Misbelief!

This is Misbelief! a quick, asymmetrical, hidden role game for 4 or 7 players. Most players will be playing as a conspiracy theory or false belief about the world, playing cards, trying to amass the most support or misbelief for your false theory. But be careful, one player will be playing as the TRUTH. The TRUTH will be watching and investigating the origin of each theory to keep them from spreading and gaining too much Misbelief. Which theory will gain the most support in 5 rounds; or will the TRUTH be able to keep this flood of disinformation from overtaking the world?

To play you will need to print ,cut up, and organize the cards (instructions in the pdf). You will also need to print out a TRUTH sheet for how ever many games you would like to play.

misbelief: A wrong or false belief or opinion. (OED)

This game is inspired by some of my favorite hidden role games, if you enjoy it, I recommend checking them out as well- Masquerade by Bruno Faidutti, Love Letter by Seiji Kanai, and The Resistance by Don Eskridge.

False beliefs and conspiracy theories can be fun to read about, research, and consider.  There are examples from history of real conspiracies from the fascinating- (Britain’s misinformation campaign during WWII) to the horrifying- (the Tuskegee Syphilis Study), to the hilarious (flat Earth). 

But conspiracy theories and false beliefs in the real world can lead to violence, paranoia, dangerous medical choices, and bigotry.  Please stay informed, check information with reliable sources, and love each other.

Game design by David T. Dowell

Created for the March 2021 Portland Indie Game Squad Tabletop Jam

Thanks to my family for all their support.