The Handbook for the Recently Deceased

A game of hiding, seeking and spooking.

Inspired on the cult film Beetlejuice.

Released in the December 2016 Board Game of the Month Club $5+ package.

A lovely couple has died, and in a panic to save their home from the living family that's moved in and ruined everything, accidentally unleashed a dangerous ghost promising to rid the house of the living.

SETUP Choose one player to be the Bio-Exorcist. You are a ghost, and you are trying to scare the living residents of this haunted house out, by moving items spookily around their house.

The other players leave the room to split up 2+ roles: 1 Occultist, 1 Goth, and 0-3 Folks.

While they're gone, the Bio-Exorcist moves as many objects as the number of living players, and hides a spook (represented by a card or a coin) under each one:

 One spook is the postcard, The Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
 One spook (the joker or the largest coin) is Scared to Death.
 The rest of the spooks are the love of the ghost couple.

SPOOKING OBJECTS An object you spook must be noticeable moved from where it started. To mess with their heads, the Bio-Exorcist may also move 3 more objects without hiding any spooks under them.

It's important that the Bio-Exorcist remembers where they put each card/coin. Record this info, if needed.

Finally, the Bio-Exorcist calls back the living and the game can begin.

PLAYING THE GAME Each living player may ask one question of the Bio-Exorcist and may peek under one object. They may do this in any order, at any time; there are no turns.

The Bio-Exorcist must answer questions truthfully, but may interpret ambiguous wording as they please. They cannot speak, they answer only with knocks: once for "yes", don't knock for "no", in numbers knocking that many times.

When a living player peeks and finds a spook, they reveal it and earn another question and another peek.

WINNING AND LOSING Anyone who reveals Scared to Death loses the game immediately.

If the Goth reveals the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, they get to fulfill their dream of becoming a ghost. The Goth and the Bio-Exorcist win.

If the Occultist reveals the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, they exorcise the Bio-Exorcist and the ghost couple. The Occultist and the Folks win.

If all of the love spooks are revealed, the ghost couple and the living become friends, and get rid of the Bio-Exorcist. All of the living players win.

If no one has any peeks left and there are love spooks unfound, the living have been driven from the house. The Bio-Exorcist wins.