Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

2016

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a captivating board game that immerses you in the mysterious and thrilling world of late 19th-century London. As members of the Baker Street Irregulars, players are tasked with solving baffling cases under the guidance of the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. The game is set in the iconic locales of Victorian London. The foggy streets, grimy taverns, opulent mansions, and shadowy alleys all serve as backdrops for the intricate mysteries players must unravel. The ambience is further enhanced by the beautifully crafted game materials, including a detailed map of ... Read more

120
minutes

1 - 8
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a captivating board game that immerses you in the mysterious and thrilling world of late 19th-century London. As members of the Baker Street Irregulars, players are tasked with solving baffling cases under the guidance of the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes.

The game is set in the iconic locales of Victorian London. The foggy streets, grimy taverns, opulent mansions, and shadowy alleys all serve as backdrops for the intricate mysteries players must unravel. The ambience is further enhanced by the beautifully crafted game materials, including a detailed map of London, a directory, and newspapers brimming with clues and red herrings.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The ‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures’ board game contains a variety of components, each having a unique role in the game. The components and their functions are listed and described below.

1. Case Booklets

The game includes ten case booklets. Each booklet represents a different mystery that players are tasked to solve. These booklets contain the story, clues, and information needed for players to solve the case. They are designed to be read out loud to all players at the start of each game.

2. Newspapers

The game comes with a set of newspapers. Each newspaper corresponds to a specific case and provides additional clues and information. Players can use the newspapers to gather hints, cross-reference information from the case booklet, and aid their investigations.

3. London Directory

The London Directory is an alphabetical list of potential witnesses, locations, and other points of interest within London. Players use this directory to choose where to investigate. The directory is a crucial component of the game, allowing players to navigate the city as they attempt to solve each case.

4. Map of London

Provided is a detailed map of London. The map is used in conjunction with the London Directory to help players visualize their location within the city and plan their investigations accordingly. It includes landmarks and important locations that may be relevant to the cases.

5. Rulebook

The rulebook contains the game’s complete rules and instructions. It explains how to use all other components, how to conduct investigations, and how to solve the cases. It is essential that all players understand the rules before starting the game.

6. Solution Booklet

The solution booklet contains the answers to each case. It is designed to be consulted once players believe they have solved the case, or if they are stuck and need to check their progress. It should not be used until players are ready to check their answers.

Each component of the ‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures’ game is designed to be interactive and immersive, providing players with a unique and engaging gameplay experience. The components work together to create a rich detective narrative, challenging players to use their deductive reasoning skills to solve each case.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures’ is a thrilling detective game that can be enjoyed by 1-8 players. This game does not follow the traditional board game format, instead, it uses newspapers, case files, and a map to solve mysteries. Here is a step-by-step guide to set up the game:

Step 1: Prepare the Game Materials

Case Book: Select the case you want to play and open the corresponding case book. The case book contains all the information you need to solve the case.
London Directory: This is a list of people and places in London. It’s used to find the location numbers of places where you want to investigate.
Newspapers: Each case comes with a newspaper. This can contain clues and is available for consultation at any time during the game.
Map of London: You will use this to navigate around London and to plan your routes for investigation.

Step 2: Assign Player Roles

Since this is a cooperative game, there are no specific player roles. Each player will act as a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, helping Sherlock Holmes solve the case. Players will work together to decide which leads to follow and what conclusions to draw based on the evidence. It’s a collective effort to solve the mystery.

Step 3: Initial Resources

At the beginning of the game, players only have the case book, London Directory, newspapers, and map. No other resources are provided or required. This game relies on the power of deduction rather than resource management.

Step 4: Random Elements

The game is not based on random elements or chance, but on the deductive abilities of the players. However, the choice of leads to follow can lead to different paths through the case, adding a variable element to each playthrough.

Step 5: Start the Investigation

Start by reading the introduction to the case in the case book. Then, decide as a group where you want to start your investigation. Use the London Directory to find the location number and read the corresponding section in the case book. Continue to follow leads, consult the newspapers and map, and discuss your theories until you feel ready to solve the case.

Step 6: Solve the Case

Once you think you have enough information, you can attempt to solve the case. The case book will ask a series of questions about the case. Discuss and answer these questions as a group. Then, read the solution in the case book to see if you were correct and how many points you scored. The goal is to solve the case in fewer steps than Sherlock Holmes himself.

Game flow Round and round we go

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a cooperative game where players try to solve mysterious cases by following leads and piecing together clues. The game doesn’t follow a conventional phase/round structure; players can choose their actions freely during their investigation. However, the game can be broken down into the following general stages:

Setup:

Choose a case from the gamebook. Each player should have a copy of the London Directory, the London Map, and the newspapers relevant to their case.
Read the case introduction aloud. The introduction sets the scene and provides the initial leads to follow.

Investigation:

Players discuss and decide where to go to follow up on leads. The choice should be based on the information gathered from the case introduction and newspapers.
Once a location has been chosen, find the corresponding entry in the case book and read it aloud. Make notes of the clues and information you find.
This continues with players choosing new locations based on the clues they uncovered, following leads, and gradually unravelling the mystery.

Solving the Case:

When players believe they have gathered enough information, they answer the questions at the end of the case book. These questions test how well the players understand the motive, method, and culprit behind the case.
After answering the questions, read the solution in the case book. This reveals the truth of the case and explains all the clues and connections.

Scoring:

Players receive points for correct answers to the questions. However, they lose points for each additional location they visited compared to Sherlock Holmes. The aim is to solve the case as efficiently as Sherlock, who always solves the case in the minimum number of locations.
Finally, compare your score to Sherlock’s score to see how well you did. If you score higher, you’ve beaten the master detective at his own game!

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the game of Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures, each player’s turn is filled with actions that require careful decision-making and strategic choices. The objective of the game is to solve the mystery by collecting clues, interpreting information, and drawing conclusions. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

Choosing the Lead Investigator

At the start of each turn, players must decide who will act as the Lead Investigator. This role can be shared and rotated among players. The Lead Investigator has the critical task of deciding where to go and what paths to follow during the investigation.

Deciding Where to Go

The Lead Investigator decides where to go based on the clues gathered and the leads available. Players can visit locations mentioned in the newspapers, listed in the London Directory, or suggested by the clues. The choice of location can significantly affect the direction of the investigation and the information gathered.

Reading the Clue

Once a location is chosen, the Lead Investigator reads the corresponding clue from the Casebook aloud to the other players. These clues may provide valuable information or be red herrings. It’s up to the players to decide which clues are relevant to their investigation.

Discussing and Interpreting Information

After the clue is read, all players engage in a discussion to interpret the information. They can debate on the relevance of the clue, the possible connections to other clues, and the implications on the case. This step is crucial in forming a coherent and accurate theory of the case.

Marking the Clue

If the players decide that a clue is relevant, they mark it on their clue sheet. This helps in keeping track of the clues and in forming connections between different pieces of information.

Deciding Next Steps

After discussing and marking the clue, it’s time for the Lead Investigator to decide the next steps. They can choose to follow a lead from the clue just read, revisit a previously explored location, or explore a new area. This decision is crucial as it affects the direction of the investigation and the amount of information gathered.

End of Turn

The turn ends when the Lead Investigator decides to stop the investigation for the day. This could be after visiting several locations or just one. The game continues with the next player’s turn, who may be a new Lead Investigator, if the role is being rotated.

Remember, in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures, the aim is not just to gather clues, but to piece together a coherent and accurate theory of the case. This requires careful decision-making, strategic choices, and teamwork.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a unique board game that doesn’t have a traditional ending like most games. It’s a cooperative game where players work together to solve mysteries, so there’s no direct competition between players. The game ends when players decide they’ve gathered enough evidence to solve the case, and then they compare their findings to Sherlock’s solution.

Ending the Game

To end the game, players must collectively agree that they have gathered enough evidence and clues to solve the case. Once this decision has been made, players will stop investigating and proceed to the solution part of the game. They will then open the corresponding section in the back of the case booklet and read Sherlock’s explanation of the case.

Victory Conditions

Victory in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures isn’t about beating the other players, but about matching or surpassing Sherlock Holmes himself. After reading Sherlock’s solution, players will compare their own deductions to his. The closer their deductions are to Sherlock’s, the better they have done. If players managed to solve the case using fewer leads than Sherlock, they have done exceptionally well.

Final Scoring

Before final scoring, players must tally the number of leads they followed during the game. Then, they must read through Sherlock’s solution and score their results. Players start with 100 points and subtract the number of leads they followed. If they followed more leads than Sherlock, they also subtract the difference. If they followed fewer leads, they add the difference. Then, they add points for each correct answer to the questions posed in the case booklet. The result is their final score. The higher the score, the better they have done.

Example: If players followed 12 leads and Sherlock followed 10, they would start with 100 points, subtract 12 for their leads, and subtract 2 for the difference, giving them a starting score of 86. If they answered 6 questions correctly, they would add 6, for a final score of 92.

The game does not have a traditional ending or victory condition. Success is measured by how closely players can match Sherlock’s deductive process and solution. The ultimate goal is to solve the case as efficiently and accurately as possible.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the game of ‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures’, the full scoring system is designed to challenge players’ deductive abilities and problem-solving skills. The aim is to solve each case by following leads, collecting information, and making correct deductions. Points are awarded and deducted based on several factors.

Points Awarded

Correct Answers: Players receive 10 points for each main question they answer correctly at the end of the game. Additional points are awarded for correct answers to secondary questions.
Solving the Case Faster than Sherlock: If players manage to solve the case in fewer steps than Sherlock Holmes, they receive 5 bonus points for each lead they did not follow that Sherlock did.

Points Deducted

Incorrect Answers: If players provide incorrect answers to the main questions, they lose 5 points for each wrong answer. Incorrect answers to secondary questions do not affect the score.
Using More Leads than Sherlock: Players who take more steps than Sherlock Holmes to solve the case lose 5 points for each extra lead they followed.

Tie-breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, the game uses the following tie-breaking rules:

The player who used fewer leads to solve the case wins the tie.
If there is still a tie, the player who correctly answered more secondary questions wins.
If a tie still remains, the player who first declared they were ready to solve the case is the winner.

Remember, the main goal is not only to solve the case but to beat Sherlock Holmes at his own game. Good luck!

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a standalone game in the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series. Although the game follows the same basic rules as the original game, there are several special rules, exceptions, and important rule clarifications to note.

Game Structure: Unlike the original game where cases are standalone, in the ‘Jack the Ripper’ campaign, the four cases are linked and should be played in order. This is crucial to the game as the cases build upon each other and information from previous cases may be important.

Time Tracking: In the Jack the Ripper cases, the time taken to solve the case is important. Players are expected to count the number of days it takes to solve a case, which is different from the general rules of the other games in the series.

The Newspapers: In the original game, players can consult newspapers from previous cases while solving the current case. However, in the ‘Jack the Ripper’ cases, players can only consult the newspapers from the same day or previous days within the same case. The newspapers from future cases are not available.

Case scoring: The scoring system is different in the ‘Jack the Ripper’ cases. While in the original game and ‘West End Adventures’ cases, players aim to solve the case with as few leads as possible, in the ‘Jack the Ripper’ cases, the score is based on both the number of leads followed and the number of days taken to solve the case.

Additional Resources: In the ‘Jack the Ripper’ cases, players have access to the London Directory, which contains a map of London, and a list of potential informants and experts who can be consulted for information. This feature is not present in the original game.

Use of Informants: In the ‘West End Adventures’ cases, players can use informants to gain clues. This rule is not applicable in the original game or ‘Jack the Ripper’ cases.

Firstly, players must carefully read the ‘Introduction’ and then follow the leads provided.
Secondly, players must visit different locations in London, either by referencing the map or the London Directory.
Thirdly, players should note down clues, leads, and any other useful information.
Lastly, players attempt to solve the case by answering a series of questions. The answers to these questions will reveal whether the players have successfully solved the case or not.

Understanding these special rules and exceptions is key to enjoying and succeeding at ‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures’.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a game of deduction and logic. Here are some advanced strategies to help you solve the cases:

Always take notes. This will help you remember important details and connections between characters, places, and events.
Don’t rush to the solution. Take your time to thoroughly investigate all leads.
Use the map and the London directory effectively. These tools will help you find the locations that might be relevant to your investigation.
Don’t forget to revisit the crime scene. You might have missed something important the first time around.

Beginner Tips

If you’re new to the game, here are some tips to get you started:

Read the rules carefully and make sure you understand how to play the game.
Start with the easier cases and gradually move on to the more difficult ones.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. This is a game of trial and error.
Work together with your team. Two heads are better than one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced players can make mistakes. Here are some common ones to avoid:

Skipping over important details in the casebook.
Not taking enough notes.
Rushing to a conclusion without fully investigating all leads.
Ignoring the clues provided in the newspapers.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Here are some ways to optimize your gameplay:

Investigate all leads: Even if a lead seems unimportant, it could prove to be crucial to solving the case.
Cooperate with your team: Share your findings and theories with your teammates. You can achieve more by working together.
Keep track of your investigations: Use a notebook or a digital tool to keep track of all the information you collect.
Stay focused: It can be easy to get lost in the details. Stay focused on the main objective of the game – solving the case.