I have bluffed my way through an entire round of Detective Club without the faintest idea what the secret word was, nodding along, laying down dreamy picture cards, inventing reasons with the confidence of a woman who absolutely knows what she is doing, and I got away with it, and I have never felt more alive. This is what you get when you cross the gorgeous picture cards of a game like Dixit with a hunt for a hidden faker, and it is one of the most quietly devious party games I have played.

Each round a leader secretly writes a word and shows it to everyone except one player, the unlucky conspirator who never sees it. Then everyone, including the clueless faker, plays picture cards from their hand that supposedly illustrate that secret word, explaining their choice aloud. The faker has to bluff, choosing cards and spinning explanations to blend in without knowing what the word actually is. Afterward everyone votes on who they think the faker was, and points swing on whether the group catches them or the faker slips through.

The genius is the double tension. If you are innocent, you want to prove you know the word without making it so obvious that the faker can guess it and hide. If you are the faker, you are desperately reading the other cards for clues and praying your vague guesses pass. It produces wonderful table talk and a great deal of laughing accusation.

It plays a big group, teaches in minutes, and the lovely art gives every round a little dose of imagination. For a party game with real deduction humming underneath the fun, it is a gem.

Are you a subtle hint dropper or a smooth talking faker? Tell me below, and tell me about the round you bluffed your way through.