The Name of the Rose
- Players
- 2-5
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 4 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 75 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 10+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 2.4 / 5
- Year
- 2008
About the game
In The Name of the Rose, based on Umberto Eco's novel, players take on the roles of secretive monks trying to accumulate suspicion points against their rivals to unmask the criminal among them. Over seven in-game days, players move key figures around the abbey, manage clue and suspicion chits, and slowly reveal who is who. Designed by acclaimed designer Stefan Feld, it blends deduction, hand management, and secret unit deployment for 2-5 players. A tense final-day guessing round determines who truly uncovers the killer.
Hobbli's Notes
This is a cleverly disguised deduction game hiding under a literary veneer: the suspicion-and-clue-point system is genuinely inventive and rewards careful observation of opponents. It's more cerebral than its calm medieval setting suggests, and newcomers to Feld's designs should expect a moderate rules load before the tension kicks in.
What we like
- Unique hidden-identity system tied closely to its literary source material.
- Rewarding blend of deduction, bluffing, and light hand management.
- Scales cleanly across 2 to 5 players.
- Designed by celebrated designer Stefan Feld.
Keep in mind
- Rules overhead is heavier than a typical deduction game.
- Theme feels abstracted despite the literary license.
- Can invite analysis paralysis as players track suspicion across the board.
Who it's for
Ideal for deduction and hidden-role fans aged 10 and up who enjoy medium-weight strategy games in groups of 2-5.
