How to Play
Welcome to Spy in Ithaca — a game of questions, lies, and one secret location.
Most players are civilians. They all know the same secret location. One player is the spy — they don't know the location, and their job is to figure it out without getting caught.
Everyone can see a list of possible locations on the screen. The real location is one of them. Civilians already know which one it is, the spy has to figure it out.
Everyone asks each other questions — "Is this place loud?", "Do you come here alone?", "What do you see around you?". The civilians try to spot the spy without giving away the location. The spy tries to blend in while secretly piecing together where they might be.
Each round has a time limit — usually 9 minutes. You can call a vote at any time during the round. If you think someone is the spy, say so and start a vote. The vote only passes if it's unanimous — every single player (except the suspect) must agree. If even one person says no, the discussion continues. The suspect themselves does not vote.
When time runs out, you have one final discussion and a final vote. No more questions after the timer stops.
How the Spy Wins
The spy wins if:
- They correctly guess the secret location before time runs out, or
- The group fails to vote them out — either during the round or after time is up.
Game with Two Spies
If you play with two spies, the civilians only need to catch one of them to win. A successful vote against either spy means the civilians win the round — and both spies lose together.
