Welcome to the World of Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Spies!

An Exciting Overview

Embark on an exhilarating journey with Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Spies – a thrilling social deduction game played with cards. Since its inception in 1986, this game has captured the hearts of countless players who love immersive role-playing experiences. Can you outsmart your opponents and emerge victorious?

Setting the Stage

First things first, let’s set up the game. Prior to starting, the group must choose a Moderator. This can be done in a number of ways: a unanimous decision, a random drawing, or even a challenge to determine who holds the highest card. The selected Moderator will be the game’s overseer, responsible for making important decisions throughout. Generally, the Moderator is an experienced player who has dabbled in similar games.

When we play a game called The Moderator, a set of cards is used. The Moderator shuffles the cards and gives one card to each player. The type of card they receive determines their role in the game. If a player gets a number card that is not a ten, they become an Ambassador. If they receive a face card, they become a Spy. Tens make them Diplomats, and if they get an Ace, they become a Special Investigator.

Below, you can see how many of each type of card there are based on the number of players:

Number of Players	Ambassadors	Spies	Diplomats	Special Investigators
7	3	2	1	1
8	4	2	1	1
9	4	3	1	1
10	5	3	1	1
11	6	3	1	1
12	6	4	1	1
13	7	4	1	1
14	7	5	1	1
15	8	5	1	1
16	8	6	1	1
17	9	6	1	1
18	9	7	1	1
19	10	7	1	1
20	10	8	1	1
21	11	8	1	1
22	11	9	1	1
23	12	9	1	1
24	12	10	1	1

Once the Moderator has collected the designated number of cards, they’ll mix them up and give one to each player. It’s important that everyone keeps their role a secret. Don’t let others see your card.

Next, the players will discuss how many rounds they want to play. This could be days or nights, depending on the game. After deciding, the Moderator will ask everyone to place their heads on the table and close their eyes. During this time, no one is allowed to talk. To ensure silence, players will place their hands on the table, making sure not to make any sounds.

Okay, here’s what happens: I, the Moderator, will tell the Spies to open their eyes. They can’t talk, but they’ll secretly pick someone to kick out of the game. Once they’ve made their choice, they close their eyes again.

Next, I’ll tell the Special Investigator to raise their head. They’ll try to figure out who the spies are, and they’ll silently point to someone they suspect. I’ll remember who they chose, and then they’ll close their eyes again.

Now it’s time for the Diplomat to open their eyes. The Diplomat gets to pick one player who will be safe from deportation. Once the Diplomat has made their decision, they close their eyes again.

Once the Diplomat has put their head back down, the game officially starts. Now it’s up to everyone else to figure out who the spies are and kick them out of the game!

Let the game begin!

Once we’ve all identified the players in our group, it’s time to start the daytime phase of the game. The Moderator will fill us in on what happened in the previous phase and reveal the players who got deported. If they don’t have immunity, they’re out of the game.

If the Special Investigator chose a Spy, that Spy is also eliminated. But if they picked someone who wasn’t a Spy, nothing happens. After that, we all get a chance to discuss what went down and try to figure out who’s who.

After some time, if someone feels confident about their deduction, they can accuse another player of being a Spy. The accused can defend themselves, and everyone else can join in the debate. Then, we vote.

When you play this game, there are rules you have to follow. One of the rules is that if most of the group votes against a player, that player is sent away. We keep discussing and voting until we deport a player. Once we’re done, the night phase begins again. We keep doing this until all the Spies leave or if there are more Spies than Ambassadors.

The Game Ends

There are two ways the game can end. First, if we catch every spy, then the Ambassadors win the game! But, if there are ever more Spies than Ambassadors, then the Spies win the game!

There are two ways the game can end. First, if we catch every spy, then the Ambassadors win the game! But, if there are ever more Spies than Ambassadors, then the Spies win the game!