Voting

Is it possible to escape by boat when a shipwreck occurs? The difference between sinking, swimming, and safely making it to an island may be just a vote away!

Gameplay in Lifeboats: Plank of Carneades is all about voting, which takes the form of both co-operation and betrayal over the course of play as circumstances change and you find your sailors on the brink of death. During a vote, each player chooses a card from their hand, then everyone reveals their choices at the same time. You have one card of each boat color — which also correspond to the player colors — as well as three captain cards. If you're the only person to play a captain card during a vote, you get to decide the result, but if more than one captain card is played, they're ignored. In either case, each captain card can be played only once.

First, players vote on which ship springs a leak. Second, players vote on which ship moves forward one space toward its island. If the ship reaches the island, all of its occupants are safe and will score their player points based on which island was reached. Third, players scramble to find better chances for survival.

Lifeboats: Plank of Carneades differs from Lifeboats in that it allows for up to seven players to fight for seats on ships. In addition, in some circumstances the ships will move faster and more ships will spring a leak, making gameplay move faster. Finally, the captain card is more powerful as players can use it to keep any ship from springing a leak in a round.

A social deduction game in which one player is a psychotherapist trying to discover what shared dreams their patients suffering from mass hysteria have been having. The game uses large cards with surreal dreamlike images set out in a grid. The Patients all know which card they’re discussing but the psychotherapist does not. The problem is that one of the patients is genuinely insane and has been give the wrong card to talk about. This patient needs to remain anonymous to win the game.

The beauty of this game is that nobody knows who that one insane patient is, not even themselves. This means that everyone has to be really cagey about their communication until they work out (if they work out) who it is. But with all this vague and obtuse communication going on how can you be sure that it’s not you who is insane?

A game of real suspense and paranoia it will have you questioning who you can trust, and even if you can trust yourself.

—description from the designer

As Allied forces fight the enemy on Europe's war-torn beaches, another battle begins in a child's bedroom in Brooklyn when the nightmarish Boogeyman snatches a boy and takes him to the realm of the Dark. The child's playthings, led by the toy soldier known as the Colonel, band together to stage a daring rescue. On their perilous mission, they will confront the boy's bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks.

In The Stuff of Legend, each player takes on the role of one of the boy's loyal toys, each with their own unique abilities. Players work co-operatively, scouring the Dark in search of the Boy before the Boogeyman can escape with him. Players beware, through the course of the game your allegiance may change, and at any point one of your fellow players could be secretly working against you for the wicked Boogeyman.

—description from the publisher

Secret Hitler is a dramatic game of political intrigue and betrayal set in 1930s Germany. Each player is randomly and secretly assigned to be a liberal or a fascist, and one player is Secret Hitler. The fascists coordinate to sow distrust and install their cold-blooded leader; the liberals must find and stop the Secret Hitler before it's too late. The liberal team always has a majority.

At the beginning of the game, players close their eyes, and the fascists reveal themselves to one another. Secret Hitler keeps his eyes closed, but puts his thumb up so the fascists can see who he is. The fascists learn who Hitler is, but Hitler doesn't know who his fellow fascists are, and the liberals don't know who anyone is.

Each round, players elect a President and a Chancellor who will work together to enact a law from a random deck. If the government passes a fascist law, players must try to figure out if they were betrayed or simply unlucky. Secret Hitler also features government powers that come into play as fascism advances. The fascists will use those powers to create chaos unless liberals can pull the nation back from the brink of war.

The objective of the liberal team is to pass five liberal policies or assassinate Secret Hitler. The objective of the fascist team is to pass six fascist policies or elect Secret Hitler chancellor after three fascist policies have passed.

Doubt is in the air!

How much can you tell about a person from their clothes or moods? Is it possible to work out their occupation or secret by what they have in their bag? That's what you'll have to do. Answer five questions and listen carefully to what others have to say about themselves. Try to guess who's who and become the shrewdest detective ever!

Dubious is a game of deduction in which each player creates a story for their character and tries to get the majority of the players to guess their occupation and secret. At the same time, each player has to listen carefully to what others have to say about themselves and prove their detective finesse.

—description from the publisher