The Swindler

The day wears on…

Mid-morning, we descend into a deep crevasse, which swiftly becomes a network of tunnels. We crawl through the mountain’s arteries, our feeble torches no match for the crushing weight of the darkness around us. Deep within the belly of the beast, the bare rock opens into a small cave. A macabre tableau awaits us: the skeletal remains of two men, one gripping a blade embedded deep within the other's back.

Was this a crime of opportunity? A stranger who coveted the possessions of another? Or was this murder premeditated — a betrayal between friends? To our horror we receive an answer, as the victim’s skeleton jitters to life. Turning its hollow eyes upon us, it laughs.

“Aye, friends we were... or so I thought." He studies us with utter contempt. "Think ye fraternal bonds better than mine? Fools. A serpent slithers among ye. Let’s see if it can land a bite!”

The Conundrum

The skeletal Swindler challenges you to test your fellow travellers’ loyalty. One traveller will be given the chance to tell the rest of the party a truth or a lie. It is in that traveller’s interests to successfully bluff the rest of the party, and in the party’s interests to correctly read them.

  • Searching through the deck, the Reader may freely select any card.

  • Without showing the rest of the party, the Reader tells the other travellers which card they have selected. The Reader may choose to lie or tell the truth, but will only benefit from this encounter if they successfully convince the rest of the party that they are doing the opposite. To this end, the Reader may provide any detail they like in support of their statement. The rest of the party may not ask the Reader any questions about their choice, but must judge their honesty silently.

  • All travellers except the Reader close their eyes and hold their fists in front of them. Simultaneously, without discussion, each traveller votes on whether they believe the Reader by holding their thumbs up (they believe the Reader) or down (they do not believe the Reader).

  • When everyone has voted, all travellers open their eyes to see the vote.

HELP FROM AN ITEM

If any guessing traveller carries DICE, they may now change their vote after seeing the total vote. Conversely, if the Reader carries DICE, the Reader may change one person’s vote.