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Qwingo
- 2–5 players
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Three of a Crime
1991
Rules assistance for Three of a Crime
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.2/5
Rules assistant for Three of a Crime
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Three of a Crime is a board game released in 1991 for 2–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Heinz Meister.
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About the game
There are seven thieves and each of the 35 cards shows some combination of three of them. One player acts as the "eyewitness" and secretly looks at one of the cards. The other players will then try to deduce the three thieves on this card. They do so by revealing one card at a time from the deck. The eyewitness places a 0,1 or 2 chip to indicate how many of the thieves are on his card. The player that correctly identifies the three thieves that the eyewitness "saw," solves the crime. The next player then becomes the eyewitness and the first player to solve three crimes wins.
Questions and answers
Three of a Crime supports 2–6 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 Three of a Crime is 20 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 Three of a Crime 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.
Three of a Crime has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Three of a Crime belongs to these categories: Card Game, Deduction, and Puzzle. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Three of a Crime and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Three of a Crime are: Heinz Meister. 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 Three of a Crime 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.