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Baby Clues Game Rules

When the lights switched back on, the prized milk bottle collection was gone.

The suspects are a bunch of incognito babies that try to sneak them out of the mansion. Can you expose your opponent's Secret Identity and hide yours?

Retrieve 5 milk bottles and win the game.


Components

  • 36 Clue Cards
  • 6 Escape Cards
  • 9 Secret Identity Cards
  • 4 Reference Cards
  • 20 Milk Bottle Tokens
  • Instructions

Object of the Game

During the game, you try to unmask your opponents. Or... You try to escape by hiding your Secret Identity as long as possible.

For each successful unmask or escape attempt, you gain milk bottles. Be the first to collect 5 of them and win the game.


The Cards

Secret Identity

This card shows your Secret Identity and the thing that you hate is pictured in the bottom right corner. Example: The Vampire Baby does not like Garlic.


Reference Card

This card shows all 9 unique babies and what they are afraid of. The babies are devided in 3 groups, the red, blue and green group.

Use it to help you deduce who is who during the game.


Escape Card

Is everybody hot on your heels in figuring out your Secret Identity? This card will hide your Secret Identity a bit longer.


Clue Card

Did you know that the Frankenstein Baby is afraid of erasers?

Clues help with figuring out the secret identities of your opponents. The images in the corners are a reminder of the baby that does not like it.

Some Clue Cards have a Special Action Icon. These allow you to do something special.

The diaper symbols on some of the cards are only important if you prepare a 2 players game. Just remove all the (dirty) diaper cards before you start to play. Enjoy!


Setup

Deal each player 1 Reference Card. Shuffle and deal each player one Secret Identity Card. Players may look at their cards but keep it hidden.

Place it face down underneath your Reference Card. Put the remaining secret Identity Cards in a facedown pile. Shuffle the Clue Cards and place 5 cards open in the middle of the table.

Put the remaining Clue Cards in a face-down pile near it. Place the6 Escape Cards face up in a pile next to the Clue Cards. Put a supply of milk bottles within reach.




Game Play

Players take turns clockwise. The creepiest player begins. During your turn:

You take one of the following actions:

  • Pick a Clue
  • Choose an Escape Card
  • Change your diaper
  • Unmask another player

Let's have a closer look.



Pick a Clue

On your turn, select a Clue from the row of cards in the middle of the table. Replenish the gap with a fresh card from theClue Deck only when there are less than 5 cards on the table.

State out loud what kind of Clue you selected. You can say: "I suspect that somebody is afraid of Carrots". Place it (face up) in front of you.

It is very important that everybody sorts the Clues they collected, neatly by color as depicted on their Reference Card. It speeds up the game and makes keeping track of Clues a breeze.


But Beware!

You are not allowed to select a clue depicted on your Secret Identity Card. Example: If you are theMud Baby. You're not allowed to pick the Soap.

Also, you are not allowed to select a clue, if you have that particular Clue already in front of you. You can never have 2 identical cards.


Special Action Icons

some clues have a special action icon.

The effect happens immediately after you put it in front of you.

If you put a Clue with this special action icon in front of you, do the following.

  • Take an Extra Turn!

    Pretty self-explanatory: You may take an extra turn.

  • Snooping

    Look at the top 2 cards of the Secret Identity Pile. Make sure that the other players can't see your cards. Then put them on the bottom of that pile.

    Now your turn is over and the next player's turn begins.

  • Question Mark

    Ask a player of your choice a question. That player must truthfully answer with yes or no.

A variant for advanced sleuthers: Answering questions in secret

The chosen player can do the following:

  • Take a pink and blue unused Milk Bottle token.
  • Secretly give the interrogating player 1 Milk Bottle token underneath the table (Other players, no peeking!).
  • Drop the pink token in his hand for yes or the blue token for no
  • Afterwards the chosen player drops the remaining token also into his hand.
  • The interrogating player returns both tokens back to the supply.

Choose an Escape Card

Maybe you don't want or can't pick a Clue. In that case, you can choose an Escape Card. Choose any card from the Escape Pile.

Place that card face up in front of you, just like a Clue Card.

However you are not allowed to choose an Escape Card if you have that particular card already in front of you. Besides obscuring your Secret Identity a little bit, it comes with a catch.

We'll explain this later.


Escape

You managed to escape the mansion if you collected 8 different cards in front of you.

It can be a mix of Clue and Escape Cards.

State out loud that you escaped. (It's up to you to make clear you escaped; you can do this by making loud motor noises, running around the table or any action you see fit). Your opponents were too late!

ONLY YOU reveal your Secret Identity Card and shuffle it back into the Secret Identity Pile. ONLY YOU will remove all the Clue Cards in front of you, shuffle them and return them to the bottom of the clue Deck. Return any Escape Cards back to their respective pile.

ONLY YOU will draw a new Secret Identity Card. As a reward take 3 milk bottles from the supply and put them in front of you. Both the pink and blue bottles are worth one point. Did you use any Escape Cards during your escape?

In your hurry, you lost some milk bottles. For every used Escape Card, subtract 1 bottle from the 3 milk bottles total. Example: If you escaped with6 Clues and2 Escape Cards, you score only 1 bottle instead of 3. It is possible to escape with 3 escape items and thus score no points at all.

But what happens if you can't or don't want to pick up a clue or Escape Card? Glad you asked. Read on.


Changing your Diaper

"Little accidents" can happen. Maybe the table is filled with Clues you're not allowed to pick up, or maybe you want to dig for a specific Clue that can unmask one of your opponents. Then take this action!

Make a fart noise and place 2 extra Cluesin the middle of the table.

After that, your turn is over. Don't forget in the next turns, you only draw a new card after picking up aClue when there are less than 5 cards in the middle of the table.

A Variant for More Risky Results

Make a fart noise and place all the Clues in the middle of the table on the bottom of the Clue Deck. Do this as quickly as possible to make it a bit more difficult for your opponents to figure out what types of Clues you just whisked away from the table.

Then replenish them with 5 fresh Clues from the Clue Deck. After that, your turn is over.

Don't feel like taking this action? Then you can always try the next option.



Unmasking Another Player

Figured out the secret identity of an opponent?

On your turn, pick up a Clue in front of you (one of the Clues you collected) and give it to that player. (You can't use an Escape Card to unmask somebody, that's just silly).

Two things can happen.

  1. You Unmasked your Opponent

    Your opponent can't accept the Clue (because it's depicted on his Secret Identity Card). ONLY YOUR OPPONENT reveals his Secret Identity Card and shuffles it back into the unused Secret Identity Card Pile.

    ONLY HE removes all the Clues he collected in front of him, shuffles them, and returns them to the bottom of the Clue Deck. He also returns all his escape Cards back to the Escape Pile.

    ThenONLY THE UNMASKED PLAYER draws a new secret Identity Card. Your turn ends and you may take 2 milk bottles from the supply as a reward for your excellent sleuthing.

  2. You Goofed!

    The wrongly accused player accepts your Clue and puts it face up in front of him. When receiving a card this way, special action icons do not trigger.

    He does NOT reveal his secret Identity Card. As a bonus that player gets 1 milk bottle from the supply If that player manages to collect 8 different cards in front of him, he also escapes and will score milk bottles for his escape as well.

    Don't give milk bottles away for free. In other words. Don't guess.


Even More Goofing

What happens when a player by mistake picked up his forbidden Clue (the one depicted on his Secret Identity Card) and discovers his mistake later on during the game?

The player in question must wait until it is his turn. He announces his mistake. Only he reveals his Secret Identity Card and shuffles it back into the Secret Identity Pile. He returns all his Clue cards shuffled back to the bottom of the Clue Deck and returns any Escape Cards to its respective pile.

Then he must return up to 3 milk bottles back to the supply (Yikes!) and draws a new Secret Identity Card (paying closer attention this time) from the Secret Identity Deck.

If that player has no milk bottles to give back, because he made a beginner's mistake, a nice apology will do. Then his turn is over. The game continues as normal.


End of the Game

The player that keeps everybody guessing and uses his little grey cells the best will rack up enough milk bottles in no time.

The first player that collects 5 or more milk bottles wins the game.

The 2 Player Game

The game for 2 players is exactly the same as with 3 or 4 players except: Remove all the cards with a (dirty) diaper symbol from the game and you're ready to play.


Detective Tips

  • Each identity is unique, so no other player will have the same character you have.

  • Actually, this is not just a tip, but an important rule! Encourage all the players to organize the Clues they collected, neatly by color like depicted on their Reference Card. It speeds up the game and makes keeping track of Clues easier.

  • Pay close attention to the Clues your opponents already collected. Example: If a player has the Spider Clue in front of him he can't be the Reporter Baby.

  • Is there a particular Clue on the table that always get ignored? Maybe it is a hint to somebody's Secret Identity.


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