Awkward Guests: The Walton Case

To set up, each player receives a double-sided note sheet and a privacy screen. Players choose a case from the rulebook, which lists specific numbered clue cards to be extracted from the main deck. These selected cards form the case deck, which is then shuffled. Offer tokens (numbered 1-5) and inquiry tokens (arrows) are placed within easy reach of all players. The discard drawer, topped with a 'Confidential' card, is also placed centrally. Finally, a first player is chosen, and they receive the first player marker.

The primary objective of 'Awkward Guests' is to be the first player to correctly deduce the full details of the murder. This includes identifying the murderer, their specific motive, the weapon used, and, in some cases, an accomplice and their motive. Players use their note sheets to track clues and eliminate possibilities as they gather information throughout the game.

A player's turn is divided into three phases: Inquiry, Offer, and Exchange. In the Inquiry Phase, the active player publicly requests information about two references (either two guests, two rooms, or one guest and one room). In the Offer Phase, other players secretly choose cards from their hand that contain at least one of the requested references. They place these cards face-down and declare the total information value of their offered cards. In the Exchange Phase, the active player chooses one player's offer to accept. The active player gives cards from their hand equal to or greater than the declared information value, and both players then examine the exchanged cards, noting new clues on their sheets. If no offers are made, the active player draws three new cards from the game deck.

Scoring is straightforward: the first player to correctly identify all elements of the murder (who, why, how, and if applicable, the accomplice and their motive) wins the game. There are no partial points or secondary scoring conditions; it's an all-or-nothing race to solve the case.

The game concludes immediately when a player successfully solves the murder during the Solution Phase. If multiple players attempt to solve the mystery in the same round, the player who correctly identifies all details first, based on the rulebook's solution section or the companion app, wins. If no player correctly solves the mystery, the game continues to the next round. Players who made an incorrect accusation are eliminated from the game, and their cards are revealed to the remaining players. If only one player remains, they win by default.