In Noir the game’s Judge sets a Victim and a Killer. Then players must select a Means, Motive and Opportunity from cards in their hand. They then use these elements to tell the story of how the killer did the deed. Preferably this is delivered in the style of a Detective in the third act, revealing to the audience and assembled cast just how clever they were to figure it out. The stories are cross examined and picked for holes by the other players, before the Judge settles on the best, using whatever criteria they prefer.
BoardGameGeek Rating: 8.3
MSRP: $4.99
Players: 3–6
Ages: 10+
Playtime: 10–60 Min
Publishers: The Game Crafters, LLC
Designers: Kedric Winks
Year: 2017
Concept
A story telling, cross examining, judging card game.
Quality
The quality of the cards is good. No fading, peeling, or tearing noticed.
Artwork
The art is simple, dark, but fun.
Difficulty
The game mechanics are simple.
Replayability
— Moderate High
Our Reviews
My rating: 7
by Beth KlaserI’ll be rather up front I didn’t realize Noir was a party type game. I’m not generally a fan of party games. However, Noir is a fun game for 3 to 6 players. It was easily played in our living room, dining room, and out to eat with friends. The rules are well layed out and easy to understand. And, it can be explained in ten minutes or less.
In Noir, each player takes turns being the judge. The judge starts the game by shuffling the cards and dealing three to each player, including him/her self. The judge choose 2 of the 3 characters via the card backs, one the killer and one the victim. It’s up to the detectives to deliberate the means, motive, and opportunity on their cards. I found this part interesting. Instead of choosing a means, motive, and opportunity just because they fit… they must be read from left to right. This means they cannot be chosen from the same cards. At the end each player must ask one question about each case. The judge chooses the best as the winner. After each player has taken a turn being the judge there is a final judgement where players can cast their vote in the Final Judgement players may each cast one vote for their favorite story. The player that gets the most votes wins.
Noir is small enough that it can easily be tossed in a bag or back pocket. As an added bonus the gameplay rules were printed on the game packaging. Genius idea! Simply unfold the game box to remove the cards and the rules are right there. There is no way to lose the rulebook. Overall, I would definitely suggest this game for small to medium sized parties or family gatherings. I rated Noir as ‘It’s Okay’ because the entire time we played I felt like something was missing. I’m not entirely sure what. Maybe, an expansion in the future with more means, motive, and opportunity options.
But what does it all mean? Find out how we review the games we play!
