How To Play Among Us IRL

Among Us has been top-charting in the IOS and Google Play stores for weeks now, despite the game’s initial release being in early 2018.  This online multiplayer game is all that people have been buzzing about, on and off of their phone screens. The game’s entire mood, down to the music, is thrilling and suspenseful. But if you wanted a bigger adventure with your friends and outside of a pixelated spaceship, I have constructed a quick tutorial on how to bring this addictive application into your own backyard. 

Of course, none of these “rules” are mandatory or official by any means. Think of them as recommendations if you would like this new-age version of a manhunt to be as accurate as possible. 

Color Coordinate

Due to restrictions in certain areas, I would only recommend inviting up to five people. One upside is that the minimum of this game is four players, meaning one person from the group can play as the imposter. After inviting a few of your closest, it is time to bring the game to life—clothing-wise, that is. Have each person in the group decide on a color for their “uniform.” A solid tee-shirt should work well. But if one person fails to own a solid yellow or orange top lying around, a patterned top can also fill the requirement. To ensure no confusion on which person is what color, I suggest any patterned or graphic shirts still hold a majority of their original chosen color. 

Tasks

Fun fact: This idea initially came to mind when a few friends and I tried pulling this off one night on a whim! The “tasks” to be assigned were our biggest roadblock, as my friend did not particularly trust us playing with her house’s wiring unattended. Firing missiles at asteroids is not a feasible task, either. This resulted in us partaking in a scavenger hunt-style game, which still held the same suspense as any other competitive game would. But it led me to think of a few alternatives to some of the duties required of the crewmates. 

To “Fix Wiring”, all you need is a few spools of yarn/string, a pair of scissors, and one roll of adhesive tape. Carefully measure and cut three to four equal strands of yarn–each in a different color—and then cut each strand in half. Finally, take some adhesive tape and apply one end of one of the halves of string to the floor. Do the same with one of each of the other colors until you have them lined up and looking stacked on top of one another. Repeat the same steps with the other halves of the string but in a different order than the opposite side while maintaining a parallel structure. Ensure the loose ends of the strings are close enough to “connect” and jumble the loose strings into a pile for the crewmate to sort later. 

Starting the reactor in Among Us is similar to a classic memory game titled “Simon Says”. While they do not offer the real vintage game in the IOS or Google Play stores, there are several which mimic the style. Another upside is that most are free to download! Instruct each player to download one of these apps to their mobile device. Any crewmate who is assigned to “Start the Reactor” must play five consecutive rounds of the game without fail. If they do, they must start over until entering the five-color pattern correctly. 

A mobile device might also be required for this alternate task. In the Mira HQ map, some crewmates receive the common assignment of entering an ID code in the Admin room. Transferring this task to one outside of the screen is simple compared to the last one. Before starting the game, assign each player a seven-digit code to “enter” into admin when prompted. How they enter the code can be done in two ways: you can make a group chat with all players and allow them to enter their ID code for others to see or players can opt for the old-school method of writing the numbers on a slip of paper somewhere in the vicinity. 

Roles/Assignments

To decide which player is an imposter or a crewmate, simply write out the roles and assigned tasks on folded slips of paper.  Ensure everybody draws the same number of tasks—including the imposter—to keep the game fair. 

There are not many ways to sabotage a house. But if an imposter manages to turn out some lights during a round and goes unnoticed, I say bonus points! To “kill” the crewmates in the game my friends and I constructed, all we did was pretend to hold a knife and quietly “stab” one of the other players. However, if you are yearning for the most authentic experience, fake Halloween knives will be your best bet. After one of the crewmates has met their untimely fate, they are to turn and face the nearest wall, staying silent until somebody runs across their body and reports it to the rest of the group.

Cooldown/Voting/How to Win

If you wish to set a cooldown time in your game—which I highly recommend if there are a low number of attendees—allow every player to have a timer ready on their phone. After each kill, whichever player is the imposter must wait until the timer reaches zero. To vote somebody off, countdown from three and allow every player to point towards who they suspect to be the imposter. In the game, majority rules, and the live-action version is no exception. After saying your goodbyes to most “sus” of the group, whoever gets voted off must admit their assigned role. If all crewmembers finish their tasks or guess correctly to who the imposter is, they succeed. However, if only one other player remains with the imposter it is an automatic win for the phony crewmate. This final rule for the game is of utmost importance: stay safe and stay sus. 

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