Mitchell H. Allen's Forsooth is a finalist in the 2005 About.com Deduction Game Design Competition. In Forsooth, players compete to uncover the truth about the distribution of wealth in the other player's region. Each region has a king, queen and tax collector. The tax collectors always lie when questioned. The queens always speak truthfully. And the kings will lie or speak truthfully as they see fit.

What's your favorite recently played (for the first time) game?

Axis and Allies. Being a fan of war gaming, I was not disappointed. Once we got the hang of it, we were all just regular little Generals (my sons and I).

What game do you want to play most that you haven't played yet?

Yinsh. I have the first four games in the Gipf Project series and each of them is beautifully abstract.

Please tell us about the process of designing your entry in the competition.

As a homeschooler, we had just begun a series of critical thinking exercises. As a child, I had always enjoyed the Island of the Liars and Truth-tellers. So as soon as I saw the contest, I knew what I wanted to do.

The theme was easy, since we had to use common household game pieces. I grabbed a deck of cards and some coins and waited for inspiration to strike. I formulated a few rudimentary rules, called the kids to the table and pressed them into service as play-testers. After several adjustments, I was satisfied that we had a playable game.

Next, I created the back-story which, in retrospect, seems rather silly -- what king would put up with living apart from his adoring queen? While creating the story, the word "forsooth" jumped into my head, quite unbidden. I wasn't even sure what it meant! It just sounded deliciously archaic. I was delighted when, upon looking it up, the definitions not only embodied truth but also disbelief.

What do you like about your entry, and do you think there's anything that could be improved?

Do you remember the TV show, "The Dating Game"? The three contestants were separated from the interrogator by a screen. Forsooth reminds me of that. You get the feeling that you really know to whom you are speaking and, when you're absolutely sure, it's fun to grill the Queen or Jack as you zero in on the location of the coins.

I don't really like the penalty for guessing wrong. It needs to be removed from the game. I suppose a loss of turn is penalty enough.