PartyBox · Fall of Rome
Games like Secret Hitler for friends who love a bluff
The right alternative depends on which arguments your group enjoys: whom to elect, whom to suspect, or whose secret knowledge to protect. Here are three alternatives and the original reference, with their different rhythms of play.
Create a party and share the code. Gather in the lobby, then set up Fall of Rome when everyone is ready.
Fall of Rome: elections and secret laws for 5–10
PartyBox’s free browser game puts hidden Republican and Imperial factions in a Roman senate. A rotating Leader nominates a Lawmaker, and the group votes on the government. The Leader draws three laws and discards one; the Lawmaker passes one of the remaining two.
Choose it if you enjoy questioning a government’s explanation for an unwelcome law. The Republic needs five Republic laws or the Dictator’s execution. Imperialists need six Imperial laws, or the Dictator elected Lawmaker after three Imperial laws.
Mafia: night actions and daytime suspicion for 5–14
PartyBox’s Mafia alternates hidden night actions with open discussion and votes to eliminate a suspect. Optional Doctor and Sheriff roles add protection and investigation. Choose it for arguments about behavior and night results. Eliminated players watch quietly, so it has a different rhythm from lawmaking.
The Resistance: Avalon: protect an informed ally
This tabletop game for 5–10 adds Merlin, who knows hidden enemies but must conceal his identity. Choose it for the tension of protecting that knowledge.
Secret Hitler: the original reference
The original is a 5–10-player game of hidden factions and elections. Its official site offers the rules and a print-and-play version.
Choose the kind of deduction you want
Only three or four friends available? PartyBox’s Imposter supports 3–14 players and changes the focus to spoken clues and a shared secret word. It is another way to bluff together, with a different structure from governments and laws.
- Secret factions, elected governments and disputed laws in a browser: Fall of Rome.
- Night roles, accusations and elimination votes in a browser: Mafia.
- An informed ally whose identity must stay hidden at the table: Avalon.
- The original setting and rules: Secret Hitler.
Make room for the discussion
Host Fall of Rome, share the PartyBox lobby link or code, and wait for your friends before setup and play. Each person keeps private information on their own device. Discuss aloud in the same room or through your usual voice call. You can choose another game in the lobby.
Published by PartyBox, whose games include Fall of Rome and its browser version of Mafia. PartyBox is independent of the creators of Secret Hitler and The Resistance: Avalon. These comparisons do not imply affiliation or endorsement.
Create a party and share the code. Gather in the lobby, then set up Fall of Rome when everyone is ready.