A silly game best played around a large table. College dining halls, and boring meetings are recommended venues.

Send one person, the detective, out of the room.

The remaining crowd nominates one person to be the murderer.

When the detective returns to the room, the game can begin.

The murderer has to kill as many people as possible around the table or room without being spotted by the detective. A murder takes place when the killer winks at a victim. The victim, on spotting this signal, must die in a suitably dramatic manner.

Faking, bluffing, delaying, and hamming it up are all encouraged.

If the murderer is caught, s/he usually becomes the next detective.