Spyfall 2 Gets a Release by Cryptozoic

spyfall-2-2Cryptozoic Entertainment has released the card game Spyfall 2. Developed by leading Russian game publisher Hobby World, the sequel to the hit 2015 social deduction party game will come to the U.S. courtesy of Cryptozoic.

The first Spyfall was a hit with fans and critics alike. In 2014, it won “Best Party Game” from The Dice Tower Gaming Awards and was nominated for “Best Party Game” and “Best Innovative Board Game” from BoardGameGeek’s Golden Geek Awards. In 2015, it won a “Major Fun Award,” which is given to games that are “adaptable, enjoyable, quality products.” In addition, it received the Recommended Award in 2016 from the jury of the Spiel des Jahres, the prestigious German award for tabletop games.

Spyfall 2 expands the first game, featuring 3-12 player capability, up to two spies, and 20 new locations. It is a standalone expansion, meaning players can play it by itself or combine it with the first Spyfall to make the experience even more complex and challenging. The game’s 20 new wacky locations include the Retirement Home, Candy Factory, and Prison. Players who get location cards also receive suggested roles for those locations that they can utilize for added fun. Whereas the first game only allowed for one spy and a maximum of eight players, the sequel increases the possibilities with up to two spies and 12 players.

During play, all players receive secret location cards, except for the one or two players who receive spy cards instead. Players ask and answer questions to get information out of their fellow players. Non-spy players attempt to trip up the spies, while the spies try to gain enough clues to guess their location.

In each round of play, after the players receive their secret location and spy cards, they start a stopwatch that runs for a set length of time. The players then take turns asking each other questions and answering. It is a balancing act as non-spy players offer information about the current location to let the others know that they know where they are, without revealing the location to the spies. In contrast, spy players have to come up with questions and plausible answers to other players’ queries without knowing where they really are!

At the end of each round, players declare their suspicions and try to convince each other. Then, they start voting on each player’s guilt one at a time, beginning with the dealer. If enough players vote that someone is guilty, that player reveals his or her card and the voting is over. If the player is indeed a spy, the non-spies win. If the player is not a spy, the spies win. If no player is convicted after each player has been voted on, the spies win.

Spyfall 2 will be available at retailers nationwide on January 27 for a suggested retail price of $24.99.