Everyone has secrets. Your challenge is to bring these hidden truths to light! In 3 Secrets, you are detectives struggling with unsolved cases.
An undercover agent knows the truth, but cannot reveal everything they know or their cover would be compromised! Ask them questions and solve the case before the bad guys get away!
The clock is ticking, and the clues are scarce. You'll need an observant eye, lateral thinking, and deductive skills to unravel the three secrets of the characters in this game!
Components
- A Deck Of 50 Cards
- Instructions
Additionally, you should download
the free app (for iOS or Android),
which will help you through the game (it is possible to play without the app, but the app is recommended).
To download the app, search for "3 SECRETS" in the Apple AppStore, or on Google Play.
Object of the Game
3 Secrets is a cooperative game. This means that all players play together on the same team.
The goal of the game is to unravel the three secrets of an unresolved case before the time runs out.
One of the players plays the role of the undercover agent, who alone knows the truth about the case-the secrets that need to be discovered-and must try their best to help the others guess them correctly (remember: You are all on the same team, including the undercover agent!).
The other players are the detectives, who must question the undercover agent to gather useful information and guess the secrets.
If they grope about in the dark, the undercover agent can reveal an important clue, but this will cost you precious time!
Setup
The rules that follow explain the game using the app. To play without the app, see "Playing Without the App" at the end of the rules.
-
Draw one card from the deck and put it face-up on the table, taking care that no one sees the story and the secrets on the back. All players may inspect the image on the front.
Put the rest of the cards back in the box as they will not be used this game.
The front of each card shows the main character of the story in a peculiar scene, where three elements have been highlighted.
Each highlighted element is connected to one of the three secrets the detectives need to discover. The highlight color indicates indicatively the difficulty of the card:
easy
hard). -
Start the app, type in the name of the chosen character, then press the name.
-
Choose a player to play the undercover agent, who takes the card in hand so that all the other players can still see the image.
The undercover agent secretly reads the story, the clues, and the secrets on the back, without revealing anything to the others. When the undercover agent is ready, press "play"
.
Game Play
3 Secrets is not played in turns. The players play together as a team - at the same time!
The detectives have a maximum time of 15 minutes. You have 5 minutes to correctly guess 1 secret. If you successfully guess a secret or once the 5 minutes run out, you then have another 5 minutes to guess the next secret, and so on.
During this time, the detectives may inspect the image, consult each other, and ask the undercover agent as many questions as they like.
The undercover agent may only speak when asked a question, and can only answer in one of the following ways:
- Yes
- No
- Not exactly (e.g. , when the question is based on wrong assumptions)
- It is irrelevant (e.g. , when the question leads astray)
Since the undercover agent is on the same team as the detectives, they should always answer truthfully and at their best, and try to guide their teammates towards the secrets.
Give a Clue
On the back of the card, there are three clues, one for each of the three secrets.
Anytime during play, the undercover agent may read one clue aloud to the other players, specifying which highlighted element of the image it refers to.
If they decide to read a clue, they must first press the "magnifying glass" button 
(this will cut the time left in half!). Once the clue has been read, the magnifying glass button is no longer available until the time runs out or the detectives guess a secret. Take care to read the clue, not the secret itself!
Example: The undercover agent presses the magnifying glass button and says: Til now read the due relevant to the cake.
The cake is poisonous". No more dues can be given until the time runs out or the detectives guess a secret-even one not related to the cake.
Guessing a Secret
If the detectives guess one of the secrets (correctly, that is), the undercover agent presses the "star" button 
.
The timer starts over so the detectives can try to guess another secret. Secrets may be guessed in any order-you are not required to follow the order given on the back of the card.
If the time runs out before the detectives have correctly guessed one secret, the undercover agent reads one secret of their choice out loud to the players, and time starts over for the next secret.
End of the Game
When all three secrets have been revealed (either by the detectives or by the undercover agent), the game is over.
Your score is based on how many secrets the detectives guessed correctly:
0 stars: The criminal makes a clean getaway and the agent's cover is blown!
1 star: The criminal is able to escape!
2 stars: The criminal is arrested after a lengthy manhunt!
3 stars: Great job, detectives! The criminal is captured without incident.
Difficulty Level
If 5 minutes to guess each secret seems too long or too short, you can change this value in the options menu of the app to match the difficulty level of your choice.
Also, if you want a more difficult game, you can limit the undercover agent to only answering questions "Yes" or "No".
Playing Without the App
A regular clock or timer is needed.
The normal rules apply, with the following changes:
- The detectives have a total of 10 minutes to guess all 3 secrets;
- Every 3 minutes, the undercover agent can read 1 clue out loud;
- After 10 minutes of play, calculate your score as above.
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