The game was easy to learn and quick to setup. The paper stock was varied and of high quality. We got a handle on who the informants were and when we should go to them. The more we played Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective and inhabited that London, the more the world felt natural and real. Without having seen that newspaper I asked, “Is one of them enciphered?” She looked up at me surprised and asked, “How did you know?” It was a little fact that I had picked up about communication in the 1890s from having read The Code Book. At the start of the game, Lisa was reading the newspaper and mentioned to me that there was a column of personals. My favorite example of this was in the Seventh Case, A Question of Identity. We were allowed to use any information in the game or in our own heads to solve puzzles. The mysteries were smart, challenging, and well written.īy casting us as the Baker Street Irregulars, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective spared us one of the common storytelling problems in many Holmes-themed escape rooms: who the hell are we supposed to be? Are we collectively Holmes, or Watson, or some random friend? This character choice allowed us to be us and not some hive-mind Watson. The cases didn’t feel like a mediocre version of Sherlock Holmes, or a kids’ edition, or dumbed down deduction. They twisted in odd directions, but the twists felt grounded. The stories were interesting and unexpected. We repeated this process until we either felt confident in what happened with the case or the trail went cold and we decided to see how much of the mystery we had solved.Īfter answering the questions at the back of the book, we’d read the Holmes’ monologue to determine what had happened and how he solved the case. We’d look the location up on the map and in the directory, find the corresponding passage in the case book, and read what happened upon our arrival, taking notes all along the way. One player would read the introduction, while another would take notes on people, places, and evidence.įrom there, we took turns deciding where we’d visit next. With the exception of the map, all components were written… and well written at that. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective was a prose-based mystery adventure. It listed every citizen and legal business in London with corresponding codes to look them up in the case books. It also occasionally allowed us to make deductions regarding leads as well. The map allowed us to understand the proximity of places. The map of London was divided into districts with each building and block numbered. The 4-part Jack the Ripper campaign had a unique game map, special informants, and a connected narrative.Įach case had a corresponding newspaper filled with assorted information including obviously relevant tidbits, well-hidden details, and plenty of color. Pompous Sherlock Holmes monologue explaining the case.Narratives for all relevant locations in London (tied to location codes).(4 Books for the Jack the Ripper campaign and 6 Individual Cases) These characters were important for solving cases and added continuity to the world. The back of the rulebook listed recurring informants whom we could visit during gameplay for records, investigative details, rumors, and the like. Once we knew how to play, there wasn’t any reason to return to the rules. The rulebook was especially lean and the game easy to learn. The game components were impressively simple and streamlined. We followed the leads wherever they took us in order to solve the case… and any other mysteries that arose along the way. Watson.Įach episode presented us with a case. We would team up with a familiar character from Holmes’ canon like Wiggins (the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars) or Dr. Who is this for?Įach chapter cast us as members of the Baker Street Irregulars, child informants working for and learning from Sherlock Holmes. If you’re seeking a difficult tabletop mystery series, this is the game to play. We wished the scoring system felt more sensible, but it didn’t really matter as we could judge our own improvement. It was seriously challenging, but still lighthearted and humorous. It was easy to get into, but an intellectual commitment to complete. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures was the finest tabletop mystery game we’ve played to date. For more of the best games of this style, check out the recommendation guide. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is included in our recommendation guide for Tabletop Escape Games – Advanced Challenge & Commitment.
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