Dubious Review

You know that song by The Who titled, “Who Are You”? Doot Doot. Doot Doot. Well I really wanna know. This song plays in my head a LOT. Yeah, it’s a good song, and I am a big fan of The Who in general, but I often wonder this about many of the people I meet and know. Who are you, really? Would I know what goes on inside your head? I probably want to spend zero time inside many peoples’ heads, but I always wonder… Well not anymore.

Dubious is a straight up role-playing deduction game for up to six players (though I wish it were for more players too). In it each player takes on a role of a person with a specific job and a (possibly) horrible secret. Other players are trying to guess what combinations belong to each player, but the winner of the game is they who give just enough information for most to guess correctly, but not for EVERYONE to guess correctly.

To setup, each player receives a screen, a sheet of paper from the pad, a pencil, and once the theme for the game has been chosen (three are provided in this base box), they will also receive a themed reference sheet to be affixed to their screens (as shown below). Each player will also be dealt two each of Occupation and Secret cards. From these the player will choose one of each and discard the others. Keen players will jot down which occupation and secret they have discarded so as not to confuse themselves when guessing others. Five question cards are blindly chosen and the game may now begin!

This game is very rules-light, and can be played by any age person as long as they can read and understand what each occupation and secret is. I mention this because my 7 year-old son enjoys playing this one (his score is the green die with purple numbers). Each round begins with a player reading a Question card to the group, and then each player will have a chance to answer the question in character. The other players then write down what is said, what it could actually mean, and any other notes they deem important.

After each player has answered, the game continues onto the next Question card. When all players have answered this question in character, the game continues until the rest of the five question cards have been answered by all players.

Guesses are now made by the players in order to score points. A player receives a point for each correct guess made by others, unless ALL players get it correct. Then the guessers receive points and the guessed player receives none. Guessing and scoring continues until all points have been awarded and the player with the most points wins!

Apologies for the focus issues on the following photo.

Components. The majority of this game is comprised of cardstock, a pad of score sheets, some plastic paper clips, and some very cool all black pencils. The most interesting aspect of the components is the absolutely beautiful art on all the cards. The character art devoid of faces just drives home the idea that in this game a person can be anyone, and they all have secrets. While the secrets may be as benign as being an Internet troll, some of them depict more malicious behavior that may be too sensitive for younger players.

What hits me the hardest about this one is the fact that anyone can be anything. Now, in this base box we are delighted with three themes: Victorian England, Modern, and Fantasy. My son only really has played the Modern age, and that’s simply because he’s not old enough to grasp certain concepts of Fantasy and Victorian England. But, Dubious could EASILY be modified to include some homebrew elements and themes that could play very well into any theme. As the question cards are mostly generic, the only real work to be done would be to craft a themed reference card.

I do think that more players could play this, but it does affect balance. Six is probably enough players, but you could squeeze in one or two more. I do have one caveat that is really just a house rule when we play: if you’re going to play with us, you will act in character. If that means using a silly voice, all the more fun! Adding in some smart quips here and there is encouraged, and even some more physical acting is acceptable at my table.

For my tastes, I much prefer Dubious over similar games like Spyfall or any of the Werewolf spinoffs. It is simple and elegant, and infinitely customizable with a little effort. This is a very easy teach on the table, looks great, and has lots of replayability. I have been able to play it and have a great time with all player counts and a very large age gap as well. If you have been left unfulfilled by games I previously mentioned, or their ilk, I urge you to give Dubious a chance. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a squinty side-eyed 20 / 24. I still prefer The Resistance: Avalon as my go-to hidden role game, but Dubious is staying in my collection as the first step in that style of game.