Continue is you are looking for the best deduction board games because that is what we are going to give you. Deduction games are those that require players to form conclusions based on available premises. These games are quite varied, including several different types of logical reasoning. You can have cat & mouse, elimination, signaling, there is all sorts of stuff going on in these great strategy meets communication games. This is our list of the 10 best deduction board games.
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#10 | Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game may not be the most traditional title on the list of the best deduction board games but there is a traitor in your midst and you need to find them. There is a whole amazing strategy game going on, but you need to constantly look over your shoulder to find the enemy.
You are one of ten favorite characters from the iconic show, each with their own special traits. All the characters must work together in order for humanity to have any hope of survival. Problem is, one of you is a Cylon. Players must attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threaten to tear the fleet apart. For 3 – 6 players, games last about 2 – 3 hours.
FOR MORE: Battlestar Galactica Page | Games Like Battlestar Galactica | Buy Battlestar Galactica on Amazon
#09 | Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong makes the list of the best deduction board games because it is a fantastic crime game, and in order to solve a crime you need top-notch deduction skills. The fact that evil is among you raises the stakes to a fever pitch that will keep everyone guessing.
In the game, players take on the roles of investigators attempting to solve a murder case – but there’s a twist. The killer is one of the investigators! Your role and team are randomly assigned at the start of play and include the unique roles of Forensic Scientist, Witness, Investigator, Murderer, and Accomplice. While the Investigators attempt to deduce the truth, the murderer’s team must deceive and mislead. For 4 – 12 players, games run a quick 20 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Deception: Murder in Hong Kong on Amazon
#08 | Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game
Very much in the same vein as the title on the list of the best deduction board games above this one, Detective is a masterclass in solving a crime The game is very interactive and has much going on. Follow your leads, rule things out and raise towards justice.
You will need to solve different cases and find out what connects them, you are going to use every resource you can, you are going to browse the game’s dedicated database simulating your agency’s resources, you will enter a city maze of old mysteries and crime, and you will cooperate with other agents or solve the mystery on your own. For 1 – 5 players, games run roughly 2 – 3 hours.
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#07 | Captain Sonar
Captain Sonar makes the list of the best deduction board games because this is a showdown where the winner is going to be the team with the best wits about them. You have an action to take as part of your overall team and it should be 100% based on all the various info coming at you, including what your teammates, with their unique roles, do.
You and your teammates control a state-of-the-art submarine and are trying to locate an enemy submarine in order to blow it out of the water before they can do the same to you. Every role is important, and the confrontation is merciless. Be organized and communicate because a captain is nothing without his crew: the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer. For 2 – 8 players, games last 45 – 60 minutes.
FOR MORE: Captain Sonar Page | Games Like Captain Sonar | Buy Captain Sonar on Amazon
#06 | Alchemists
Alchemists makes the list of the best deduction board games because you need to use a mathematical process of elimination in a complex world in order to succeed. Gain the knowledge and then act on it by making smart decisions when you craft.
You are a budding alchemist competing to discover the secrets of this mystical art. Points can be earned in various ways, but mainly by publishing CORRECT theories. You declare all your actions by placing cubes on the various action spaces, then each action space is evaluated in order. You gain knowledge by mixing ingredients and testing the results using a smartphone app that randomizes each new game. Everything you do gives you clues to get to those correct formulas. For 2 – 4 players, games run about 2 hours.
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#05 | Chronicles of Crime
Chronicles of Crime is the only board game and app hybrid on the list of the best deduction board games. Like so many others here, you need to work together to solve a crime. You come across clues and you need to rule things out and move forward in the right way before you run out of time. Another great choice is you like this sub-genre.
The gameplay here is blended with an app that lets you reuse the board game components you get for multiple scenarios. Using the Scan&Play technology, each component (locations, characters, items, etc.) has a unique QR code, which, depending on the scenario selected, will activate and trigger different clues and stories. For 1 – 4 players, games last 60 – 90 minutes.
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#04 | Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective makes the list of the best deduction board games because it is just an A+ crime title that really forces you to use your smarts. There is no guided path to follow, you really need to dive into the clues to figure it out. The story is great and thanks to time there are now many of them to either do solo or as a group.
You are presented with a mystery to solve, and it is then up to you to trace the threads of evidence through the byways and mansions of 19th century London. You will interview suspects, search the newspapers for clues, and put together the facts to reach a solution. For 1 – 8 players, games run about 1 – 2 hours.
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#03 | Secret Hitler
As a group you need to pass good laws but if bad ones are being passed, you should be able to find those responsible right? It is not that easy in politics. This game of communication and deception is a great party title for a bigger group and an easy choice for the list of the best deduction board games.
This party title is a dramatic game of political intrigue and betrayal set in 1930s Germany. Each player is randomly and secretly assigned to be a liberal or a fascist, and one player is Secret Hitler. The fascists coordinate to sow distrust and install their cold-blooded leader; the liberals must find and stop the Secret Hitler before it’s too late. For 5 – 10 players, games run about 45 minutes.
FOR MORE: Secret Hitler Page | How To Play Secret Hitler | Games Like Secret Hitler | Buy Secret Hitler on Amazon
#02 | The Resistance
The Resistance is the top title on the list of the best deduction games that is based solely on that very principle. You have clues coming your way and you need to figure them out. Many other games like this are very quick, but this one has some more depth, allowing you to dive in deeper.
The Empire must fall. Your mission must succeed. By destroying their key bases, you will shatter Imperial strength and liberate your people. Yet spies have infiltrated your ranks, ready for sabotage. You must unmask them. In five nights you will reshape destiny or die trying. For 5 – 10 players, games run about 30 minutes.
FOR MORE: Games Like The Resistance | Buy The Resistance on Amazon
#01 | Codenames: Pictures
Codenames does not fit into the classic category that many of the higher up titles on the list of the best deduction board games, but it is that very notion all the way. You get very little information that is not going to take you all the way. The answering team must think about what the clue giver was thinking and what else it could be on the board and why.
It is all about who can pull their spy operatives out of the field first. There is always a 5×4 grid of cards in the middle with interesting pictures, like a monkey with a space helmet for example, that hide the locations of each team’s spies. Each round, one representative per team gets to see a decoder card with the locations and they need to give one-word clues to their team so they can find them. The key is you have to give clues that apply to many of your cards without being related to any of your opponents. For 4+ players, each round is about 15 minutes.
