Sherlock Solitaire: A Game by Peter Scholtz

Price: $9.95
(as of Jul 06, 2024 06:43:45 UTC – Details)

Product Description

Wise Wizard Games Sherlock Solitaire: A Card Game of Deduction

The night is full of threats, but Holmes and Watson are on the case!

Take on some of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous mysteries in this smart, quick strategy card game for 1 player (solo) or 2 players (co-op).

COMPONENTS

55 Game Cards

2 Reference Cards2 Detective Cards (Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson)2 Case Cards (“The Valley of Fear,” “The Final Problem”)1 Wound Card (minor wound on front, severe wound on back)32 Investigation cards (8 of each number 1-4)16 Threat Cards (4 of each letter A-D)

Are you clever enough to survive and solve the case?

With careful play and a little luck, you may even be able to thwart the dastardly Professor Moriarty and his agents once and for all!

Acting as a skilled detective, you will venture into Sherlock Holmes’ most famous cases. Can you solve the mystery before the culprit gets away?

SETUP

1. Take a Reference card. 2. Take either Detective card. Place it text-side up. 3. Choose a Case card or select at random. Place the card text-side up. For new players, we recommend “The Valley of Fear.” 4. Shuffle all 32 Investigation cards (numbers 1-4) and all 16 Threat cards (letters A-D) together to create the deck. Place it face-down. 5. Leave room for the discard pile. Cards will be placed on the discard pile face-up and may be reviewed at any time. 6. Place the Wound card sideways, with the minor wound face-up. 7. Leave plenty of room for the play areas, which include the Crime Scene on the left and the Office on the right.

One-Detective Gameplay

You will take a series of turns until you solve the case and win the game (see Case card) or you are defeated and lose the game (by receiving three wounds).

On each of your turns, draw four cards from the deck into your hand. Look at them and play them one at a time, face-up, and in any order. Two of them must be played in the Office and two of them must be played in the Crime Scene. If you find yourself forgetting which cards you have played and where you have played them each turn, you may play your cards sideways as a reminder. Turn them upright at the end of each turn.

You may play a card on top of a set if you follow these rules:

1. You must alternate card types. So, you can play a Threat card (a letter) on top of an Investigation card (a number), or an Investigation card on top of a Threat card. You cannot play a Threat card on top of a Threat card, nor can you play an Investigation card on top of an Investigation card.

2. A set cannot have different numbers. (It can have multiple of the same number.)

3. A set cannot have multiple of the same letter. (It can have different letters.)

OFFICE

The Office is on the right side of the play area. It is where you will build sets of cards to win the game. To start a new set, play an Investigation card (a number) in a blank space in the Office. You cannot start a new set with a Threat card (a letter). You may have up to four sets in the Office at the same time, one for each unique number (1-4). The Office cannot have multiple sets with the same number at the same time.

CRIME SCENE

The Crime Scene is on the left side of the play area. When you initially play or move a card here, it will be one of a kind. When you subsequently play or move another matching card here, both of them form a pair. If that pair includes:

WOUNDS

When you receive your first wound, turn the Wound card upright. You have a minor wound. When you receive your second wound, flip the Wound card over. You have a severe wound. When you receive your third wound, you are defeated and lose the game.

ABILITY RULES

When an ability instructs you to move a card or put a card into your hand, you must do so if able. If a card is not available for you to move or put into your hand, skip that ability and you receive a wound. (For example, you can’t move a Threat card out of an area that has no Threat cards.) If moving a card creates a pair, resolve it as normal.

When you move a card into the Office, you must either start a new set or place it on top of an existing set. If you cannot follow the set-building rules (see the Office rules), skip the ability and you receive a wound.

Moving cards out of the Office may leave behind abnormal sets. For example, if you move “C” out of the set “3-C-3-B,” that set will have two consecutive numbers. You may still play cards on top of that set as normal, but you must follow the set-building rules.

Two-Detective Gameplay

Play the game as normal but with two detectives collaborating and taking alternating turns. One person can play two detectives, or two people can play separate detectives. You may choose which detective goes first or select at random. Both detectives work on the same sets (in the Office) and pairs (in the Crime Scene). When a pair is made on a detective’s turn, only their ability triggers (not their teammate’s). Both detectives share the Wound card.

ADDITIONAL RULES

Some events trigger special effects as follows:

After drawing cards, if you hold three cards of the same number or letter: You may discard your hand, then draw four new cards. After drawing cards, if you hold four Investigation cards or four Threat cards: You may discard your hand, then draw four new cards. At the end of your turn, if you were not able to play one or more cards: Discard those cards and you receive a wound. When you need to draw a card but the deck is empty: Shuffle the discard pile and any Threat cards from the Crime Scene to create a new deck. Then finish drawing. If you consider yourself to be an advanced player, you receive a wound.

Acting as a skilled detective, you will venture into Sherlock Holmes’ most famous cases.
Take on some of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous mysteries in this smart, quick strategy card game for 1 player (solo) or 2 players (co-op).
With careful play and a little luck, you may even be able to thwart the dastardly Professor Moriarty and his agents once and for all!
Are you clever enough to survive and solve the case?
This game contains 55 game cards and a rules sheet best for a fun family or friends night!