
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,487
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Historical Mystery: Disappearance in the Sky
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2024

2023
Rules assistance for Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball is a board game released in 2023 for 1–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 18 and up. It was designed by Mihail Rozanov and its main mechanics are Deduction, Storytelling, and Cooperative Game.
Death at the Ball is the first game in the detective series “Historical Mystery”. The French court is in distress — all of a sudden an established nobleman passes away for no apparent reason but… poisoning. You are on this controversial case, accompanied by other investigators. Try and solve the case in 24 moves: visit wealthy households, interrogate aristocrats and commoners who knew the victim and hunt down every detail. Choose the cards to investigate together. At the end of the game, you will be asked a series of questions and if you answer correctly — you win. Players prepare 15 decks without shuffling or flipping cards. Starting from the first card they begin to follow the instructions. As they read through the story, they will encounter icons with numbers of decks: new places and people they unlock. Players will have 24 Moves: chances to flip one of the available cards. They will either examine places or objects, or interrogate suspects. During the game it is important to pay close attention to the details and people’s expressions in the pictures – it will help you solve the crime! When players are out of the Moves, they need to scan the “Question” QR-Code and give answers to a series of questions concerning the case. Then they can check right answers and the whole story description.
Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball supports 1–4 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 Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball is 60–90 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 Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball for ages 18 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.
Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball belongs to these categories: Deduction and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Deduction, Storytelling, and Cooperative Game. 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 Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball are: Mihail Rozanov. 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 Historical Mystery: Death at the Ball 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.