Guard Duty

Main Game Dynamics

• Coordinating Lifeguard roles like Security and Camera Observer is essential for uncovering Patrons. By sharing information carefully, Lifeguards can force Patrons to act defensively and make mistakes.
• Balancing pool guarding between predictability and randomness creates ongoing mind games. Lifeguards who rotate guards unpredictably keep Patrons guessing, while Patrons who read patterns can exploit gaps.
• Using Whistle Marshal or Disruptor abilities at the right moments can silence critical players, stalling the opposing team’s momentum and shifting debates in your favor.
• Deciding whether to reveal investigative information early is a tough call: it can rally your team for decisive votes but exposes key roles to Patron attacks.
• Patrons face constant pressure to choose between aggressive sabotage that risks exposure and subtle sabotage that prolongs the game but delays their victory.
• Rescue Diver’s one-time elimination power can be a game changer if used soon after sabotage, but waiting too long risks missing the opportunity entirely.
• Protecting the Sleeper Lifeguard is a critical dilemma for Lifeguards, as losing them to the Recruiter Patron can instantly swing the game in the Patrons’ favor.
• Tethered Patron introduces high risk stakes to every vote, forcing all players to consider that eliminating the wrong target could cause unexpected double eliminations.

Trade-offs and Dilemmas

• Guard Placement vs. Spread:
  Lifeguards must choose between focusing guards on pools they believe Patrons will target, risking predictability, or spreading guards widely and risking sabotage at unprotected pools.
• Reveal or Conceal:
  Investigative roles like Security, Camera Observer, or Supervisor face the dilemma of revealing information early to guide votes, which exposes themselves as high-value targets, or keeping findings secret to stay alive longer.
• Aggressive vs. Cautious Play:
  Patrons must decide whether to sabotage aggressively, increasing chances of success but also raising suspicion, or play passively to avoid detection, risking that the game drags on unfavorably.
• Voting Choices:
  During the Day Phase, players debate whether to push for an elimination based on limited information or hold back and risk letting the opposing team gain the upper hand. Ties or hasty votes can protect key Patrons or eliminate valuable Lifeguards.
• Mute Timing:
  Disruptor Patron must decide when muting a player will do the most damage to Lifeguard discussions, too early can waste the ability, too late may let Lifeguards build unstoppable momentum.
• Defense vs Attack Roles:
  Lifeguards need to balance defending their investigators (Security, Camera Observer) with using offensive roles like Rescue Diver effectively, focusing too much on defense can stall progress, but overly aggressive moves can expose critical roles.
• Sleeper Lifeguard Protection:
  Lifeguards have to decide if protecting the Sleeper Lifeguard is worth exposing patterns that Patrons can exploit, or leave them vulnerable to conversion by the Recruiter Patron, risking an instant swing in Patron strength.
• Tethered Patron Threat:
  Once suspected or revealed, players must consider the possibility that eliminating Tethered Patron could take down a key Lifeguard, creating a tense dilemma where no vote is truly safe.

Typical Play Duration & Game Flow

🌙 Night Phase (~4 min)

Patron Roles Called in Order:

• Leader Patron – Choose sabotage pool & target player (15s)
• Disruptor Patron – Select player to mute (15s)
• Recruiter Patron – Attempt conversion (if not yet used) (15s)
• Tethered Patron – Choose player to tether (15s)
• All Patrons – Confirm sabotage (30s)

Lifeguard Roles Called in Order:

• Lifeguards – Assign guards to pools (each 15s, total ~45s)
• Security – Investigate player alignment (15s)
• Security Bodyguard – Protect a player (15s)
• Doctor – Protect a player from elimination (15s)
• Rescue Diver – Optionally eliminate (if unlocked) (15s)
• Whistle Marshal – Silence a player (15s)
• Camera Observer – Observe one pool (15s)
• Supervisor – Learn if a player performed an action (15s)

📣 Results Phase (~30s)

Narrator announces:

• Eliminated player(s) (if any)
• Mutes or silences triggered
• Pools sabotaged (if observed by Camera Observer)

Narrator checks for victory conditions:

• Lifeguards win if all Patrons eliminated or rounds goal met
• Patrons win if Patrons ≥ Lifeguards or sabotage goal met

💬 Discussion Phase (~4 min)

• Open discussion: Players debate, accuse, and defend (2 min)
• Initial vote: Players vote to nominate one player (30s)
• If tie or no nomination → skip to next Night Phase
• Defense: Nominated player has 60 seconds to plead their case (1 min)
• Final vote: Players vote to either kick (eliminate) or spare the nominated player (30s)