Scotland Yard
A classic hidden-movement deduction board game in which one player is the elusive Mister X and the others cooperate as detectives to track him through London using taxis, buses, and the Underground.
Players
2–6 players
Play Time
45 min
Complexity
BGG Rating
Family Rating
Tags
Rules Summary
One player secretly moves as Mister X around London while the other players cooperate as detectives to catch him. Detectives track his transport clues and revealed positions, trying to land on his hidden location before time runs out.
How to Play
Objective Detectives win by landing on Mister X's space before the game ends. Mister X wins by avoiding capture until the end of the final round or if detectives can no longer move legally. Setup Place the London map board in the center. Assign one player as Mister X and the others as detectives. Give each detective a colored pawn and starting tickets; Mister X receives a log sheet and movement tickets, including some black and double-move tickets depending on edition. All players choose starting positions, usually by drawing or assigning numbered start locations. Turn Structure Mister X secretly chooses a legal move using one transport type and records the destination on the travel log, revealing only the ticket type used unless it is a scheduled reveal round. If it is a reveal round, Mister X also reveals his current location after moving. Each detective, in turn, moves openly along a legal route by spending the matching transport ticket. Detectives may not move onto spaces occupied by other detectives, and they use shared information to narrow Mister X's route. If Mister X uses a double-move ticket, he makes two consecutive secret moves and records both. Play continues round by round until capture or the final round is completed. End of Game The game ends immediately if a detective lands on Mister X's location. Mister X also loses if he cannot make a legal move. Mister X wins if he survives all rounds without being captured or if all detectives are unable to move. Notes This game relies on deduction, memory, and cooperation. Reveal rounds are key moments for detectives to triangulate Mister X's route. Ticket management matters for both sides.
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