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You are a noble ally of the daimyo, perhaps with a secret agenda of your own. The hidden role game Chiyo’s Secret has four teams: Loyal Allies, who seek to capture Chiyo and Fusanobu and send them to be executed for their crimes; Usurpers, who seek to lure Fusanobu and the Daimyo into a trap and seize power for themselves; Betrayers, who seek to betray the Daimyo and present Chiyo and Fusanobu to the Shogun instead; and the lone Motonaka who seeks to protect his parents, hiding them until the Shogun arrives.
While Chiyo and Fusanobu hide among the patrons of local establishments, players attempt to gather information and seek them out in order to successfully complete their objectives and win the game. They gain information by moving patrons between establishments and asking Motonaka questions. Motonaka may lie about the whereabouts of his parents once per game. The game ends when a player has met all of the conditions necessary for them to win the game.
Ages | 14+ |
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Players | 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players, 5 Players, 6 Players |
Play Time | 45m – 60m |
Designer | J.B. Howell |
Publisher | WizKids |
charlest
Complex social deduction-ish design that's very intriguing. It reminds me of a Jim Felli game in that it's a bit obtuse and awkward, very much unlike anything else I've played. You're trying to deduce other player's roles (some of them may even be on your team), but that's secondary to deducing the hidden identities of the two fugitives. It's a game of unveiling these fugitives while manipulating the locations of different characters. If you can orchestrate the proper configuration of characters to meet your role's victory condition, you win. Lots of other weirdness such as a moderator who actually participates and can win on their own team, multiple types of actions that cause confusion upon first plays, special abilities on cards that only come into play with a single action, etc. It really could have used a reference tile with the victory conditions for each role, as playing defensively to prevent a win seems as though it's a key component. It feels overly complicated but it also feels deep. It's the type of game not designed to stick a 10 landing on a single play, but rather to be explored and stand up to many such plays. Most will probably not find the fun until the 2nd or 3rd outing. It's perplexing and mentally stimulating, but it can also feel stilted and uneven as things are slow and players confused in the early-going.
paolo_piccione
I bought this game in one of these mega sales, for very cheap. I confess that I have not even been able to go through the entire description of the game on the front page of the rulebook. Too long and complicated...is it really worthwhile?
schnapes
Massively overcomplicated and fiddly; social deduction games do not suit a design that has such a huge learning curve. The rules honestly are a bit of a mess.