Quick answer
The Bloody Inn is a card game where you play as an innkeeper in 1831 France, competing to murder wealthy guests and collect their gold without getting caught.
Why the theme matters for gameplay
The macabre humor of The Bloody Inn is central to its appeal. Each player secretly plots to kill guests, but you must also avoid suspicion from the authorities. This creates a tense balance between aggression and caution.
Key trade-offs to consider
Murdering a guest gives you their gold, but it also adds a body to your inn. Too many bodies and the gendarmes will investigate, costing you points. You must decide when to kill and when to let guests leave safely.
How to play The Bloody Inn step by step
- Set up the game: Shuffle the guest cards and place them face down. Each player receives a set of action cards and a player board. Place the gendarme cards nearby. Make sure the guest deck is well shuffled to ensure random travel patterns.
- Receive guests: On your turn, draw a guest card from the deck and place it in your inn. The guest may have a special ability that affects your strategy. Read each guest's ability immediately—some are worth more gold but are harder to kill without detection.
- Play action cards: Use your action cards to murder guests, bribe officials, or clean up evidence. Each action requires a specific card and may cost gold. Don't waste all your gold on bribes early—you need it to score points at the end.
- Manage bodies and suspicion: When you murder a guest, place a body token in your inn. If you have three or more bodies when the gendarme card appears, you lose points. Use cleanup actions to remove bodies before the gendarme arrives, but save some actions for the final scoring round.
- Score points: At the end of the game, each player reveals their collected gold. The player with the most gold wins, but bodies and caught murders reduce your total. Focus on high-value guests and avoid killing too many low-value ones—each body is a liability.
Product details
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The Bloody Inn: Set in 1831 in Peyrebeille, France, the game pits family members against each other as they prey upon wealthy travelers. This setting drives the game's unique blend of dark humor and strategic competition, making each decision feel consequential.
The Bloody Inn
