Serial Killer
Serial Killer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Set up
Separate the cards and show everyone which characters will be in the game. Shuffle the cards and distribute one card to each player, then begin the game.
The suggested ratio of characters for the beginning:
- 5-8 players: 1 killer, 1 police, 3-6 innocents
- 9-12 players: 2 killers, 2 police, 5-8 innocents
* Characters can be adjusted according to the preference and the speed of the game.
Recommendation When Playing This Game for the First Time
You should be discussing about who could possibly be a suspected killer, meanwhile try looking for a signal. If everyone looks too serious, it might be difficult for the killer to start killing. The game starts immediately after the cards are distributed.
Very Strict Rules For This Game
- DO NOT send out any signals, if you are not a killer.
- If you think you have received the signal from anyone, you must reveal your card and act death even though you are not sure whether it is a signal or not.
- DO NOT show your card to other players unless the action requires you to do so.
Variant Game Modes
- Police is well-known (Recommended for the first three games or with few players)
- The police(s) must show their character cards all the time.
- Democracy
- Every player in the game can vote to eliminate a suspected player instead of having only police to do the job.
- The Hunt is on!!
- The character cards will be hidden around the room. Once the game begins, every player will be searching for a character card and will become the character found in the card. If the players have not found any card yet, they will remain as innocent civilians.
Team Objective
Killer team: eliminate innocent civilians until the number of innocent civilians left are equal or less than the number of killers.
The police and civilians team: try to find and eliminate all the killer(s).
Contents
50 Cards, 1 Rulebook.
Game Characters
Killer(s): eliminate innocent civilians by sending signals such as winking, poking, kicking the legs, etc. Killers need to make sure that signal(s) to innocent civilian(s) are well addressed while keeping low profile.
- After eliminating one player, the killer may start killing again after 10 seconds.
- Killer can only eliminate one innocent civilian at a time.
- Killer cannot eliminate police nor killer.
Serial Killer: cannot die from the killer's signal but will immediately become one of the killers.
- If the police catches the serial killer when he/she did not become the killer yet, then the police is out of the game.
Police: arrest the killer by first revealing your character card, followed by arresting the suspected player. The suspected player must reveal his/her character card to all the players. If the suspected player is the killer, then that player is eliminated; otherwise the police is out of the game.
- If the police arrest an innocent civilian, the police will be out of the game, but the arrested civilian is still in the game.
- Police cannot be eliminated by killers.
Detective: is on the same team with the police and their role is to help catch the killer. Detective will become the police when all the police(s) are out of the game.
- This character can be eliminated by the killer unless he/she already become police.
Innocent civilians: observe any signals from other players and convince the police to capture the killer(s) or propose a suspect. If the player acknowledges any signal from other players, he/she must reveal their card and let other players know that they have been eliminated by expressing any dying motion and sound, for example chocking, screaming, etc.
- If the player is eliminated, he/she cannot take part in the game and becomes a silent observant.
- Any elimination by false signal is possible.
Athlete: needs to be signaled twice to be eliminated.
Sumo: needs to be signaled three times to be eliminated.
Journalist: can reveal 1 player's character card only once per game by showing your character card and choosing any player to be revealed. Any player chosen by the journalist must open their card and reveal everyone their character, then put the card face down to continue the game.
- In case the killer is revealed, the killer is still in the game as long as the killer is not captured by the police.
Hostage: is strapped with the bomb to the body; if this player is eliminated by the killer, the player on the left and right of the hostage will be eliminated as well.
- If the player on the left and right are already eliminated, no action is taken and the game continues.
- If the police catches the hostage, the bomb is not triggered and the police is out of the game.
Blind civilian: must close their eyes when playing the game. If the player opens their eyes, that player will be out of the game.
Pick pocket: secretly swaps your card with another player, then you will become that role and the victim becomes an innocent civilian. If the police catches you during your swap, they can catch you and you will be out of the game.
Transcription notes: the printed sheet's apostrophes are dropped in places ("killer s signal", "player s character card"); these are rendered as possessives above. The printed spellings "chocking" and "act death" are kept as printed.