Round & Revel / deduction

One Missing Briefing

Everyone gives advice about the same secret place. One guest never read the briefing.

4–12 players; no non-playing host neededEstimated 20–40 minutes for four rounds, depending on group size; not playtested.

Planning estimate only. This edition has not had a live group playtest.

What you need

24 secret scene cards, cut apart; 12 private role slips: 11 Briefed and 1 Bluffer; Identical opaque sleeves or small envelopes for the role slips; One opaque scene envelope and a blank card; An opaque screen or closed book to shield private peeks; Paper and pen for scores, plus a timer

How to play

Print and prepare

Keep the public rules separate from both secret card files. Print one scene deck and one role set. Cut all slips, fold each role inward, and place it in an identical opaque sleeve or envelope so printing and page position cannot identify it. Use only 1 Bluffer and n−1 Briefed roles for n players. The 24 scene cards are secret reference material, not cards to display to the group.

The aim

All but one player are Briefed: they secretly learn the same place. One is the Bluffer, who must give plausible clues without seeing it. The Briefed players want to identify the Bluffer without giving away the scene. The Bluffer wins by avoiding accusation, or by naming the scene after being correctly accused.

Prepare the private materials

Choose an initial keeper at random to handle materials and time; they still play. Use exactly one Bluffer role and one fewer Briefed roles than the number of players; set all unused roles aside without revealing them. Fold the selected roles inward and put them in identical opaque sleeves or envelopes. Shuffle thoroughly and deal one to each player, including the keeper. Each player reads their role privately. Do not show it or leave it face up.

Choose the scene without a host

The keeper is an ordinary player who handles materials, not someone who knows every secret. Shuffle scene cards face down. Without turning the selected card over, place it face down under the blank card and slide that stack into an opaque scene envelope. The blank must be uppermost, with the printed scene hidden underneath. Set up a private peek spot behind an opaque screen or upright book. If anybody accidentally reads the selected scene before peeking according to their role, discard it unread by the others and choose a new one face down.

The identical private peek

Every player, in seating order, takes the scene envelope behind the screen for about ten seconds. Remove its contents as a stack with the blank card uppermost. A Briefed player privately turns over the lower scene card and reads the scene and accepted final-guess wording. A Bluffer must not turn over the scene: look only at the blank card and wait the same time. Both roles restore the blank on top and the scene face down beneath, then return the stack to the envelope. Nobody watches another player’s hands or face at the peek spot. Pass the envelope through the full circle, then set it aside face down. No one may reopen it before the reveal.

Circuit one: bring it

Choose a first speaker at random. In clockwise order, each player gives a clue of one to three words naming something that would be useful at the secret place. Do not explain it yet. The Bluffer listens and improvises as if Briefed. Avoid clues that simply name the scene. Every clue must differ from previous clues in this circuit; if you repeat one by accident, replace it immediately or say “pass.”

Circuit two: trouble

Start with the player after the first speaker and go clockwise again. Each player gives a one-to-three-word clue naming something that would cause a problem at that place. An object, condition, or event can work. Use a different clue from any already given in this circuit. Both roles must participate in both circuits; passing is allowed but may attract suspicion.

Clue boundaries

Keep clues and discussion about the place without naming it. Do not use the scene’s name, a word in its printed name, a translation, spelling, initials, first-letter hints, rhymes offered as word clues, or a brand that directly names the place. Do not show a role or write secret information to someone else. A clear accidental reveal spoils the round: score nothing, discard the scene, shuffle and redeal roles, and restart with a fresh scene. Make the same good-faith allowances for all players.

Discuss briefly

After both circuits, discuss for 60 seconds with 4–6 players or 120 seconds with 7–12. Each person may ask one other player one short question about that person’s clues. Each answer must be one sentence. General observations are allowed, but do not give new coded clues or name the scene. A player can explain how their clue fits, challenge an inconsistency, or defend themselves. Lying about your role is part of the game.

Vote and settle a tie

At a countdown, everyone points simultaneously to one other player; no self-votes. Count all votes, including the Bluffer’s. The player with the most votes is accused. If tied, each tied candidate gets one sentence of defense, without a new clue. Everyone then votes again, choosing only among those tied candidates and still not voting for themselves. If the highest count ties again, nobody is accused and the Bluffer wins the round.

The final guess and reveal

If one player is accused, they reveal their role. If they are Briefed, the Bluffer wins immediately. If they are the Bluffer, they have ten seconds to make one clear guess at the secret scene. Everyone then opens the scene envelope. A guess matching the scene or an accepted equivalent printed on the card wins for the Bluffer; otherwise all Briefed players win. Listing multiple different places is not one guess and fails. On an unusual paraphrase, the Briefed players decide by majority; an equal split accepts the guess.

Scoring and the end

Each player on the winning side earns 1 point: either the single Bluffer or every Briefed player. Reveal the scene and all roles after each round, collect and conceal them, and shuffle afresh. Play four scored rounds, with a new scene each round. The highest personal score wins; tied leaders share the win. This is a light social game with randomly assigned roles, not a promise of tournament balance. Each round also has its own winning side, so a single round makes a complete short game.

For 4–12 players

Always use one Bluffer, even with a large group. With 4 players, deal 3 Briefed and 1 Bluffer and allow both full clue circuits before discussion. With 5–8, use the same rules. With 9–12, keep clues to three words and use the longer discussion time so every player can be heard. Change the first speaker and keeper each round. They need not be the same person, and neither role provides secret information.

An example without using a deck scene

Imagine the secret place is a shoe repair shop. In the first circuit, one Briefed player says “strong thread,” another says “polish,” and the Bluffer tries “work gloves.” In the trouble circuit, someone says “broken stitching.” The group may suspect that “work gloves” was deliberately vague, but one vague clue is not proof. If they catch the Bluffer and the final guess is “shoe repair shop,” the Bluffer still wins; “clothing store” would fail.

Keep it comfortable and replay

Question clues, not personalities, accents, confidence, or real-life knowledge. Do not use nervousness as proof. Read clues aloud and allow extra thinking time for everyone when needed. For replay, use unused scenes, reshuffle all selected roles, and change the starting speaker. Never reuse a scene that the current Bluffer has accidentally seen during setup; drawing it blindly from a deck of known possibilities is otherwise fine.

Keeper’s secrecy checklist

Public rules only on the table. Unused role slips out of sight. Exactly one Bluffer in the dealt set. Role sleeves identical and opaque. Scene selected without reading. Blank card enclosed. Peek screen blocks the whole card. Every player takes the same peek time. Roles and scene stay private until the reveal. Do not display the full scene deck on a screen during play.

Simple score sheet

Write each player’s name and four round boxes. Add 1 in a box if that player’s side wins that round, otherwise 0. Mark a spoiled round with a dash and replay it; only four scored rounds count.

Private scene cards: open only when preparing the game

Keep the selected scene hidden from the Bluffer. This section is excluded from the normal browser printout.

Printable play cards

Print single-sided at 100%. Cut along the borders and follow the setup instructions.

MB-01 / Secret scene · 01

SCENE: BAKERY
Accept a final guess of: bakery or bake shop.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-02 / Secret scene · 02

SCENE: DENTIST’S OFFICE
Accept a final guess of: dentist’s office, dental clinic, or dental surgery.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-03 / Secret scene · 03

SCENE: CAMPSITE
Accept a final guess of: campsite or campground.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-04 / Secret scene · 04

SCENE: PUBLIC AQUARIUM
Accept a final guess of: a public aquarium or aquarium exhibit.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-05 / Secret scene · 05

SCENE: TRAIN STATION
Accept a final guess of: train station or railway station.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-06 / Secret scene · 06

SCENE: MOVIE THEATER
Accept a final guess of: movie theater or cinema.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-07 / Secret scene · 07

SCENE: SWIMMING POOL
Accept a final guess of: swimming pool.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-08 / Secret scene · 08

SCENE: POTTERY STUDIO
Accept a final guess of: pottery studio, ceramics studio, or pottery class.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-09 / Secret scene · 09

SCENE: LAUNDROMAT
Accept a final guess of: laundromat or launderette.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-10 / Secret scene · 10

SCENE: OBSERVATORY
Accept a final guess of: astronomical observatory.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-11 / Secret scene · 11

SCENE: GREENHOUSE
Accept a final guess of: greenhouse or plant conservatory.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-12 / Secret scene · 12

SCENE: AIRPORT
Accept a final guess of: airport.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-13 / Secret scene · 13

SCENE: BEACH
Accept a final guess of: beach or seashore.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-14 / Secret scene · 14

SCENE: RECORDING STUDIO
Accept a final guess of: recording studio or sound studio.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-15 / Secret scene · 15

SCENE: RESTAURANT KITCHEN
Accept a final guess of: restaurant kitchen or commercial kitchen.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-16 / Secret scene · 16

SCENE: MUSEUM
Accept a final guess of: museum.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-17 / Secret scene · 17

SCENE: LIBRARY
Accept a final guess of: library.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-18 / Secret scene · 18

SCENE: SKATEPARK
Accept a final guess of: skatepark or skateboarding park.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-19 / Secret scene · 19

SCENE: HAIR SALON
Accept a final guess of: hair salon, hairdresser’s, or barber shop.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-20 / Secret scene · 20

SCENE: BOWLING ALLEY
Accept a final guess of: bowling alley or bowling center.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-21 / Secret scene · 21

SCENE: FARM
Accept a final guess of: farm.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-22 / Secret scene · 22

SCENE: ICE RINK
Accept a final guess of: ice rink or ice-skating rink.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-23 / Secret scene · 23

SCENE: SCIENCE LABORATORY
Accept a final guess of: science laboratory, research laboratory, or lab.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

MB-24 / Secret scene · 24

SCENE: FIRE STATION
Accept a final guess of: fire station or firehouse.
Briefed eyes only until the reveal.

Host preparation: private role cards

Print this section or use the separate private-role PDF, following the player rules. Cut each role separately and fold it before dealing.

ROLE-BLUFFER

You are the BLUFFER.
Do not read the scene. At the private peek, look only at the blank card.
Give plausible “bring it” and “trouble” clues. Avoid accusation. If caught, make one final guess at the scene to win.

ROLE-BRIEFED-01

You are BRIEFED.
Privately read the secret scene at the peek spot.
Give a useful-item clue, then a trouble clue. Help identify the Bluffer without revealing the place. Keep this role concealed until the reveal.

ROLE-BRIEFED-02

ROLE-BRIEFED-03

ROLE-BRIEFED-04

ROLE-BRIEFED-05

ROLE-BRIEFED-06

ROLE-BRIEFED-07

ROLE-BRIEFED-08

ROLE-BRIEFED-09

ROLE-BRIEFED-10

ROLE-BRIEFED-11

Original Round & Revel game text. Edition 1 / October 2026. Reuse the printed cards for future gatherings.