Will you join the journey to the Afterlands? Just a short boat ride from Limbo, eternal happiness in the hereafter awaits you. Although the players can see these afterlands through their death mask, the distance is great and they are doomed to ferry souls forever, never reaching the promised lands themselves. But perhaps one of you will strike a deal with a demon for a safe passage?
Passengers is a social deduction game by Joost Das. Das himself released the English edition of the game via FableSmith, but the honour of publishing the Dutch version goes to Studio Infinitus.
Like many other social deduction games, Passengers is better suited to larger groups. In the game, players are secretly assigned a role and some attempt, without being discovered, to achieve their hidden objectives.
In the game, you can be a soul guide; these players try to score points by bringing souls of matching colours across the water in the boats. Smugglers of demons (these players know each other’s roles) try instead to transport as many demons as possible and place them next to matching colours. The Yaesther is a lone wolf with their own goal: he or she wants to ensure that both teams score points evenly (preferably as few as possible), so that in the end, he or she emerges as the winner.
Each round, one boat departs to make the crossing. Players fill two boats with passengers each round and then vote on which boat may depart. Every player has three cards in hand and plays one card per round on one of the boats. Players always have at least one soul and one demon in hand, so they are constantly faced with the choice of playing a card they might rather not play.
Players place their cards face down on the boats and receive a gift with special powers, allowing them to view, manipulate, or otherwise influence the cards placed. Then the players vote on which boat may depart. Players may tell others which cards they are placing, but they may also lie about it. This way, they try to bluff and deduce using the gifts.
Passengers is highly recommended for fans of games like Werewolves and Secret Hitler, but with a unique theme and a special atmosphere. The illustrations are beautiful and distinctive. Be sure to play it with the maximum number of players, as with fewer players the game can feel a bit more random.
