the secrets of the story.
Place the 11 Top Secret cards in a stack next to the Location cards, without revealing their backs. These cards are numbered, and in some cases will be assigned to a player, providing additional clues.
Place the 7 Portrait cards in a stack next to the Top Secret cards. Later in the setup (see Assign Portraits, page 6), each player will receive 1 of these cards. They act as reminders of which character you're playing—for both you and the other players.
Place the Character cards (Story, Relationships, Objectives) in another stack next to the Portrait cards, without revealing their backs. Later in the setup (see Distribute Character Cards, page 7), each player will receive 4 of these cards: 2 Story cards, 1 Relationships card, and 1 Objectives card. They reveal who you are, your secrets, your opinions about the others, and your personal objectives; they will also indicate if you are the murderer.
Don't forget to set aside the final 5 cards of the deck. You will read the 2 Introduction cards right before starting the game (see Read the Introduction, page 7). Keep the 2 Solution cards face down on the table, without reading them, until the end of the game. The last card in the deck contains a game summary—keep it handy while playing.
Finally, take the Leader token and assign it to a random player. Each player also receives 2 Action tokens.
How to Play
Investigation
The investigation takes place over 5 rounds.
During each round:
- The player with the Leader token chooses an unrevealed Location card as the next destination.
- The chosen card is flipped over and the Leader reads the text aloud.
- The card remains on the table, visible to everyone, for the rest of the game.
Some Location cards may instruct the Leader to take a specific Top Secret card. They must read it in secret, then place it face down in front of them. It remains there until another player takes that card by using an Action (see later).
After reading the Location card and discussing its contents, the Leader passes the Leader token to another player of their choice, then a new round begins.
Note: At the end of the fifth and final round, the Leader token is not passed to another player.
Actions
Each player has 2 Actions available for them to use during the game. An Action can be used in one of the following ways:
- Placing a Veto on the Location chosen by the Leader, forcing them to select a different Location. Only 1 Location can be vetoed per round.
- Placing a Veto on the next Leader chosen by the current Leader, forcing them to select a different player. Only 1 player can be vetoed as Leader per round.
- Taking a Top Secret card from another player, reading it in secret, and then keeping it face down in front of you. You can take this Action at any time, even more than once in a single round.
When a player uses one of their Actions, they must discard 1 Action token. Once both of their tokens have been discarded, they can no longer perform Actions for the rest of the game.
Final Phase
Once 5 Location cards have been revealed, the investigation ends. You may freely discuss until everyone is ready and has nothing more to say: you may even deliver a closing argument to present your theory regarding the identity of the murderer and persuade the others, if you want. Then, the Final Phase begins, following these steps in order:
Objectives
Each player has their own Objectives card. Your Objectives card includes the Objectives you need to complete to score points (see Revelation, page 6). Each Character (or almost all) has the Objective of Accusing the murderer. The Accusations will play a key role in determining who will be accused of the murder and eliminated from the game. The other Objectives involve secondary plots, mysteries to uncover, or secrets to hide.
Players write their Accusation and the answers to their own Objectives on the back of their Objectives card.
Remember: As an answer to your Objectives, you may write the name of any character in the story, even if they are not a player character!
When everyone has finished writing, count down briefly and, at the same time, all players point a finger at the character they Accuse of being the murderer.
Revelation
Now you can reveal the whole truth, find out if the murderer has been caught, and which players have achieved their Objectives.
The player who received the most Accusations (see Objectives, page 5) is eliminated and automatically loses the game, no matter how many Objectives they completed, if any. However, any answers they provided on their Objectives card still count towards the completion of the Objectives of the other players (see below).
In case of a tie, the Leader decides which one is eliminated (even if the Leader is one of the tied players).
Next, before calculating points, take some time to read the full solution on the back of the Solution cards. Finally, each player reveals their Objectives. Each completed Objective is worth a certain number of points, as indicated on the back of your Objectives card. Any player with 3 or more points wins.
There may be multiple winners.
Starting the Investigation
Proceed with this final setup only when you are ready to start playing!
Assign Portraits
This step is different depending on the number of players:
- In a 5-player game, take Top Secret card 05, flip it over, and follow the instructions there.
- In a 6-player game, take Top Secret card 06, flip it over, and follow the instructions there.
- In a 7-player game, take all 7 Portrait cards and assign 1 to each player; you can either choose them or distribute them randomly.
Read aloud the brief descriptions on the Portrait card you have been assigned, so that all players can become familiar with the characters of the story.
You can fold the bottom part of your Portrait card to keep it upright in front of you, making it more easily visible to both you and the other players.
Read the Introduction
Take the Introduction cards and read them in order. These cards recount the events leading up to the murder, preparing you for the beginning of the Investigation.
Distribute Character Cards
Take the 28 Character cards without revealing their backs. Assign each player the 4 Character cards for their character (2 Story cards, 1 Relationships card, and 1 Objectives card).
In a 5- or 6-player game, there are characters not assigned to any player. Remove their Character cards from the game entirely (without ever revealing their backs).
Absorb the Story
Each player privately reads all the information on the back of their 4 Character cards.
Before starting to play, read aloud the brief descriptions on the front of the Location cards.
Take all the time you need to absorb the story. You are free to take notes at any time. When everyone is ready, you can start playing!
IMPORTANT: My Murder Mystery is a social game where player discussion is a key part of the experience. However, there are a few rules to follow:
- As a general rule, the back of the cards should never be read aloud unless explicitly specified on the card itself.
- However, you are always free to talk about the content of your cards, deciding whether to lie or tell the truth, at your discretion.
- You are also free to ask other players questions at any time during the game, especially if you suspect they're lying about something.