Overview
Investigators work together to solve a murder — but one of them is the killer. A silent Forensic Scientist drops clues via coded boards. Everyone must state their theory, including the murderer, who must throw you off the trail.
Charlene’s Review
Likes
- Easy to learn and teach
- Quick games — great for multiple rounds
- Works as a starter or an all-night game
Dislikes
- Clue boards sometimes offer no useful information
- The eyes-closed setup relies entirely on player honesty
First Impressions
Players take on the roles of investigators trying to solve a murder. Among them is the murderer — and depending on player count, possibly an accomplice and a witness too. The object is simple: investigators and the Forensic Scientist work together to identify the means card (the murder weapon) and the clue card (evidence the murderer left behind).
Setup is easy and rounds go quickly — around 20 minutes. You’ll want to play multiple games to give everyone a chance at each role.
Thoughts
Before the game begins, everyone closes their eyes while the Forensic Scientist silently observes the murderer selecting their means and clue cards. Don’t tap the cards or make noise — other players will pick up on it. It happens more often than you’d think.
The clue board mechanic is clever. Each board has a category — like the victim’s career, or the time of day — with several options. The Forensic Scientist places bullets on the answer that best connects to the murder items, but cannot speak. This limitation creates genuine tension. As the Forensic Scientist, watching players go completely off track while you sit there unable to correct them is maddening in the best way.
The murderer can’t stay quiet. Every player must state their theory each round, including the killer. You have to actively build a false case against someone else. The first time I played as the murderer I had nothing to say when my turn came — which immediately made me look suspicious. Lesson learned: always be pointing fingers at someone else.
Players get one guess total. You name a player and a specific means/clue combination from their cards. Both must be correct. This high-stakes mechanic keeps every accusation meaningful.
The eyes-closed mechanic requires honesty. Peekers ruin the game. Everyone around the table knows it, and the social pressure keeps it in check — but it’s the one element the game can’t self-enforce.
Conclusion
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is easy to learn, fast to play, and endlessly replayable. The roles change dramatically — being the murderer is a completely different experience from being an investigator. We’ve started nights with it as a warm-up and ended up playing for hours. A great game to have in any collection.
