Deception-Heavy · Tier 1

THE
VERDICT

The investigator already knows. The killer already knows. Now prove it to a room that doesn't.

CIPHER must look helpful while planting. GHOST must build a case while staying invisible. The Witnesses are watching a play and don't know it. Every line of dialogue is theater.

Players Required

5–10Sweet 7
45–60 min

The Roles

6 archetypes
CIPHER
Hidden Role

CIPHER

Count×1

A prodigy who believes they're cleansing the world. Has the Reaper's Ledger (3 verdicts). Each verdict requires a paper trail — public evidence submitted in a prior round. Knows GHOST. Wins if GHOST is eliminated or discredited before Round 10.

GHOST
Hidden Role

GHOST

Count×1

The world's greatest investigator. Communicates only through a randomly assigned PROXY (a Witness who doesn't know they're the Proxy). Knows CIPHER. Wins if Witnesses vote CIPHER guilty in a Reckoning before Round 10.

SHADE
Hidden Role

SHADE

Count×1

The Shadow Broker who gave CIPHER the Ledger. Bored, neutral, watching. Earns Spectacle Points for drama, reversals, wrong arrests. Cannot win or lose conventionally — but bonus-wins on maximum chaos.

ECHO
Hidden Role

ECHO

Count×1

Devoted to CIPHER. Has the Mirror (sees one player's role category per round) + 2 secondary Ledger uses (Witnesses only). Can Confess to take blame for CIPHER — strategic sacrifice.

LENS
Hidden Role

LENS

Count×1 (7+ players)

GHOST's successor. Submits a 3-part SEALED THEORY in Round 1. If all 3 parts correct AND GHOST wins, LENS gets a solo prestige bonus. Builds probability models, occasionally Overrides GHOST's public suspects.

Witness
Public Role

Witness

Count×remaining

Knows nothing. Watches the Case File. Holds the final vote — both in everyday investigation and in the Reckoning. Hidden Bias cards (Skeptical of Authority / Trusts Authority / Emotional / Logical) shape how they weigh evidence.

How a Round Plays

Phase 01

Investigation

Every player submits ONE public Case File entry per round: Evidence, Alibi, Accusation, or Pass.

Phase 02

GHOST's Deduction

GHOST privately ranks all players by suspicion, submits to server. Witnesses see only "GHOST suspects these 2 most." GHOST also spends Deduction Points on Surveillance, Alias Check, Confinement, or Expose.

Phase 03

CIPHER's Move

Hidden action: Lay Low, Plant Evidence, Write a Justified Verdict (must have submitted public evidence against the target in a prior round!), Manipulate (anonymous tip), or Signal ECHO.

Phase 04

Witness Vote

Witnesses vote: Investigate, Arrest (1× per 3 rounds), or Do Nothing. Wrong arrests strengthen CIPHER and weaken GHOST.

Phase 05

The Reckoning (climax)

GHOST may call a Reckoning once per game (costs all DP). GHOST reveals identity, presents 3-min case. CIPHER defends 2 min. Witnesses + LENS (double vote) decide. Winner takes all.

Win Conditions

CIPHER

GHOST eliminated or discredited (failed Reckoning) before Round 10, AND CIPHER survives.

GHOST

Reckoning votes CIPHER guilty before Round 10.

SHADE

Anyone wins — but SHADE scores Spectacle Points all game (drama, wrong arrests, close-call Reckonings). Solo bonus win on max-chaos endings.

ECHO

CIPHER wins. ECHO's Confess sacrifice can save CIPHER late-game but loses ECHO.

LENS

GHOST wins AND LENS's 3-part sealed theory was correct. The rarest win condition in the game.

Witnesses

Correctly identify CIPHER before Round 8, OR survive to Round 10.

Designer Notes

Every other deduction game is about FINDING the answer. The Verdict is about WINNING AN ARGUMENT YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO. The skill is rhetoric, evidence selection, and reading an audience — not logic. The Justified Verdict mechanic forces CIPHER to build a public paper trail before each kill, creating breadcrumbs GHOST can trace. The Proxy System keeps GHOST's identity opaque to Witnesses. The Reckoning is the entire game's climax engine — both players are spending every round building toward / defending against this one moment.

Balance:Playtested at 7-8 players. CIPHER ~38%, GHOST ~32%, SHADE bonus-wins ~30% of games (orthogonal scoring), LENS solo bonus ~5% (rare on purpose). ECHO follows CIPHER. Witnesses win individually based on their final vote matching truth.

Strategy

  • CIPHER: build the case YOU need
    Submit evidence against your future targets early. By Round 4 the Witnesses should agree they "deserved it" — making the verdict feel like justice, not murder.
  • GHOST: don't Reckoning early
    A failed Reckoning hands the game to CIPHER (immunity + 4th Ledger page). Wait until you have at least 3 traceable Verdicts AND a swayed Witness majority.
  • ECHO: time the Confess
    Confess is a one-shot. Use it the round AFTER GHOST's Alias Check hits you, when an arrest vote is brewing. Take the heat; CIPHER walks free for 2 rounds.
  • Witnesses: track Proxy patterns
    GHOST's Proxy rotates every 3 rounds. The Proxy speaks in a slightly different cadence than their natural style. Watch for the gear shift.
  • SHADE: Tempt at Round 5-6
    Offering CIPHER a free Verdict mid-game is high-spectacle. CIPHER usually accepts. The public "A verdict has been written" announcement creates a vote spike. Pure drama, pure points.

Ready to Play?

Pass-and-play offline with friends, or host an online room and play cross-device with anyone.