The Case of the Dead Duke

Description

Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Dead Duke

Sherlock Holmes has been called in to find out who killed Duke Richard. The Duke was unloved by all and found poisoned in his study. At the start of the game no one knows who did it.

Each turn a player buys to right to make up what happens next in the game. Their action isn’t automatic, they have to pick another player to be their referee. The referee decides how likely the action is (which sets what the player has to roll). Other players may buy the right to make counter-arguments which trigger dice rolling contests. While this sounds complicated it is actually extremely simple. Events either happen or don’t. The players keep a running record of what has happened until the facts lead them to a story climax which ends the game! Because people make up different clues each time the game never plays the same way twice!

Here the players make up the clues Holmes finds. The clues point to who did it. Players usually try to pin the murder on one another. Eventually someone is found guilty. You know this because the game ends with a trial.

This is an intermediate level Matrix Game. It comes in a box with a 20x15 inch hard board map of London, a booklet of character sheets, a scenario booklet, a rules booklet, an action matrix (which helps people learn how to make up actions), wooden counters, plastic gold coins, and dice. You can literally be playing the game 10 minutes after opening the box!

TYPE: Intermediate Engle Matrix Game
PLAYERS: 2 to 10 (best 4 to 8)
AGE: 13 to adult
DURATION: 2 hours
COMPLEXITY: Moderate
REPLAYABILITY: High