Wink murder

Wink murder

Players	4 or more
Age range	5 and up
Setup time	less than 5 minutes
Playing time	Approx 2 - 20 mins per round
Random chance	Low
Skill(s) required	Stealth, bluff, creativity

Wink Murder, Murder Wink, Wink Death or Wink Wink Murder is a party game or parlour game. It is also variously known as Killer, Murder in the Dark and Lonely Ghost. The practical minimum number of players is four, but the spirit of the game is best captured by groups of at least six players, and can be played by as many as players as you want.

In each round of play, one player is assigned the role of murderer (or Killer), with the ability to "murder" other players by making eye contact and winking at them. If a player is winked at, they feign sudden death and are removed from the game. Other players are forbidden from winking. The objective of the murderer is to murder as many people as possible.

"Detective" variant

In one variation of the game, sometimes played by children as a class activity in primary school, another player, unaware of the murderer's identity, is assigned the role of "detective". All other players sit in a circle around the detective, whose objective is to correctly identify and accuse the murderer, minimising the number of murder victims. A limit is often imposed upon the number of accusations the detective can make. In this version of the game, players other than the murderer and detective do not necessarily know the murderer's identity, and have no role to play in the game other than to die noticeably if winked at.

"Judge" variant

In one variation of the game, cards are used to secretly identify townspeople from the other roles in the game. A mayor controls the game and is the only one who knows the identity of the killer, but a judge makes the final recommendation to the mayor as to who the town believes to be the killer.

The townspeople elect a mayor before the game begins (someone who knows all the rules make the best mayors). The mayor deals out cards to all the players except himself. Whomever was dealt a Joker is designated as the Judge and should be immediately identified. (Both the mayor and the current judge cannot be killed) The mayor will tell all the townspeople (including the judge) to lower their heads and close their eyes, no cheating! He then asks only the killer to raise his head and quietly point out a person to "kill". The mayor then instructs the killer to lower his head and close his eyes. The mayor then asks the nurse to raise his head and quietly point out a person to "save". (The nurse can save himself, or also unknowingly prevent the killer from killing if he happens to unknowingly pick the killer to be saved) The mayor then asks the nurse to lower his head. Finally, the mayor instructs all the townspeople to raise their heads. If the person selected by the killer was not saved by the nurse, and the killer himself was not prevented from killing by the nurse, the mayor announces the regrettable "death" of the player that was "killed". An "attempted murder" would occur if the nurse happened to either save the same person chosen by the killer, or if the nurse unknowingly saved the killer himself, thus preventing the kill. The mayor must NOT disclose who the target was in the case of an attempted murder. (This way the nurse will not know whether he saved the target or the killer.) If the nurse was killed, he can no longer participate in the game. However, the mayor must pretend that the nurse is still in the game, asking the now non-existing nurse who should be saved, even though the real nurse can no longer participate. (That keeps everyone guessing!)

Similar to the "Detective" variation, the job of the Judge would be to hear all the accusations against all the players, and come to a final decision to accuse a single player. All the townspeople must convince the judge of the identity of the killer. When the judge has made his decision, he informs the mayor of who he believes to be the killer. If he is correct, the killer is jailed and the game ends. If not the mayor simply instructs the townspeople to lower their heads, and the game continues.

An optional "double agent" or sometimes called "accomplice" would secretly prevent the townspeople from coming to any agreement by attempting to convince everyone that someone else did it when he sees that the crowd is leaning in one direction. But, like all the other townspeople, including the judge, he actually does not know the true identity of the killer.

Cards used to identify the roles:

Ace: Killer (or assassin)

Queen: Nurse

King: Double Agent (or accomplice)

Jack: Judge

1 - 10: Townsperson

Mayor: elected by all players the before the game begins

"Killer" variant

In another variation of the game all players who are not the 'Killer' participate in attempting to unmask the killer. Play is best done seated at a table where all players can clearly see all other players. A deck of cards is used; the Ace of Spades (or any suitable agreed upon card) is drawn and will indicate the Killer. Additional cards are drawn so the deal contains one card for each player (including the Ace of Spades).

A candle which will burn for at least 20–30 minutes is set in front of each player. A suitable method for lighting each candle is provided to each player. When all players are ready, the cards are dealt. Each player looks at their own card to discover if they are the Killer for this round. If they are not then they will participate in helping to discover and unmask the killer. Players should exercise caution to ensure that they do not expose their card to any other player at this time. Once a player looks at his/her card, the card should be set face down in front of them. When all cards are in place in front of each player, the candles are lit. At this time the room should be darkened (the darker, the better). Turn out all lights so that only the candles are providing illumination.

Play

As soon as the lights are turned out, the dealer signals the start of the round by stating “begin” or any other suitable word. At this time the Killer begins looking for victims to ‘kill’ which he/she does by winking at them. The Killer attempts to wink at one individual player without being seen by other players. If a player, who is not the Killer, is winked at by another player, then he/she must blow out their candle. This indicates that the player is ‘dead’ and may no longer participate in the round. If the Killer succeeds in eliminating all players (as indicated by all candles being extinguished), then the Killer has won the game and the round is over.

Unmasking the Killer

Any player whose candle is lit may participate in attempting to unmask the Killer. A player who suspects the identity of the Killer makes an announcement without making eye contact with any other player by stating ONLY the following:

“I have an accusation!”

It is important to note that this accusing player does not name the suspected Killer. If a second player believes that they also know the identity of the Killer, they may support the first accusing player by stating only the following:

“I will back you up; I believe the Killer is _____ (name)”

The first accusing Killer, if in agreement states:

“I agree with you, I believe it is ______ (name)”.

At this time, if both are in agreement, the person accused turns their card face up. If it is the Killer, the ‘table’ has won the game and the round is over. If it is not the Killer, both accusing players must blow out their candles and they are eliminated from further play in the round.

If, after the 2nd accusing player has named their suspect, the 1st accusing player does not agree, the 1st accusing player should state:

“No, I do NOT agree with you.” (without naming their suspect)

At this time, play continues with the Killer attempting to eliminate all other players and the other players attempting to unmask the killer.

Special Killer rules

The Killer may, at any time, blow out his/her own candle in an attempt to deceive the other players into believing he/she has been eliminated from play. The Killer may continue in their attempt to eliminate other players even though his/her candle is extinguished.

As long the killer's candle is lit, the Killer may, at any time, make an accusation (knowing it to be false) or support an accusation in an attempt to eliminate players. The Killer should not use this advantage to ‘block’ other players from making or supporting accusations.

Fair play

Fair play on the part of players who are not the Killer includes blowing out his/her candle when winked at. Players whose candles are extinguished should sit quietly, without comment or undue facial expressions or body movements. When 'killed', players should not immediately blow out their candle while staring at the Killer, complete with negative comments about being eliminated. Once a player is winked at, they are immediately out of the round and no further expression (vocally or otherwise) would be fair. A delay of 30 seconds and up to a minute or so after being ‘winked out’ before blowing out the candle adds to the fun of the game.

Since candles are used in this version, it may not be suitable for persons younger than their teens. Simply remove the candle variant for play by younger children and determine a suitable method for indicating a 'killed' player-perhaps a flashlight.

One idea is that you also could have one person pick the "it" while everyone's eyes are closed simply by tapping on the person's shoulder instead of cards. Another idea is that you put your hands in your lap instead of using candles since putting your hands in your lap isn't a safety concern.

Optional roles

The Accomplice is an optional role. The Accomplice kills in the same way as the murderer, but can only kill once, and the murderer may automatically win if the Accomplice is accused.

The Nurse is another optional role, who is able to resuscitate dead players by blowing them a kiss.

In larger groups, there may be several Nurses or Accomplices, or even several Murderers or Detectives.

Other variants

Murder handshake is a variation where the players are expected to shake hands, and the murderer kills by using a special handshake, usually scratching the victim's palm. Many prefer this version of the winking version because "killing" someone is not as easily noticeable by third parties, and there's less chance for error (e.g. if a player blinks while looking at someone from the side, it could be interpreted as a wink even if he/she is not the actual killer).

Vampire is a variation in which the role of "murderer" is replaced with "vampire". The vampire kills by subtly baring his or her teeth at a victim, who takes a few more steps and then dies, perhaps with a theatrical shriek.

Blink is a variation where everyone keeps blinking at a fast rate and the murderer quickly 'winks' and that person dies.

Harpo Marx in his book Harpo Speaks described a version of this game at the home of Alexander Woollcott, called Murder. Lots are drawn to choose a District Attorney, then drawn a second time to choose (known only to him- or herself) a Murderer. The D.A. leaves the house and the social evening proceeds as normal. As soon as the Murderer is alone with someone, he says to that person You are dead. The victim must immediately feign death until discovered, then the D.A. is summoned and questions the suspects (everyone) as to where they were, what they were doing, and with whom. The D.A. then uses deductive reasoning to solve the case. Marx said he played the Murderer once, and wrote the deadly phrase on a piece of toilet paper. His victim, Alice Duer Miller, pulled it down and properly "died" on the toilet, but grade-school dropout Marx was immediately identified when she was found; he had written You are ded.

See also

• Mafia

External links

• National Geographic - Lonely Ghost