The questions
Each side comes with one line of the case for it. The rest is up to you.
Murder is my line of work. Is true crime as a hobby fun, or a bit creepy?
- FUN
It's a puzzle with real stakes, and cracking it first feels great.
- A BIT CREEPY
Those were real people, and their worst day became a weekend binge.
- FUN
The case of the stolen office lunch: set a trap, or ask around?
- SET A TRAP
Pack a lunch with way too much hot sauce and watch who sweats.
- ASK AROUND
Ask around nicely and the guilty one usually cracks by Friday.
- SET A TRAP
I overhear everything. Is listening in on strangers at a coffee shop OK?
- YEA LISTEN IN
If they say it loud enough in public, they're putting on a free show.
- NAY TUNE IT OUT
A first date two feet away still deserves its privacy.
- YEA LISTEN IN
Watson never complains. Better to be the sidekick, or the star?
- SIDEKICK
The sidekick gets the adventure without the pressure or the blame.
- THE STAR
The star makes the big calls, and the big calls are the fun part.
- SIDEKICK
Crime is my hobby. Would you want to serve on a jury?
- YEA SIGN ME UP
You get a front-row seat to a real case and a say in how it ends.
- NAY GET ME OUT
It can eat weeks of work, and the pay barely covers parking.
- YEA SIGN ME UP
I size people up in seconds. Are first impressions usually right?
- YEA USUALLY RIGHT
Your gut has met thousands of people, and it notices things you miss.
- NAY USUALLY WRONG
Half your best friends seemed rude or odd the day you met them.
- YEA USUALLY RIGHT
I always know where you've been. Should friends share locations on their phones?
- YEA SHARE IT
You can see everyone got home safe without sending a single text.
- NAY PRIVATE
Your friends don't need to know you went to the drive-thru twice.
- YEA SHARE IT
The game is afoot! Escape rooms: a blast, or stressful?
- A BLAST
An hour of clues with friends, and you walk out feeling like a genius.
- STRESSFUL
A ticking clock plus four people yelling at one padlock equals panic.
- A BLAST
About the host
Sherlock Holmes is the consulting detective from the original stories. He keeps rooms at 221B Baker Street and plays the violin when he's thinking. His friend Watson writes it all down. Holmes can tell which part of London you walked through from the mud on your trousers.
He's hosting the week of October 9 because The Lobbyist is a game about catching a liar, and he has caught more than most. His questions cover snooping and first impressions, plus whether you'd rather be the detective or the friend holding the notebook. He already knows your answers. He's asking to see whether you'll lie about them.
How to play these
This is the week to play as The Lobbyist, because the game already works like a detective story. One person at the table is arguing a side they don't believe, and everyone else has to work out who. Watch for the first impressions question. Almost everyone has a story about someone they got wrong, and if you're the Lobbyist you may have to make one up on the spot.
Expect the coffee shop question to split the room. Location sharing gets personal, so if you're just talking these through, save it for last. Or skip the phones and take the stolen lunch: have each person explain how they'd catch the thief. You'll learn who has done this before. For more games built around a hidden liar, read the guide to social deduction games.
About guest decks
Elementary is Sherlock Holmes's guest deck for The Lobbyist, free to play from Oct 9 to Oct 15, 2026. A new guest moves in every Friday with eight questions of their own. See this week's guest.
The guest before: Snooze Or Lose, hosted by Gary the sloth.
The guest after: Spare Parts, hosted by Frankenstein's monster.
Play the guest deck
Start a game and pick this week's guest deck, or Fuzzy Logic. Both are free.
Play free