ded. instructions
Welcome to the ded. instructions where you can learn how to play ded.. Below you can find the instructions but If you want to download the fancy instructions, click here. For a printer-friendly version, click here.
Listen, we understand that feeling you get when you open the game and look at the instructions. Hopefully we can help you so it isn't the most painful thing you'll do today. This game is pretty simple, once you get the hang of it, you will fly. So...fly on little Angel.
Also, we created a video, you can watch that below if you don't want to read.
Key Terms
Death
The game moderator who guides players through each round.
The Reaping
The first half of each round where players make secret actions.
Town Council
The second half of the round where players discuss what took place during the Reaping and vote to eliminate suspected Reapers.
Sentencing
Players vote to eliminate one player at the end of each Town Council.
Killed
When a player is eliminated by Reapers in The Reaping.
Sentenced
When a player is eliminated by group vote in Town Council.
Neighbor
All other roles that aren't a Reaper role.
Objective
Reapers: Eliminate the Neighbors and avoid being identified.
Neighbors: Identify and vote out the Reapers before they kill everyone
The Cards
There are three decks of cards: role cards, action cards, and personality cards.
Role cards assign each player a specific role with unique abilities, such as killing, investigating, or protecting, which occur during the Reaping.
Action cards give players special actions they can perform during the game. When played correctly, these cards can influence the game's outcome.
Personality cards assign a personality to each player, these can be used to distract and deflect or to simply spice up the game a bit.
Setup
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Choose someone to be Death: the game moderator who will guide players through each round.
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Death prepares the cards. For each player, include one Role Card, one Action Card, and one Personality Card in their respective decks.
Ensure the Role Card deck contains at least one Reaper card.
Select a variety of Action Cards to provide strategic options.
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Death randomly deals one Role Card, one Action Card, and one Personality Card to each player.
Role Cards -
Players must keep their Role Cards secret. The primary roles and their abilities are:
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Reaper - Selects one player to eliminate during each Reaping.
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Reaper Hunter - Attempts to identify a Reaper during each Reaping.
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Archangel - Chooses one player to protect from elimination; can protect themselves but not in consecutive rounds.
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Nosey Neighbor - Allowed to peek during Reapings. If the Reapers notice the Nosey Neighbor, they can tap their nose and point at the Nosey Neighbor. If they are correct, the Nosey Neighbor is eliminated and the Reapers can choose a victim to kill. If they are wrong they cannot pick a victim during that Reaping. Reapers get one chance per reaping to point out the Nosey Neighbor.
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Agent of Chaos- Aims to confuse other players; has no action during the Reaping and must keep their eyes closed.
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Jo Schmo - Have no action during the Reaping.
* The extra ded. expansion does include extra role. If you have extra ded., click below to expand the roles and their associated abilities they during the Reaping .... For some extra ded. roles there are actions Death needs to make during the first Reaping. Certain roles need Death to identify them, some need to have Death perform an action for them. During the first Reaping, Death should ask everyone to close their eyes and ask the extra ded. roles that need first Reaping actions to open their eyes when called upon. Death needs to be familiar with those roles and if there are any actions that need to happen during the first Reaping. Death can become familliar with those roles by reading below. Bitter Ex - During the first Reaping, Death instructs the Bitter Ex to open their eyes and secretly assigns them one player. The Bitter Ex’s goal is to get this assigned player sentenced. Bodyguard - Each Reaping, the Bodyguard can choose one player to protect from being murdered. However, if the Bodyguard is killed, the player they chose for protection also dies. Death should ask the Bodyguard each Reaping if they want to protect someone. Cherub - The Cherub attempts to identify an Archangel during each Reaping. If successful, the Cherub takes over the Archangel’s role as protector, and the identified Archangel becomes a Jo Schmo. If there are multiple Archangels, identifying just one is sufficient to gain protector status. Corrupt Judge - Players cannot use their action cards until the Corrupt Judge is eliminated. During the first Reaping, Death should ask the Corrupt Judge to open their eyes for identification. Cursed Soul - Automatically dies after the third Town Council. During the first Reaping, Death should ask the Cursed Soul to open their eyes for identification. Do Gooder - Can attempt to kill another player once per game. If the target is a Reaper, the Do-Gooder stays in the game and eliminates the Reaper. If the target is a Neighbor, both the target and the Do-Gooder die. Death should ask the Do-Gooder during the first Reaping if they want to use their ability. Granny - Once per game, Granny can give an extra action card to another player. Death randomly selects an unused action card and secretly gives it to the chosen player. Granny cannot gift themselves. Death should ask Granny each Reaping if they want to give a gift, until used. Hellion- Can prank the group once per game by redistributing all unplayed action cards. Death collects, shuffles, and re-deals the action cards among active players. Some players may lose their action card. Death should ask the Hellion each Reaping if they want to prank the group, until used. Holy Saint - If the Archangel protects the Holy Saint during a Reaping, the Reaper’s intended victim is also saved. This does not apply if the Archangel is the victim. The Holy Saint is eliminated if they disclose their role. Death should ask the Holy Saint to open their eyes for identification. Matchmaker - During the first Reaping, the Matchmaker chooses two players. Death taps these players, who then open their eyes and make eye contact. They are now linked—if one is eliminated, the other is too. Pickpocket - Can steal an action card from another player once per game. Death silently takes the target’s action card and gives it to the Pickpocket. Death should ask the Pickpocket each Reaping if they want to steal, until used. Protégé - Becomes a Reaper after the first Reaper is eliminated. Cannot open their eyes during the Reapers' turn until this occurs. Punk - During the first Reaping, the Punk chooses one player to “punk.” That player cannot use their action card until the Punk is eliminated. Rebel Reaper - A Reaper who only wins if they are the sole remaining Reaper. Participates in the Reapers’ eliminations but must secretly get the other Reapers eliminated. Death may choose to announce at the start of the game that a Rebel Reaper is in play. Sole Survivor - Has no allegiance to either side. The Sole Survivor wins too as long as they are still alive at the end of the game. Tattletale - During each Reaping, the Tattletale selects one player. If the Tattletale is murdered, the selected player must reveal their role card to the group. Trick-or-Treater - Appears as a Reaper when investigated by a Reaper Hunter, even though they are innocent. Death should ask the Trick-or-Treater to open their eyes for identification during the first Reaping. Voodoo Master - Can swap the role cards of two players once per game. The affected players cannot perform Reaping actions during the Reaping of the switch. If the players reveal their roles were swapped, they are eliminated. Death should give the Voodoo Master the first opportunity to act during the Reaping, until used.
It is important to have the correct amount of each role for the game. Below are role breakout recommendations. Those breakouts are for the standard game. Generally, you want one Reaper per three Neighbors. If you want to add roles from the extra ded. expansion pack, take away one Jo Schmo per role from the expansion pack you would like to use.
The breakouts below are for role cards, you will need one person to be Death (the narrator).
Recommended Role Breakout
7 - 10 Players
1-2 Reaper(s), 1 Reaper Hunter, 1 Archangel, and the remainder are Jo Schmos.
11 - 14 Players
2-3 Reapers, 2 Reaper Hunters, 1-2 Archangel(s), and the remainder are Jo Schmos.
14 - 20 Players
3-4 Reapers, 2-3 Reaper Hunters, 1-2 Archangel(s), and the remainder are Jo Schmos.
21 - 25 Players
4-5 Reapers, 3-4 Reaper Hunters, 2 Archangels, and the remainder are Jo Schmos.
26+ Players
You will need the extra ded. expansion pack with more role and action cards.
Action Cards -
Each player receives one action card. These cards can give a player an advantage during the game, while other action cards do nothing. Players should keep this card a secret until they want to play it.
When choosing action cards to use in the game, it is up to Death and/or the group to decide which action cards to place into the game.
*Note - Players need to read the action card and understand when the card can be played. For example, you can only use the "Cheat Death" card if you are killed during a Reaping. You cannot use it if you have been sentenced during a Sentencing.
Personality Cards -
Each player receives one personality card. These cards describe the personality the player will embody throughout the game. Before starting the game, each palyer should read their personality card to the group. This card is not kept secret. It is up to the player how much they take on the personality. Some people feel comfortable going all out while others don't feel comfortable acting at all.
Playing ded.
Each round is broken down in this order:
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The Reaping
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Town Council
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Deliberation
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Sentencing
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Death Moderates
Death will lead the players through the steps of The Reaping and Town Council.
The Reaping
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Death instructs all players to close their eyes and not peek. Players need to keep their eyes closed until instructed otherwise.
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First Reaping- During the First Reaping, Death calls upon roles to open their eyes, if there are roles assigned to multiple players, those players must know who each other is. There are also roles where Death needs to know who they are, so Death should ask them to open their eyes during the First Reaping. Each role descriptor indicates what should be done during the First Reaping for each role.
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Reapers - Death tells the Reaper(s) to open their eyes, and silently select a victim. Death silently confirms the victim with the Reapers, and then asks the Reaper(s) to close their eyes.
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Reaper Hunters - Death tells the Reaper Hunters to open their eyes, and silently point out a suspect they want to investigate. Death silently confirms the suspect, then silently signals to the Reaper Hunter(s) if that person is or isn't a Reaper, and then tells the Reaper Hunter(s) to close their eyes. If the investigation was correct, all that means is that the Reaper Hunter(s) know that the player is a Reaper. It does not mean that the player is eliminated.
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Archangels - Archangels open their eyes, and select one player to protect from murder. Death silently confirms the selection and asks the Archangels to close their eyes. Archangels can save themselves, but cannot not do it in consecutive rounds.
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If there are extra ded. roles that have Reaping actions, Death will need to call upon them and have them make their moves.
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Death tells all the players to open their eyes, announces who was murdered, and whether or not the victim was protected by the Archangel(s).
If protected by the Archangel(s), the victim stays in the game. If the victim was not protected, Death should ask the victim if they have an action card they could play to avoid being murdered. If not, the victim must reveal their role and is eliminated from the game.
Once eliminated, players are considered dead and are no longer allowed to participate. If the Archangel(s) failed to protect the victim, do not disclose who they protected.
Death does not reveal who the Reaper Hunter(s) investigated nor the result of their investigation.
Town Council
During Town Council, those still in the game debate and try to identify the Reaper(s). Players can lie, accuse, and defend all they want, but cannot show their role card. Once Death determines enough time has passed(recommended: 3-4 mins), the group votes on who should be sentenced.
All players who have not been eliminated vote on who they want to be sentenced. Once a majority vote is reached, that person is eliminated from the game (unless an action card is put into play to save them from being sentenced). If not, that player reveals their role card and can no longer participate. If a majority cannot be reached, deliberate until a decision is made.
Repeat the steps of the Reaping and Town Council until either all the Reapers or all the Neighbors have been eliminated. Once that happens then that means the game has ended! Congratulations! Now shuffle and play again!
Tips
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Every role card and action card has instructions on how and when they can be used. It is helpful to refer to those and also have the players read them so they know what cards they have in their hands.
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Sometimes upon elimination, the player can forget they have an action card that could be used to keep them in the game. Always remind them that they might have an action card that could save them from being eliminated.
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It makes the game more engaging if Death makes up fun stories about the murders and how the victims were saved if they were so lucky.
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It is up to the group to decide if players can claim to be a certain role. There are pros and cons to either, it's a gray world out there. Just know it is important that players do not show their actual role card until they are eliminated from the game.
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Forget everything your parents told you. Lying is acceptable.
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If your group takes a long time to deliberate, use your phone, make a time limit, and set your timer.
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These are just standard rules, if your group finds better ways to do things, then by all means have at it!