Deduction · the Author can’t speak
Les Secrets de la Tour Eiffel
The Secrets of the Eiffel Tower
When the Eiffel Tower opened, the whole world wondered where the idea came from. The author of a lost book was the only one who knew the truth. Who was Eiffel with? In what situation? Where? And what were they eating?
- 3–5 players
- 2–10 in co-op
- Ages 8+
- 25 min
The box is in French. Rules are available in Spanish and French.
19 €
Order by emailShipping within France: €10.
Game profile
What kind of game is it?
How much of each ingredient, from 1 to 5.
Complexity
Best with
4–5 players
For
- Friends
- Families
- Deduction fans
Mechanics
- Deduction
- Limited communication
- Secret code
- Bluffing
A 4-digit code
Four colored dice secretly pick a character, a situation, a place and a Parisian dish.
The Author can’t speak
Using surreal cards, the Author guides the Readers to the right cards and can only say how many each Reader got right.
First to crack it wins
Each Reader writes their code in secret. Bluffing is allowed.
Les Secrets de la Tour Eiffel
How to play
Setup
Build a grid of 4 rows by 6 columns: characters, situations, places and dishes. The last person to eat a croissant is the Author.
The secret code
Behind the book, the Author rolls the dice. The color gives the row (blue character, red situation, yellow place, green dish) and the number gives the column.
Clues without words
The Author draws seven Author cards, chooses four and places one next to each row, all at once.
Every Reader writes
In secret, each Reader writes the code they believe is right and hands the sheet to the Author.
How many, not which
The Author says out loud how many each Reader got right. If nobody cracked it, four new cards go down next to the previous ones.
End of the game
There are up to four rounds. The Reader who cracks the code wins together with the Author. If nobody does, there’s one last chance with no new cards: whoever gets it then wins alone.
The rules that make it special
Sign the box
The winner writes their name and the Author’s inside the box, and the Author tells the true story of Gustave Eiffel.
Ties
The player with the most correct answers over the game wins. If it’s still tied, the victory is shared.
Co-op mode
Everyone on the same team, with one score sheet and four turns to crack the code. From 2 to 10 players: the more of you, the more you talk.
The Reader cards
48 cards from Eiffel’s Paris
Twelve cards per row: characters, situations, places and dishes of Paris. Each game puts six of each face up.
CharactersWho was he with?
The flower seller 
The switchboard operator 
The Lumière brothers 
The cabaret dancer 
The shoeshine boy 
The police officer 
The cab driver 
The Les Halles porter 
Monet, the painter 
The chimney sweep 
The knocker-up 
The sister of charity
SituationsIn what situation?
The cabaret 
The café 
Pétanque 
The flower market 
The booksellers by the Seine 
The circus 
The bicycle race 
Show jumping 
The magic show 
The omnibus 
The opera 
The zoo
PlacesWhere?
The Luxembourg Gardens 
The Gare d’Orsay 
Sacré-Cœur 
Les Invalides 
The Arc de Triomphe 
Notre-Dame 
The Bastille 
The catacombs 
The cemetery 
The Pont Neuf 
The Trocadéro 
Versailles
DishesWhat did they eat?
Canelés and tea 
Fondue 
Cognac and a cigar 
Croissant breakfast 
Baguettes 
Macarons 
Escargots 
Champagne 
Oysters 
Frog legs 
The cheese board 
Steak tartare
The Author cards
60 surreal cards
None of them shows Paris. The Author looks for a detail that points to the right card, and the Readers have to guess what the Author had in mind.
Try it here
Play a game as a Reader
The table is the one from the rulebook example. The Author has already rolled the dice and placed a card next to each row. Pick one card per row and say the code: the Author tells you how many digits are right, but not which ones.
A box that looks like a book
Illustrated cards of Paris, colored dice and a score sheet for every Reader.
What’s in the box
- 60 Author cards
- 12 Character cards
- 12 Situation cards
- 12 Place cards
- 12 Dish cards
- 6 Column tokens and 4 Row tokens
- 4 colored dice
- Reader pad, Author pad and pencil
Rules and videos
Download the rules or watch how to play.
Credits
- Designer · Diego Simonet
- Illustration · Facundo Rodríguez Valsagna
- Design · Sol Dillon
- Rulebook · La Board Game House
