The Strange Forgeries of Mr. S.C.Rheber

About this board game

The Strange Forgeries of Mr. S.C.Rheber is an induction game for 3–7 players with a playing time of about 60 minutes. Players become Collectors seeking art for their museums while attempting to identify the fakes created by the talented forger Simon Charles Rheber.

At the heart of the game, the Gallerist secretly invents a rule. Collectors then create Drawings and receive hidden information about whether each one follows that rule. A Drawing that follows it is an Original; one that does not is a Fake. By comparing examples and applying the scientific method, players gradually develop and test their theories.

The Gallerist moderates the experience and may provide hints as desired. This creates a flexible deduction challenge in which the players themselves help uncover the logic governing the game. Each new Drawing can confirm an idea, challenge an assumption, or point toward an entirely different explanation.

• Invent and investigate a secret rule.
• Create Drawings that are secretly judged as Originals or Fakes.
• Use inductive reasoning to identify patterns.
• Predict whether opponents’ displayed Drawings follow the rule.

In the final test, Collectors examine their opponents’ displayed Drawings and decide whether each one follows the hidden rule. Mistakes determine the winner, so accurate deductions matter more than confident guesses.

Induction-based games are among the rarest types of game designs, and Strange Forgeries stands out through its unusual focus on drawing and its freedom for players to create part of the rules. The result is a distinctive art-forging puzzle built around observation, interpretation, and the search for a secret pattern.