Hello agents and hackers, I've been having a lot of fun playing this game (hundreds of hours worth) and I thought I'd write a guide helping new players get to grips with the game, and give advanced players some help. Please note that this is only a guide, and you should play this game however you want. Lets get started.

You're not going to go anywhere in mindnight if you dont understand the lingo. Whilst they may seem obvious to some, make sure you know what these words mean before you play:

Prop: Proposition.

Sus: Suspicious. 'Sus on carl' means that that person finds Carl suspicious.

Meta: The metagame. Simply means the strongest current strategy.

n1,n2,n3 etc: Node1, Node2, Node3.

Hammer: The 5th proposition. This proposition has to be accepted or the hackers win. Go to the next section for the importance of hammer.

Hammer, as said above, is the 5th proposition, aka the proposition that is made when 4/5 propositions have been rejected. This proposition has to be accepted or the hackers win.

Working out who has hammer can be oddly confusing. The simple way to do it is:

Note: Dont be confused by this complicated looking screenshot. Just count along however amount of spaces are left until you reach four.

Hammer is vital for the reason that it has to be accepted. This means whoever has the hammer gets their proposition accepted, guaranteed.

Passing hammer

You can indirectly pass hammer to another player. To do so, when you have the option to propose a node team, pass. This will move the rotation along one space. However, make sure that this is a good decision, because agents may find you suspicious for this, especially if the player you have passed hammer to is suspicious. Make sure you think about who is getting hammer before you pass.

(Note: Equally, you can pass hammer to your hacker friend, to ensure that the next node is in the hands of hackers. Your call.)

Its always a good idea to justify passing before you do so.

Not following meta in mindnight is one of the easiest ways to be seen as suspicious, right at the start of the game. Whilst this game provides a lot of flexibility to play how you want (especially as hacker), there are certain do's and dont's that must be followed at all times.

Node propositions

The first node is going to go one of two ways. It will either be brought to hammer (4/5 node teams rejected) or, the more likely scenario, the first proposition will be accepted. Either way, agents dont have any info, so its anybodys guess as to who the hackers are at this point.

Always prop the person next to you (anticlockwise) in node 1, even if that person is your hacker buddy. You may argue that it is risky to propose a node with your hacker friend, but if you know protocol (see below) then you will be fine. Besides, choosing somebody else is not worth the level of suspicion you put on yourself. The only reason why you would ever choose somebody else, is if you can justify it (that person is acting suspicious already - this is rare) or its a bot. Either way, you should still do it 90% of the time.

Do not accept outside of node unless you have to. Ever. People will spot that immediately. (This kind of doesnt apply for the first proposition, but if you want to play it safe, refuse node 1 until hammer)

Always, ALWAYS put yourself in node. There are very rare situations where you wouldnt, like trying to force a double hack, but 99% of the time you dont even need to think about this. Leaving yourself out of node is possibly the easiest way to out yourself as hacker immediately.

Hacker protocol

Oh boy. If only more people knew how this worked.

Two hackers being in the same node is usually not ideal, however a system exists to always make it look like theres only one hacker in node. This is hacker protocol, in order of priority:

If a hacker proposed the node, they hack and the other secures.

If a hacker previously hacked a node, they hack and the other secures.

There is a third rule of protocol, but it is everchanging. Playing the game more will allow you to keep up to date with new strategies and reduce the chances of you getting caught in a double hack.

This BS strategy to watch out for

A common strategy that targets new players is for somebody to ask you 'what letters are on the
agent badge in the top left. Its NTF. They will also ask what it says to the left of the clock. Dont be caught out. Get an agent screenshot, like the one above, and just say what it says on there, if you have to. Be careful, however. If a node has already been secured, it will go down from 3 to 2 to 1. Dont say the wrong number.

Please note that you do not have to answer questions such as these.

Only talk when you have to

Dont stay silent, but dont be a loudmouth either. Bringing too much attention to yourself will simply make it easy for hackers to slip through the cracks.

Ask questions

Ask people questions, as accusing as you feel suits. If somebody finds you suspicious, dont get mad. There may be a perfectly logical reason for it, or perhaps an agent has made a mistake. If somebody finds you suspicious, simply ask them why. If they cant come up with a reason, they may be hacking. Agents dont find people suspicious for no reason. Getting mad is a one-way ticket to losing. If you gamethrow, please stop playing the game. Gamethrowers are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Watch out for people predicting hacks

If this is hacked, its.... - this is a common hacker tactic to make themselves seem less suspicious right before they hack. Watch out for it. It doesnt always mean they are hacking, but its a common strategy.

Watch out for players who find people suspicious for no reason

I've played too many games where there have been two people in node, the node gets hacked, and somebody randomly says, 'its this exact person'. They have no reason to think that, especially in node one. Question it.

Watch out for people who contradict themselves

This doesnt apply if some new information has come up. Things change between nodes.

If somebody just found Lloyd suspicious, and then they put Lloyd in their prop, you should definately spot that. They're likely trying to frame that person.

Consider all possibilities

You may be 99% sure that this exact person is agent/hacker, but consider all possibilities. Dont let anything get past you. A secure node does not mean that every player in the node is agent. Consider if it would be in the interest of the player to hack.

If somebody has been outed as hacker right before a node goes through, that player is unlikely to hack (if they're hacker) as they would be confirming suspicions on themselves to be correct. Likewise, if the node is hacked, consider the fact that the player in question may be being framed by another player in the node.

Do not push your theory too hard

Suggest who you think is hacking, but dont push it too hard, or people will think you're hacking. Dont forget, you're not going to be correct 100% of the time.

Decide how you want to play

Are you the silent hacker, who lets others argue whilst they hack in peace? Are you the hacker who plays exactly like if they were agent but secretly hacks? Are you the hacker who controls the game? Either way, play this game how you want to play it. Just dont get caught.

You got caught!

If you think that theres no going back, focus on making sure your hacker buddy/buddies finish the game. Dont make them obvious. Distract people. Hell, you may want to accuse them, because agents may think that you would never accuse you hacker buddy. Never directly say that you are hacking. Leave the doubt in their minds.

Unless you're prepared for a lot of pressure, do not hack node 1.

This means that it's instantly a 50/50 between you and the other guy (Unless its an 8 man game). Be careful. The only exception would be if you are in node 1 with your hacker buddy, go by protocol. If it comes up as one hacker, happy days. Agents will not be quick to assume youre BOTH hacking. Turn on each other.

Dont talk too much

This is arguably more important than agents. You dont want attention brought to you, so dont speak too much. Note, however, that if you want to look like an agent, you want to speak like one.

Support the theories of agents that dont find you suspcious

If an agent just made themselves look suspicious, point it out. If your hacker buddy made themselves too suspicious, point it out. By exposing your hacker teammate (only for good reason, mind) you can quickly gain the trust of agents. Only do this if you feel like you have to.

It is very easy for Mindnight games to get toxic. Please dont be one of those players who spams, gets angry, bullies, gamethrows, whatever. It just ruins the game for everyone else. The game will no doubt get tense, perhaps competitive, but do not be toxic. If you gamethrow, or cheat, youre toxic. Dont do that. Reporting players does make a difference, so do so if you see a player who is behaving in a toxic manner. Provide a detailed reason too.

Snowmen are always hackers.







;)