Noir: Killer VS Inspector

[Een]

We have the pleasure to introduce you today to Noir: Killer VS Inspector, a game from D. Brad Talton, Jr. published by Level 99 Games.

Noir: Killer VS Inspector presents you with the confrontation between a killer doing his job pretty well, and an inspector trying to do his own job well too by stopping the former. You can be either one of those two. As the inspector, arresting innocents won't stop the killings, so you'll have to accurately guess who the killer is among 25 suspects cards displayed as a 5x5 table. As the killer, well, you have two options: just kill enough people (16) without getting caught, and you win; or, well, you can just kill the inspector, and be done with this annoying meddling from the police

On his turn, the killer and the inspector can shift one row horizontally or vertically to change who's next to whom. This is important, since the other main action for both of them depends on proximity: the killer can kill anyone next to him, and the inspector can arrest anyone next to him (if he arrests the killer, he wins; if he arrests an innocent, he releases him in the morning after filing some paperwork and making excuses). In addition to that, the inspector can choose to exonerate one suspect among 4 in his hand, and the killer can disguise himself to exchange his identity with one picked at random among suspects not yet proven innocent or deceased. Some of these actions also have a "canvassing" effect that gives a proximity clue as to the identity of the killer or inspector.

As you guessed from this description, Noir is a deductive game, with an extra nice and tense atmosphere for those of us who like noir police movies. It can go pretty fast or last longer depending on the level of caution exercised by the players, but anyway it goes, you'll get into character pretty quickly!

Please note that the default game option in BGA matches the "Advanced variant" from the rulebook, which is now considered the standard way to play the game by the designer. Nonetheless, you'll also be able to select the classic option for an alternative gameplay (there is no canvassing,and the disguise action kills the suspect matching the secret identity of the killer instead of proving him innocent).

Noir: Killer VS Inspector is the first of 6 mystery games included in the NOIR boxed game. A brand new "black box edition" of this minigames library has just been released last month, and is available now in Europe, the USA and Canada.

We would like to thank the publisher Level 99 Games for giving us the opportunity to host this game on Board Game Arena, and to congratulate the developer ch huang who did a really great job with this adaptation, especially considering that it is his first development with BGA studio!

[/tttv]

[ch huang]

Thanks to Level 99 Games and Board Game Arena for giving me the chance to adapt this lovely game, and to all the playtesters for all your feedback, suggestions and bug reports. As a newbie developer on BGA, I would not have been able to finish this game without your help.

I hope you will like Noir: Killer vs Inspector.

Enjoy

[Oso]

Good game, a little faster for me, but isn't bad.

I would like if someday we can play Black Box Edition modes too :3.

[senatorhung]

the killer has a sizable advantage in that the inspector can not disguise themselves.

watch out for some players running up their ELO score by only playing "First player is the killer".

i posted on the BGG forum that the inspector should have a 2d win condition when they have exonerated all the suspects other than the killer ... that would make it a race rather than the killer just picking everyone off, with the inspector not being able to close in for the arrest. "once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".

then you have everyone still alive ganging up on the killer

[Pisaac]

the killer has a sizable advantage in that the inspector can not disguise themselves.

watch out for some players running up their ELO score by only playing "First player is the killer".

Yes, I think this is totally unfair. I have played a game with someone who did that and I didn't realize until I pressed the accept button. I didn't realize what that meant until we started playing. I think that this option should be taken away. I should be random so both people have a shot at being the killer, due to it being much easier.
Cheers,
Pisaac

[Oso]

Yes, the game needs a "balance rule".

I will "print-and-play" the game in my house and try to play with my bro modifing some rules:

- 1st option: "The Inspector have AN EXTRA card in their hand" (so, the Inspector starts -and keep- with 5 cards instead of 4 in original game).

- 2nd option: "The Inspector CAN move more than 1 row/column, but not move a row and a column in a same turn"

- 3rd option: "The inspector CAN move more than 1 time the same row/column"

- 4th option: "After a collapse, the inspector take a turn (gain another turn if the inspector make a collapse).

- 5th option: "The Killer can't move row or columns".

[Alchemix]

the killer has a sizable advantage in that the inspector can not disguise themselves.

watch out for some players running up their ELO score by only playing "First player is the killer".

Yes, I think this is totally unfair. I have played a game with someone who did that and I didn't realize until I pressed the accept button. I didn't realize what that meant until we started playing. I think that this option should be taken away. I should be random so both people have a shot at being the killer, due to it being much easier.
Cheers,
Pisaac

Honestly the inspector is only getting in a disadvantage when his identity becomes clear. I think I have honestly won more games as inspector than as killer, but you are of course correct that whenever I knew who the inspector was I never lost.

[Pedros]

Can somebody tell me how to collapse the spread? I can't see an option - or do you literally have to drag and remove each card?

[xxerox]

I was first but purposly played only vs killers to lose all my points. I suggest a row of innocent to dissapear the same way as row of dead.

[senatorhung]

Can somebody tell me how to collapse the spread? I can't see an option - or do you literally have to drag and remove each card?

as soon as there is a row or column filled with killed suspects ... the row or column is automatically collapsed. there is no separate 'collapse' action, contrary to the rules.

as for fixes .. the game dev has proposed something on the BGG topic (after the admins here were able to supply him with win/loss stats - kudos to BGA !):

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/140 ... far-easier

If you want to try it out yourself, the one I am considering is an extra action for the Inspector.

Quote:
Shoot - Investigate any target in your row or column. If you are incorrect, you lose the game.

This action would make it a lot more dangerous for the killer to play loosely, and would give the Inspector a late-game option to avoid deadlocked boards.