See the gameplay at the end of the document to save time ;)
A bounty hunter is a person who captures criminals for a monetary reward (bounty). The Bounty Hunter is a network of experienced bounty hunters who work together to solve criminal cases and then share the reward. Our recent investigation is a high-profile case where something extremely valuable was stolen by a celebrity. We have solved the crime, but we haven’t been able to claim the reward yet.
Unfortunately, at the moment, tensions in the Bounty Hunter Club are running high because rumour has it, some Spies have found their way into our private celebration party! They somehow snuck in and are now trying to get the information from all the Bounty Hunters of the Bounty Hunter Club! If they discover the case solution, they will have enough information to leak it to a newspaper, and then there will be no reward! What a shame.
Now the Bounty Hunters must discover who the Spies are and kick them out of Bounty Hunter Club as soon as possible. The problem is that a Spy looks exactly like a Bounty Hunter! Oh, the humanity! The only difference is that the Spies don’t know the crime investigation details. And that’s where things get tricky.
Spies have to try to figure out the case solution to win the game, and the Bounty Hunters will need to find out who the Spies are before they guess the solution! The way to do this is via “undercover encounters”. The first part of a secret encounter is just one person asking another one about the location, object, or suspect that is identified in the crime solution.
The crime solution will always consist of one location, one object and one suspect. Here’s an example: “The crime took place in... a resort in Acapulco, the stolen object was... a Claude Monet painting, and was committed by... Christina Aguilera” (In this case, the crime solution would be: Acapulco, Claude Monet painting, Christina Aguilera).
Each of these pieces of information is part of solving the crime, so be careful when you are making questions or when you are answering them! You don't want to give too much information, but you also don't want to sound too suspicious. Tricky, right? But that’s what makes this game one of the best games ever!
For Bounty Hunters: Finding out who all the Spies are without revealing the secret crime solution to them. Once they identify all the Spies, the Bounty Hunters win.
For Spies: Finding out the solution to the crime without revealing to the Bounty Hunters that they are, in fact, Spies! Once they identify the secret crime solution, the Spies win.
The Game Master (Alis) distributes the envelopes randomly to the players and tells them NOT to show the envelopes to anyone. Players with the crime solution are Bounty Hunters and players with the word “Spy” in their envelopes will become the Spies. At a Villa in Copenhagen, a Pablo Picasso Picture was stolen by Shakira
There’s more than one Spy in the game, and the Spies will need to know who the other Spies are so that they can help each other during the game. To do this, the Game Master tells everyone to form a circle, close their eyes and lift up their arms, with their hands in a fist. When the Game Master says, all the Spies will open their eyes and raise their hands. All the players who are Bounty Hunters will still have their eyes closed, so they won’t see who the Spies are. Spies close their eyes, and the Game Master asks all the players to open their eyes, and the game can finally begin!
Players are encouraged to start “undercover encounters” where Bounty Hunters and Spies ask each other questions about the crime solution (1-on-1). As a Bounty Hunter, it’s important to keep the questions ambiguous enough that the Spies can’t figure out the crime solution, but specific enough that the fellow Bounty Hunters can tell that you are not a Spy and that you can find out whether the person you are talking to IS a Spy (doesn’t know the crime solution). And as a Spy, you need to be exquisite at bluffing!
The undercover encounters continue until someone wants to accuse one of the players of being a Spy openly. This person will tell the Game Master about his suspicion, and the Game Master will stop the game and lead a vote among all the other participants of the match. You will be allowed to make your case, giving one reason why you’re accusing this person. The accused also has the right to defend them. After a vote, if the majority agrees with you, the accused has to reveal their identity.
If the vote goes through and this person is really a Spy, they are out of the game. If there are more Spies left, the game continues normally. BUT if your suspicion was wrong and the voted person is NOT a Spy, then one part of the crime solution will be revealed to everybody and the Spies are one step closer to guessing the crime solution.
When a Spy believes they have cracked the crime solution, they must reveal themselves and announce what they believe the secret code to be. If they are wrong, they are out, and the Bounty Hunters are closer to winning. But if they guess correctly, then the Spies win the game! Each Spy can only guess the crime solution once, so you better be sure you know it!
Welcome to the Bounty Hunter Club!
You are a “Bounty Hunter” and the code is
“At a Villa in Copenhagen, a Pablo Picasso Picture was stolen by Madonna”
You are a “Spy” and you don’t know what the code is. Figure it out!
“At a Location, an Object was stolen by Suspect”
| Location | Stolen Object | Suspect |
|---|---|---|
| Took place in... | The stolen object was... | Was committed by... |
| Mansion in Stockholm | Lucky gold pig sculpture | Lady Gaga |
| Villa in Copenhagen | Gold toilet | Madonna |
| Maisonet in Hong Kong | Rolex watch | Leo Dicaprio |
| Pent House in Tokyo | Diamond necklace | Brad Pitt |
| Boutique Hotel in Cancun | Pablo Picasso painting | Andy Warhol |
| Resort in Acapulco | Claude Monet painting | Van Gogh |