The Mystery of the Abbey

The Abbey Mystery is a Cluedo-style deduction game. A monk has been murdered in a medieval French abbey, and players must move around the abbey, collecting clues and questioning each other to discover the culprit.

Monks belong to three different orders and can be fat or thin, bald or hooded, bearded or clean-shaven. One monk card is hidden, while the others are distributed among the players. During their turn, players can move up to two spaces and then ask one of the other monks in the same room a question (for example: "How many fat monks do you have?"). Players can choose to take a vow of silence or answer honestly, after which they also have the right to ask the accuser a question.

Every four turns, the Mass takes place: all players return to the Sanctuary, an event card is drawn, and an ever-increasing number of cards is exchanged with the neighbor to their left. Some rooms have special effects or unique actions: for example, in the Cell a player can take a card from a neighbor, while in the Cryptorum a player can pick up a card to get an extra turn later.

Unlike Cluedo, making a correct Accusation does not automatically guarantee victory. If the culprit is identified, 4 points are earned, but it is also possible to gain 2 points for each correct Statement of a single characteristic. However, incorrect statements and accusations result in a loss of points. This means that a player could correctly identify the culprit, but still lose the game.

Unique Event cards add elements of unpredictability to every game, and the game lends itself naturally to creating custom rules to limit the questions.