The Game of Great Detectives™ Player 2 Field of Play a Motive, and a Crime to win the game.

Player 2 Field of Play a Motive, and a Crime to win the game. Use your skill
at detection to refute your rivals’ theories; but beware,
for they are only too eager to do the same to you.
SIDNEY PAGET EDITION
The object of the game is to successfully implicate
Draw and
(by putting into play) a Suspect, a Crime and a Motive
RULES FOR PLAYING discard piles (collectively called evidence) by collecting and
spending (discarding) Detection Points.
Evidence cards,
Detective card, related cards Detection Points represent each detective’s work
The Cards Sidekick cards attached to them
Great Detectives™ comes with 112 cards including 4 (placed beneath) towards solving a crime. Certain Evidence costs more
Detective cards (Sherlock Holmes in this edition) and Other Cards to put into play—some Suspects are far more difficult
in Play Detection Points to implicate than others, some Crimes and Motives
108 game cards in the following categories: Player 1 Field of Play in play
are more difficult to enter into evidence.
• Character cards—sidekicks that bring extra Anything that can be proved by detection may also
Diagram 2: Typical two-player setup.
abilities to the detective. Each player begins the be disproved by detection. Using special Evidence
game with a Detective card in play. cards called Exonerate cards (for example, New
• Evidence cards—pieces of the puzzle that make
Getting Started Evidence), anyone may spend his Detection Points
up the drama of the crime. They include a rogue’s To ensure smooth game play, everyone should be to exonerate another players’ evidence, forcing that
gallery of suspects, a list of criminal charges, and familiar with the basic functions of the various cards. player to discard it!
the motives for the crimes. Players arrange themselves so that everyone has an As with implication, some evidence will be harder to
Also included in this category are cards that may area in front of him called his Field of Play (see exonerate than others. Evidence that is more difficult
be played by anyone to affect the evidence that Diagram 2, above). for one player to implicate will be more difficult for
others have put into play. Everyone receives a Sherlock Holmes card (his another player to exonerate.
• Detection cards—Detection Points are the critical detective) and places it in the upper left corner of his
The first player to begin his turn with a suspect,
currency of success that players gather and spend Field of Play. Unused Detective cards should be
crime, and motive in play is the winner!
throughout the game. returned to the game box.
Thoroughly shuffle the cards and place them in the If the draw pile is depleted before this happens, then
Detection cards include Detection points and the winner is the player with the highest value
cards to help players accumulate them or keep center of the playing area. Leave room to one side
for a face up discard pile. evidence in play!
other players from doing the same.
• Discovery cards—players may use these to aid
their detection and to hinder the detection of NOTE: To ensure an even distribution of “Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot.”
others. Detection Points cards throughout the draw pile, —Sherlock Holmes, in “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange”
it is recommended to first remove them from
Type of Card/ the deck. Shuffle the remaining cards and then
Card Function Crime—5 Evidence
shuffle the Detection Points back in. Game Play
Crime of Blackmail
Card Title
Every turn follows the same sequence of events:
Everyone is dealt a hand of 5 cards. One player is • Initial Period (optional): Put non-action cards
Card Category
Image selected at random to take the first turn. Play proceeds
(Sidney Paget into play (sidekicks, Detection Points, etc.)
illustration) to his left around the table.
A round is complete when everyone has had a turn. • Action Period (required): Carry out one action
Play during Action Period
Period Indicator OR discard one or two cards.
Quote from a
Sherlock Holmes “He is the king of all the blackmailers.”
adventure
• Draw Cards (required): Draw to fill hand of five
—Sherlock Holmes, of Charles Augustus Milverton, in “The
Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” “We must see what further cards we have in our cards.
Description Discard 5 Detection Points currently in hands and play them with decision.”
play to enter a charge of Blackmail.
Additional –Sherlock Holmes, in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” Initial Period (Optional): At the start of his turn, a
Description or
Cost to Exonerate
5 Detection Points Summary of player may put into play (put a card from his hand
Copyright © 2004, Steve Sisk SH (SP Ed) First Edition
Description
(only on some Overview face up into his Field of Play) any cards that may be
cards)
You play a detective from literature battling against played during the Initial Period. These cards may
other Great Detectives. Be the first to implicate a Suspect, include Detection Points, Sidekicks, etc.
Diagram 1: An illustration of the various aspects of a card.

© COPYRIGHT 2010 Steve Sisk and Stuart Sisk 4.02.4 1/10/10 2 3

A player may put multiple cards in play in one Initial
Period so long as he observes the following:
A player may NOT put more than TWO
Detection Points into play in any Initial Period.
No one player may have more than one Sidekick
in play at a time. A player may, at any time,
discard a sidekick in his Field of Play.
Action Period (Required): The active player must
perform one action. He may either play an action
card from his hand or use an action from a card
already in play (i.e. Mycroft Holmes).
To play an action card, the active player must pay
any cost in Detection points listed on the card.
Anyone unwilling or unable to use a card for his
action must instead discard from his hand either one
or two cards.
Draw Cards (Required): At the end of his turn the
active player draws enough cards to fill his hand up
to five cards. A player with Watson in play fills his
FURTHER RULES AND CLARIFICATIONS
Cards that Depict an Action
The functions of many cards represent the actions
that would be taken by the characters in a narrative.
For example, the Revisit the Scene of the Crime card
equates, in terms of game play, to the action of a
detective going back to the scene of the crime to look
for clues.
Arrested!
Breaking and entering will yield valuable information
for a detective, but also comes at a high risk!
If someone plays a Breaking and Entering card and
is caught (target player reacts by playing a Caught!
card), then his detective is arrested and unable to
perform any duties for two rounds (see Tracking Card
Costs and Durations, below). During those two rounds
he may not put detection points into play and may
only discard cards for his action period. At the end
of his turn he may draw cards as usual.
Tracking Card Costs and Durations
Whoever uses Inspector
Detection Point
Cards that Affect Other Cards
A card that affects other cards will list in its Description
what kinds of cards it will affect (types or categories
of cards see Diagram 1, above).
For example, someone can play a Caught! card to cancel
any Discovery cards played against him. Caught! cards
affect cards in the category “Discovery”.
Similarly, the Flawed Theory card allows a player to discard
anyone else’s Crime card. Flawed Theory affects only cards
of the type “Crime”.
Attaching Cards to Other Cards
Certain cards are used to extend, improve, change,
or modify the function of another card already in
play. For example, an Eyewitness card will make it
harder to exonerate any one piece of evidence.
The modifying card must be attached to (placed
partly behind) the other card so that the Additional
Description (see Diagram 1, above) is still visible.
Modifying cards may only be attached to cards that
are already in play. If a card in play to which other
cards are attached is to be discarded, then all cards
attached to that card are also discarded.
Detection

hand to six cards. Lestrade will need to track

Detection Point

Evidence
Detection Point Detection

Detection Point

The game ends immediately when the last card is the incremental cost of doing
Sidekick 2—Police Insider

Inspector Lestrade
Character

so. Every time the action from At no time may any one player have more than one
drawn.
Inspector Lestrade is used,
Play during Initial Period
Suspect, more than one Crime, or more than one
Ending the Game
“It is of the highest importance in the

out of a “Itnumber
Play during Initial Period

take one Detection Point card

art of detection to be able to recognize
of factsimportance
is of the highest which arein the
Play during Initial Period
Motive in play. A player may, at any time, discard
evidence in his Field of Play.
incidental
art of and whichto
detection vital.”
be able to recognize
out of a number
Inspector Lestrade of helps
factsretrievewhichinformation
are

The game ends when either one player begins his incidental and
from the discard pile and put
—Sherlock Holmes, in “The Adventure of the Reigate
of value from previously
which vital.” discarded material.
Squires”
As an action, you may take one card from
—Sherlock Holmes, in “The Adventure of the Reigate
the discard pile and put it into your hand.

it partly behind the Inspector

Squires”
There is an incremental cost to use this

turn with a Suspect, Crime, and Motive in play, OR ability. Discard 1 Detection Point currently
in play the first time
Copyright © 2004, Steve Sisk you
SH(SP use
Ed) First it, 2 Detection
Edition
Points the second time, 3 the third time, etc. Cards in Play/Cards in Hand
when the last card is drawn from the draw pile. Lestrade card. The cost to use
Once Inspector Lestrade is discarded, the
Copyright © 2004, Steve Sisk SH(SP Ed) First Edition
cost begins again at 1 Detection
this card is put back into play.
Copyright © 2004, Steve Sisk
point when

SH(SP Ed) First Edition

Winning
At the end of the game, the player with a Suspect,
Crime and Motive in play is the winner.
If no player or more than one player has a Suspect,
Crime, and Motive in play at the end of the game,
then the winner is the player with highest value
Suspect (cost to exonerate plus any bonuses and
Inspector Lestrade is the
Diagram 3: Tracking the cost number of cards stacked
to use Inspector Lestrade. behind it plus one.
In Diagram 3 (above), the active player has used
Inspector Lestrade twice, putting a Detection Point
card behind it each time. The next time he wishes to
use Inspector Lestrade, it will
cost three Detection Points (two
The number of cards in the draw pile and the number
and types of cards that anyone has in play are public
knowledge. Cards in play must be visible to all players.
Anyone may, at any time, discard a card from his own
Field of Play (Sidekick, Evidence, etc.).
If a card instructs someone to put any card or cards
into his hand, then he is to do so regardless of how
many cards he already has in his hand.
Detective Character

cards stacked behind Lestrade Anyone may look through the discard pile when it
incriminating evidence attached to it) in play. does not hinder the flow of play.
plus one).
If tied, the winner is the player with highest value
Crime in play. If still tied, the winner is the player Anyone caught breaking and A
T
DETEC
T
Miscellaneous Game Play
IV
ES • GRE

DETEC
entering will have his detective T T
ES • GRE

with highest value Motive in play. A

Cards that may be played at any time (as indicated
IV
ES • GRE

ES • GRE

arrested for two rounds. To

IV

A
If still tied, the winner is the player with the most DETECT
T
in the Period Indicator) may be played by any player
IV

track the duration, the arrested

Detection Points in play.
player places any two cards
from the discard pile face down
“The last link, my case is complete.” onto his detective card. Each
turn return one card to the
—Sherlock Holmes, in “A Study in Scarlet”
discard pile.
4 5
A
T
DETECT
at any time during any player’s turn.
Each card will bear the specific directions in the
Description area of the card (see Diagram 2, above).
Diagram 4: Arrested In the event of a conflict, the directions printed on
for two rounds! the cards will supersede any other rule or instruction.