- BGG rank
- BGG #12,693
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Spy Tricks
- 3–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,721
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Crime Hotel
2018
Rules assistance for Crime Hotel
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–4 players
- 30–45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Crime Hotel
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crime Hotel is a board game released in 2018 for 3–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Susumu Kawasaki and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Trick-taking.
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About the game
In a prestigious hotel located deep in the mountains, a murderous crime has occurred. There is no trace of the murderer, but only the sound of a gun-shot and the victim’s scream in horror echoes in the lonely hotel. The killer is still hiding in one of the hotel rooms, waiting for his chance to escape. You are the detectives who are trying to find where he is hiding. Your only evidence is the number of empty rooms in your hand. Who will be the one to find the murderer’s room? Crime Hotel is a trick-taking game in which the players become the inspectors who are trying to find the room in which the criminal is hiding. Each round, the players who played the highest card and the lowest card can guess in which room the criminal is hiding. The more rounds you play, the closer you get to the truth. The players score points based on their guesses and the closer they are to the correct room, the more points they receive. Each round, the hotel rooms will light up one by one, leading you closer to the answer — and the closer you get to the answer, the higher the tension becomes. Even if you know the answer, you have to think strategically since you have to play highest or lowest card to be able to make your guess before the others. Like solving a real crime, you have to collect all the clues and use your powers of deduction. Who will be the one to find the criminal?
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Happy Baobab
- funbot
- Aurora
Questions and answers
Crime Hotel supports 3–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Crime Hotel is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Crime Hotel for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Crime Hotel has a complexity rating of 1.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Crime Hotel belongs to these categories: Card Game, Deduction, and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Crime Hotel are: Susumu Kawasaki. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Crime Hotel as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.