Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
There has been a crime committed at the Monastery—and not everyone wants justice to prevail! On one side, is the manipulative and conniving Rector.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Cooperative Game
Players coordinate their actions toward a shared objective and win or lose together.
Worker Placement
Commit limited workers to action spaces before opponents occupy them.
Acting
Communicate information by performing without directly stating the answer.
Voting
Players collectively approve, reject, or select an outcome through votes.
Read the full game description
There has been a crime committed at the Monastery—and not everyone wants justice to prevail! On one side, is the manipulative and conniving Rector. On the side of justice, the Investigators. Investigators will interview Suspects and play action cards as they attempt to avoid traps, bluffs, and interference from the Rector. At the end of each day, the Investigators meet to decide who they can trust: which Investigator is sabotaging the case and which Suspects should they accuse? Take too long or trust the wrong person, and the guilty parties will get away. The deceptive Rector will win! Only if you use your powers of deduction to the fullest will you determine which Investigator is not what he seems, and solve the case of the Black Rose. The Black Rose is set in Shadows of Esteren, a gothic world of suspense, secrecy and horror. This is an asymmetrical, investigative card game that is a counterpart to Vengeful Words, written by Nelyhann. No prior knowledge of Shadows of Esteren or Vengeful Words is required to play.