Mantis Falls is a "sometimes cooperative" hidden traitor strategy game for 2-3 players. It mixes hand-building and tactical card play with deduction and tenuous cooperation.
Players are set on the dark film-noir roads of Mantis Falls, a mob-ruled mountain town, in the 1940s. As witness to something not meant to be seen, they are now hunted for their information. Taking single steps down increasingly dark and dangerous roads, players must survive the night and make it out of town alive.
Together, they must frequently apply cooperation and trust to navigate the night together... but things may not all be as they seem...
Mantis Falls is a "sometimes cooperative" game. Each game may be entirely witnesses, in which case players only win if they all survive together - or there could secretly be an assassin hidden among them, subtly manipulating the situation and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Mantis Falls combines hand-building, risk management and social deduction in a detailed blend of strategy and player interaction. Players make concealed moves and develop hidden plans, but will also need to have thorough conversations throughout as they discuss tactics, defend their choices and bluff to protect carefully guarded secrets.
In their slow walk, players seek allies, acquire tools and become encumbered by grave afflictions. The steps forward present secret "unseen" events and double-edged action cards, which stir confusion and degrade trust. As the night wears, witnesses and assassins alike must both tread the line between the value of teamwork and a preparation to kill.
We created Mantis Falls to be a suspenseful and emotional journey shared with friends. Sometimes it is a game of cooperation balanced with secrets and doubts, and sometimes it is a game of competition balanced with indecision and sacrifice. With skill and craft, you may figure out which one you are playing before it's too late.
Like life... a cooperative game that's only really cooperative sometimes.
