Black Magic is an example of a secret rule game.
What is a secret rule game?
A secret rule game is a playful, often puzzling group activity where one or a few players know a secret rule that determines what fits or happens in the game,
while the rest of the players must figure it out through observation and deduction.
The fun lies in the mix of confusion, clever hints, and the "aha!" moment when players crack the code, making these games perfect for sparking laughter and creative thinking in social settings.
Like all secret rule games, Black Magic is played in a group where some, but not all, players know the secret rule.
Black Magic is also an example of a Membership game, because of the form that the core gameplay takes.
What is a Membership game?
In a Membership game, gameplay revolves around organizing things into groups based on a specific quality. For example,
whether something is black magic.
The quality varies from game to game, but typically, anything that can be discussed, be it a person, place, thing, or otherwise,
may or may not possess that quality. In this way, that thing can be considered to be a member of the class of things
possessing that quality, or not. Players who know the secret rule understand the criteria that determines membership, and can easily
determine whether anything put forward by the other players should be a member of the class or not.
How to play Black Magic
Gameplay revolves around players gathering examples of something that either is black magic, or not.
There are two ways these examples can be provided.
The first option is that a player who already knows the secret rule can volunteer an example. All players should know which
other players claim to know the secret rule, and will know to trust the examples accordingly. Players who claim to know the rule,
but don't actually, will quickly be discovered by players who actually know the rule, and their examples will be called out as incorrect.
When providing examples, it may be helpful for players to provide examples of two things that are similar in some respects, but only one of
which is black magic.
The second option is for players who do not yet know the secret rule to suggest something new and ask the players who do know
the secret rule whether it is black magic. Typically, this question will be answered the same way and at the same time
by all players who know the secret rule, which is helpful to convince new players that the rule is not arbitrary, and that
it is an easy process to determine whether something is black magic. While questions will almost always be answered with
"yes" or "no", there are some cases where the answer may be less concrete, which can give players clues about the secret rule.
The game ends when all players know the secret rule, and can agree on what is black magic reliably. These players will no
longer be able to play Black Magic, but don't worry, there are plenty of other games!
What is the secret rule?
Click the link below to show the secret to Black Magic. Remember, these games are played by learning the rule, and
if you don't already know it, revealing it here will rob you of the opportunity to learn the rule by playing. If you already
know the rule, click the link to see some tips and recommendations that can't be provided without spoiling the secret.
Reveal the secret rule to Black Magic
The secret to Black Magic
What determines whether something is black magic has to do with the sequence of the thing being suggested or asked about.
If something is tested after the previous thing tested was black, it is black magic.