A murder has been committed in the Victorian Steampunk city of St. Sebastian. You have made the short list of Police suspects and the only way to retain your freedom is to prove that one of the others on the list is, in fact, the murderous culprit.
Ruse is more than just a card game; it is a living story of foul play. Ruse was designed with storytelling at its heart, not just for fun but also as a functional game mechanic. The game shifts with every card played. Are you throwing accusations because you’re truly innocent and have the alibis to back it up, or are you trying to make everyone look the other way because you in fact carried out the wretched deed? No one knows until the last card has been played; ‘til then it’s all about defending your possible innocence. The more involved and animated the players the better the game becomes, raising the fun quotient and also getting inside your head. We find people begin to make decisions out of revenge rather than strategy once a table of players really gets going. Not only that, but those who have been pinned immediately want to play again to redeem themselves…or get back at those who sent them to the clink.
Ruse is an interactive game that’s just as good at parties as it is around the dinner table. Since it has been cleverly designed on a standard 52-card deck, we also like to think of it as a “gateway” game. Do you have friends who aren’t gamers? Do they look at you funny when you say words like “Carcassonne” and “Ad Astra”? Bring this deck to poker night or play solitaire in view of friends and family. “What type of cards are those?” they’ll ask. Then you simply say, “Why, let me show you!” They’ll be hooked from the word “motive”. Pretty soon you’ll have all your friends and family playing, and then asking, “What’s next?” (Of course it’s at this point you show them all of the other Bonsai Games on your wish list!)
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