Questions for the spy game

Why questions decide the case

In Spybluff everything happens through questions. Nobody can show their dossier or name the location, so every question and every answer is the only evidence the table has.

A good question works like a password. Agents hear it and immediately know what to say, while the spy has to improvise. A bad question does the opposite: it either tells the spy where everyone is, or it is so general that anyone can answer it.

This guide collects question types, dozens of ready-made questions and examples for real Spybluff locations. Use them as a starting point, then come up with your own: the most unexpected questions are usually the best.

What makes a question good

A good question for agents has three qualities. It is easy for someone who knows the location. It is useless to someone who does not. And its honest answer does not name the place.

Compare two questions about a hospital. "Do people get treated here?" is too direct: the spy hears it and knows. "What would you rather not touch here?" is better: an agent answers "the door handles" at once, and the spy has to guess what fits.

Open questions work better than closed ones. "What do you hear right now?" makes a person describe something. "Is it loud here?" gets a yes or no, and anyone can say that with a straight face.

Finally, a good question leaves room for different answers. If every agent would say the same word, the spy only has to wait for it.

Senses: what you see, hear and smell

The senses are the richest source of questions because every place has its own sound and smell, but they rarely point at a single location.

Examples: What is the first thing you notice when you walk in? What do you hear right now? What does it smell like here? Is the light here natural or artificial? What would you rather not touch here? What color dominates around you? What is the quietest corner of this place?

Answers to such questions are hard to invent without knowing the location. The spy either gives something universal like "people" or "noise", or risks a detail that does not fit.

People and roles

Every location has its typical visitors and staff. Questions about people reveal whether the player knows who they are surrounded by.

Examples: Who is the most important person here? Who would you ask for help? Who here is having the worst day? Who comes here willingly, and who has to? Would you bring your parents here? Who is the loudest person here? Who would you never want to annoy here?

With cover roles enabled, these questions become even more interesting. Ask "What do you do here all day?" or "Who do you report to?", and each agent will answer from their role, while the spy has to invent a role on the spot.

Time and schedule

Places live by their own clock. A bakery wakes up before dawn, a nightclub after midnight, and a wedding lasts until the last guest falls asleep.

Examples: What time of day is best to be here? How long do people usually stay? Does this place close for the night? When is it most crowded? Would you come here on a weekday morning? How often do you come here? What happens here at the very end of the day?

Time questions are good because the answer sounds natural and short, like "until you get tired" or "only in summer", but it separates similar places well.

Clothes and appearance

What people wear tells a lot about a place: a uniform, a swimsuit, a suit, a helmet, slippers.

Examples: How are you dressed today? What would stand out here as the wrong outfit? Do you need anything special on your feet? Would you come here in your pajamas? What do the staff wear? Would you take your jacket off here?

Be careful: clothes questions are among the most generous. "A helmet" or "a swimsuit" narrows the choice a lot, so answer with feelings rather than items: "something comfortable", "something I do not mind getting dirty".

Money

Money questions help because prices, payments and tips differ a lot from place to place.

Examples: How much money should you bring here? Do you pay before or after? What here is overpriced? Can you leave with more money than you came with? Who gets paid the most here? Do people tip here?

A spy caught by a money question often says "it depends". Sometimes that is honest, but if an agent says "it depends" to every question, it is worth remembering.

Rules and behavior

Every place has written and unwritten rules. Knowing them is a clear sign that a person has actually been there.

Examples: What is forbidden here? What would get you thrown out? What would you do here that you would never do at home? Do you have to be quiet here? Can you take photos here? What do newcomers usually do wrong here? Is there a queue here, and do people keep it?

These questions reward a sense of humor. "You cannot argue with the driver" or "Do not touch anything shiny" sound personal and still keep the secret.

Dangers and discomfort

Almost every place has something unpleasant or risky about it, and people who have been there remember it well.

Examples: What is the most dangerous thing here? What could go wrong today? What would you complain about? What hurts after a day here? What are you afraid of losing here? What would make you leave early?

Complaints are especially convenient. Everyone likes to grumble, the answers sound lively, and "the noise" or "the queue" gives the spy very little.

What would you bring

Questions about things you take with you are a classic of the genre. Every place has a set of must-have items, and a random item from someone’s answer can be a revealing clue.

Examples: What would you bring here? What should you never forget to take? What would you take home as a souvenir? What would you put in your pockets before you come? What do you have to leave at the entrance? What would you buy here if you had spare change?

Here it is easy to overdo it. "Sunscreen" or "a passport" points straight at the answer. Choose something that fits several locations of the theme, such as "water", "patience" or "a good book".

Imagination and feelings

Sometimes the best question is an unexpected one. Hypothetical and emotional questions are hard to prepare for, and the spy is caught off guard by them most often.

Examples: What would you change about this place? What would you name your pet after this place? What would a tourist think here? What song would suit this place? Would you have your first date here? What would a film about this place be about? What would you want to be here instead of who you are?

The answers are subjective, so it is hard to call them wrong. But an agent still answers with confidence, and the spy hesitates for a noticeable moment before answering.

Examples for real locations

Casino, from the Spies theme. Good questions: "What would you rather not lose here?", "Who here is watching you?", "What do you do with your hands here?". A too-direct question: "What game are you going to play?".

Hospital, from the City theme. Good questions: "How long did you wait today?", "What would you not want to touch here?", "Who here is the calmest person?". A too-direct question: "What are you sick with?".

Marshrutka, from the Ukraine theme. Good questions: "Where do you sit if you have a choice?", "What do you pass from hand to hand here?", "How do you tell someone you want to get out?". A too-direct question: "What number is the route?".

Space station, from the Space theme. Good questions: "What do you miss most here?", "How do you know it is morning?", "What is the hardest thing about eating here?". A too-direct question: "How far is it to Earth?".

Wedding, from the Ukraine theme. Good questions: "What will you remember about today?", "Who here is the most nervous?", "What will your feet say tomorrow?". A too-direct question: "What did you give the couple?".

Castle, from the History theme. Good questions: "Who here decides everything?", "What is the coldest place here?", "What would you not want to hear through the wall?". A too-direct question: "Where is the throne room?".

Notice the pattern: the good questions fit two or three locations of the theme at once, and the right answer only becomes clear from the way the agent answers.

Questions to avoid

Questions that name the place or its main object. "Is the water warm today?" at a pool, "Is the dough ready?" at a bakery, "Did you land well?" at an airport. These hand the spy the answer.

Questions with a yes or no answer. "Do you like it here?", "Have you been here before?", "Is it crowded?". The spy can answer them without knowing anything, so they do not help the agents.

Questions with a single possible answer. "What is sold here?" or "What do people do here?" at a very specific place produce the same word from every agent, and the spy only has to wait for it.

Checks that are too cunning. If you ask something so odd that even the agents do not know what to say, you will make an innocent player look suspicious, and that plays into the spy’s hands.

How the spy should answer

The spy’s main weapon is an answer that fits most locations in the theme. Before the game starts, look at the theme name and quickly recall what its places have in common.

Answer through feelings and opinions: "I do not come here often enough to judge", "Depends who you come with", "Too many people for my taste", "It is better in the evening". Such answers are hard to disprove.

Use humor and a little evasion: a joke draws attention away from the substance. But do not overdo it. If every answer of yours is a joke, the agents will notice.

Watch the reactions of others. If after your answer the agents exchange glances, you are off target: change your approach and answer even more cautiously next time.

Safe questions for the spy

When it is the spy’s turn to ask, the goal is to learn as much as possible without looking ignorant. The best tool is open questions that fit any place.

Examples: What is the first thing you do when you get here? What do you like least here? Who would you not want to meet here? What would you tell a friend about this place? How do you feel when you leave here? What would you take with you next time?

Ask players who have already given detailed answers: they are more likely to say something useful again. And never ask about a detail that may not even exist at the location.

Tips for answering as an agent

Answer briefly, in a few words. A long answer gives the spy more material to work with.

Answer in a way that another agent recognizes, but that fits at least two locations in the theme. In the Food theme, "the smell of frying oil" fits a burger joint, a donut shop and a food court.

If you use cover roles, add color from your role. A lifeguard and an ice cream seller see the same beach differently, and that is exactly what makes an answer sound real.

Do not be afraid of a pause. It is better to think for a second than to blurt out a detail that gives the location away, as Sofia did with the seagulls in our sample round on the How to play page.

How to read the answers

Pay attention not only to what a player says, but how. A spy often answers a little later, repeats the question aloud, or answers a different, easier question.

Suspicious signals: an answer that would fit any theme; a sudden joke instead of an answer; asking the same question that was just asked; answering with a question.

At the same time, an honest agent can also be nervous. One odd answer is not a reason to accuse. Two or three answers in a row that do not quite fit are a different matter.