人労 (Jinrou) 2018

人労 (Jinrou) is a werewolf style game from Japan, set in a business company. The title 人労 means Human Labour (essentially the HR dept), and is a homonym of 人狼 (Jinrou) which means werewolf.

The game is played over six rounds and the players have different roles in the company, each with various skills needed to complete projects. Each role also has secret goals, and players are trying to achieve their goals by the end of the game to win, or to avoid goals and not lose!

In a round, the team leader chooses three players to work on a project. These players (could include the leader) submit two skill cards in secret, which are shuffled and played up. If the six cards show certain combinations, then a player might win or lose on the spot.

But if players can work out what role a person has, they can determine their goals, and play skill cards to make them fail, or make themselves win. By disguising their own roles, players have more chances to achieve their objectives and avoid being eliminated.

For example, the CEO does not want to be in four projects, because they will die of over work. The Lazybones wants the CEO to die, or wants the projects to fail so they don't have to work. The Secretary wants to find romance with anybody but the Lazybones. The Temps want to be in four projects so they get hired permanently, and so on. And everyone wants to fall in love with the Secretary.

Lazybones will win the game if the projects fail to complete, or if the diligent workers fail to take their vacations or miss out on romancing the Secretary.

The various goals and possible outcomes means winning the game depends on concealing roles and identifying others'.

The publisher says:

This is a game about hiding your identity. You are an employee of a company and you are involved in a secret project, hiding your true identity from each other. You have to achieve your goals while taking care of your paycheck and your love life!

Each player has a hand of cards that matches his or her abilities, and they all work together to move a single piece through the backgammon of event cards (i.e. projects) towards the goal. There is also a lot of fun to be had in the squares where the pieces stop. Squatting, talking in gyaru-speak and other events will help you to win the game.

正体隠匿系のゲームです。あなたはとある企業の会社員として、互いの正体を隠したまま秘密プロジェクトに参加します。 有給消化、社内恋愛をこなしながら自分の目的を達成しましょう！ プレイヤーは各自能力に合わせた手札を持ちます。全員で協力して一つの駒をすごろく状にならんだイベントカード（＝プロジェクト）の上をゴールを目指して進めますが、中にはプロジェクト達成などどうでもいい人も・・・？ 駒がとまったマス目にもお楽しみがいっぱい。スクワットやギャル語で会話などイベントをこなしながら、勝利を目指します。