THE GAME NIGHT GUIDE
Trust nobody. Especially the cute one.
The current two-pile edition of our underwater murder mystery.
YOUR MISSION
The goal.
Turtles: expose the Murderer or survive the decks. Murderer: eliminate every Turtle without being caught.
01 · BEFORE THE CHAOS
Set the table.
Tick each step as you go. Your checklist resets when you leave this page.
02 · MAKE YOUR MOVE
Your turn.
Play up to three
Play up to three cards on your turn, resolving their effects in order.
If you played no Action
Draw two cards from your choice of the two piles, then return one card from your hand to the top of its matching pile. If you played an Action, skip this draw-and-return step.
Follow the evidence
On your turn, use two matching Clues for a Character to accuse that player. A correct accusation of the Murderer wins for the Turtles.
03 · KEEP THIS HANDY
Rules at a glance.
Two waters
Shallow Waters contains clues and lower danger; Deep Waters offers more actions and Murder cards. Keep the piles separate in the standard game.
Murder
A Turtle drawing a Murder card is eliminated unless protected by Shell Shock. The Murderer is immune until Sudden Death.
Wrong accusation
Both the accuser and the accused discard half their hands, rounded down.
Dead Clues
An eliminated player reveals their Role and discards their hand. Clues belonging to that Character become Dead Clues and are removed from active play.
Sudden Death
When only one Turtle and the Murderer remain, the Murderer becomes vulnerable to Murder cards.
Win the mystery
The Turtles win by correctly exposing the Murderer, or if both piles run out before all Turtles are dead. The Murderer wins by eliminating all Turtles.
Recycling Murder cards
Only the Murderer may return Murder cards to a matching draw pile.
04 · SETTLE THE TABLE DEBATE
Quick answers.
One more question before you make your move?
Which edition is this guide for?
The current edition with separate Shallow Waters and Deep Waters piles and a four-card starting hand.
Do I draw after playing an Action?
In this two-pile rules layout, no. The draw-two-and-return-one step applies when you played no Action that turn.
Can we make it harder?
Hard Mode combines Shallow Waters and Deep Waters into one pile. Use the remaining current-edition rules.
KEEP THE RULES HANDY.
Save a text quick guide for offline reference. This guide follows the website; use the final rulebook for your edition.
COMMUNITY CONTENT
WATCH IT AT THE TABLE.
A community video for Who Murdered the Turtle?. Follow your edition’s written guide for the rules.
Watch on YouTube