/pic7349980.png)
Collection Status
Your Rating
Description
Fiction is a Wordle-inspired game of deception. One player is the Lie-brarian and will choose a secret word from a classic work of literature. The other players will, as a team, use logic and literacy to deduce the secret word as quickly as possible.
Players have ten guesses and two ten-minute time periods to deduce the secret word, but beware! The Lie-brarian's clues will always contain exactly one lie. The Guessers win if they figure out the word; the Lie-brarian wins if the time or number of guesses runs out.
Year Published
2023
Featured Videos
Playthrough
Gen Con Digital Demos Announcement 2!
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video wQ3Xbpn-VyA
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews game_review at 0:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62284 · mention_pk 154794
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Blends a familiar word-puzzle mechanic with bluffing and deception
- High player engagement; both clue-giver and guessers stay involved
- Moderate play time (about 20 minutes) with a two-half structure
- Accessible to word puzzle fans; easy to pick up
- Unique mechanic of choosing a word from a book page and highlighting felter words
Cons
- Not suitable for players who dislike time pressure or word games
- Potential quarterbacking and domination by one player may occur in larger groups
- Can be challenging and stressful; not ideal for casual players
- Hard mode and token limits may increase complexity
Thematic elements
- Word guessing with deception; bluffing by the clue giver
- Books throughout history; selecting a word from a book page to be guessed
- Deception-driven social deduction with a cooperative guessing team
Comparison games
- Wordle
- Letter Jam
- Bananagrams
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Clue tokens (truth/lie signaling) — Blue indicates correct letter in correct place, yellow indicates correct letter in wrong place, and X indicates the letter is not in the word. Fact/fiction tokens allow the clue giver to reveal a truth or a lie once per turn.
- Hard mode modifiers — Red words (hard mode) introduce more challenging letter patterns (e.g., doubled letters) and may reduce available clues.
- Role management and quarterbacking — In larger groups, a single player may become the de facto clue-giver, which can influence game flow and player engagement.
- Token economy and timing — A limited number of fact/fiction tokens per half; 10-minute halves (8 minutes in hard mode) and a timer-driven end to each half.
- Two-team dynamic (clue giver vs. guessers) — One player (librarian/clue giver) provides clues that may be true or false to guide a team toward the target word.
- Word deduction from book-page words — The target word is drawn from a page of a book; felter words are highlighted as potential guesses for players to choose from.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Fiction is basically a board game gamified version of Wordle you have a felter word that you trying to guess
- this is incredibly tough this is a big old challenge
- I really like this game and I don't typically like a lot of word games
- if you like logic puzzles and deducing things I think you're going to like this
- you are choosing a word from a page from a book so you choose the page there all these words and then all the felter words are highlighted and you to choose one of those
- it's 20 minutes you have two halves both of 10 minutes each with a little breather in the middle and that's it it's 20 minutes
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QLvoE1azxD4
Game Boy Geek game_review at 1:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 32925 · mention_pk 97557
Click to watch at 1:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cleverly translates Wordle-like play into a social, shared experience
- Cooperative play with tension from the deception mechanic
- Line mechanic adds strategic depth and lies to detect
Cons
- Normal mode can be too easy for some groups
- Librarian role may be stressful or less enjoyable for some players
- Word-game theme may not appeal to those who dislike classical literature
Thematic elements
- Lying, deception, and word deduction within a cooperative setting.
- Literary world built around classic novels (e.g., references to The Great Gatsby).
- Librarian narrator guiding players through rounds with hidden information.
Comparison games
- Wordle
- Codenames
- Crypto
- Letter Jam
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — Players work together under a ticking timer and a limited number of guesses.
- Cooperative pressure — Players work together under a ticking timer and a limited number of guesses.
- Deception / liar mechanic — The librarian must lie exactly once per round when giving feedback.
- Feedback tokens — Fact or fiction tokens can reveal truths about a letter when used.
- word deduction — Players guess a hidden word by evaluating letter feedback (correct place, correct letter wrong place, incorrect).
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is, after all, a library.
- It's devious, delightful, and extremely confusing when your group starts triple guessing everything.
- First, this is an incredibly clever way to bring what is usually a solitary screen staring activity to life as a shared social experience.
- The cooperative gameplay paired with a ticking timer creates just the right amount of pressure to keep everyone locked in.
- If you're looking for something light, quick, and brainy that hits that sweet spot between party game and puzzle challenge, fiction is a pretty great option.
- On the other hand, if you're a big Scrooge and just hate classic works like A Christmas Carol, or you don't know how to spell, probably take a pass on this game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dkpHSY36_8A
Undetermined (see channel_id) playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12381 · mention_pk 36161
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Portal-inspired theme
- Hidden role deduction mechanics
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- portal (video game series)
- deduction
- social deduction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video uhCGfd5sRpo
Foster The Meatball analysis at 7:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9383 · mention_pk 27650
Click to watch at 7:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Thematic homage to literature and adaptations
- Great for book lovers
Cons
- Could be niche for non-readers
- Narrative emphasis can slow pace
Thematic elements
- grammar policing, book-to-film debates
- A literary-obsessed realm with storytelling and book culture
- bookish, slightly argumentative
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building / narrative control — players curate a library of stories and manage wording to score
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Flamecraft as a human just let me describe them and you'll know what I mean
- Fage now Mage is that fancy foodie friend who brings a curated cheeseboard to literally every Gathering
- I nailed it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video p0Lpqj58sY8
Gen Con Digital Demos (Paula & Matthew) general_discussion at 14:27 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6237 · mention_pk 18471
Click to watch at 14:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive (engaging and social, though mentally taxing).
Pros
- Innovative deception mechanic on a Wordle-like framework
- Strong social interaction for streams
- Replayability via random word prompts
Cons
- Complex deduction can be challenging in a live demo
- Learning curve for new players
Thematic elements
- librarian vs. traitor dynamic within word prompts
- word-guessing and deception in a Wordle-like format
- social-deduction word game
Comparison games
- Wordle
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Fact/fiction tokens — players can deploy tokens to question or confirm letters as fact or fiction.
- Liar mechanic — one player acts as librarian and can lie about answers to mislead the other player.
- Word prompts — cards provide yellow and red prompts; yellow prompts lack repeated letters, red prompts do have repeats.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We are going to do a prediction and this time we are going to offer a buy option.
- This is Call of Duty the board game we’re demoing, sponsored by Arcane Wonders.
- Fiction is a Wordle-inspired, traitor-filled word game.
- Mind Space is a thoughtful polyamino game with a clever dice-driven draw system.
- Shake That City is a bright city-building card game on a small footprint.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5