Games where cheating at a parlor game is a puzzle - an IFDB Poll

In many games, minigames are presented "as-is," where you're intended to play the game fairly. However, in many works of interactive fiction, minigames are presented as puzzles where you have to devise a way to cheat at the minigame, with the minigame usually being impossible to win without setting it up in the game world so that you can cheat or finding a piece of knowledge that allows you to win.

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	Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz, by Steve Meretzky 2 votes "Double Fanucci as copy protection" [+]"Double Fanucci as copy protection: The Jester challenges you to a game of the card game Double Fanucci. Don't bother trying to win fairly; the only way to win is to have the copy protection feelies from the original box so that you know how to pull off a winning play." --P-Tux7... "You already voted..." [+]"You already voted for this but I want to point out someone figured the rules--and they're nigh on nonsensical! Which makes the whole game more amusing. https://www.reddit.com/r/zork/comments/1zho6b/rules_of_double_fanucci_as_played_in_zork_zero/" () --Andrew Schultz... Vote for this game

	Perdition's Flames, by Michael J. Roberts 1 vote "Cheating at rock-paper-scissors-dynamite" [+]"Cheating at rock-paper-scissors-dynamite: Rock-Paper-Scissors is one of those games where you ideally don't know your opponent's move until they present it. Of course, a video game can take advantage of that by always making you lose unless you have a way of seeing your opponent's move before they present it." --P-Tux7... Vote for this game

	Myth, by Paul Findley 1 vote "Cheating at poker" [+]"Cheating at poker: While I don't think you're technically required to cheat at poker in this game, you have to make quite the tidy sum from it to continue with the game - and the dealer himself cheats by considering all ties as a loss for you." --P-Tux7... Vote for this game

	Humbug, by Graham Cluley 1 vote "Cheating at Nim/Wubble-A-Gloop" [+]"Cheating at Nim/Wubble-A-Gloop: In the game of Nim, the player who goes first is guaranteed to win if they play perfectly. Your opponent in Humbug always goes first, so you have to devise a way to mess with the game board." --P-Tux7... Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.

Poll created on October 24, 2026