Deluxe 221B Baker Street Board Game - 200 Intriguing Adventures 2-6 Players

I don’t know how anyone cannot enjoy this game, there is involvement, the moment the lightbulb goes off (the brain tease), player pay-off (or, as they say for books, the “reader pay-off”), and only 2 players can play it and have fun!I wanted a game my husband and I could play together, just the two of us in the evening, and I got “Dr. Lucky”, “Clue”, and “221B Baker Street”. 221B was the hands down winner and the only one we have played more than once.221B Baker Street:You have to actually use analytical skills to solve the case. “Clue” was too easy (and simply a process of elimination to determine which cards were in the middle of the board, no deductive reasoning or involvement in the case) and “Dr. Lucky” was too hard for us we couldn’t even deduce the rules despite each having college degrees. 221B is not a game of chance.To make this a game for children (10+), omit the Scotland Yard and key cards and read the clues aloud so everyone can hear them: this is a way to get the children involved and to teach them analytical skills, as well as have more interactive family time. The first person to deduce and announce the winner is still the winner. This is not a super competitive game in the sense of demeaning the losers – and certainly waaaaaay more fun than any game I played as a child. Also a ton of fun as an adult!Fyi, the players have no input into the outcome of the 221B game. It is all pre-determined. Recommend you get this version of the game with 200 cases at the outset: much more cost-effective. Take my word for it, this is a great game. It has a wonderful Sherlock Holmes ambiance and a classic feel.Clue:Bored out of our gourd and no deductive reasoning or analysis. Entirely based on deducing which cards are in the middle of the table. Yawn. The players have no input into the outcome of the game. Gave it to Good Will so young children could enjoy it.Dr. Lucky:We are not smart enough to play this game. We couldn’t even deduce the rules despite each having college degrees! We got the card game not the board game, which may be much better. I also gather you need more than 2 players to really play and that the players are pitted against each other (competitive). This is the only game we looked at in which the players determined the outcome of the game.With the cards, we couldn’t even figure out how to play the game! There is a lot of point taking, but what is the purpose since the winner is solely determined by whoever kills Dr. Lucky? So what difference does it make how many points you have?The game made us feel very stupid (since we couldn’t figure out how to play, the written rules were very elusive, not what we were looking for. We want the game to be mysterious, not the rules), and that we were somehow at fault for not understanding the game, but the fact remains that we didn’t enjoy it. I thought enjoyment is the point of game-playing.You’ll notice all the negative reviews on 221B are on missing pieces (don’t know how that happened! Weird) not on the quality of the game.

Older couple here in our late 60's. we like this game so far, On our 3rd crime card, Nice looking board and all, But we play Where we both try to figure out who, why or whatever, and kind of do it co- op and if one of us is wrong they lose. Which is kinda the rules, But we expedite it a tad, So you don't have to roll to get back to 221B, Just announce who or what caused the crime when you think you know, If you have the right answer You win, If not , Your partner now has the chance to solve the crime, and they win. Really fun game But way to much rolling at the end game.

I purchased this game after it was recommended to me by a friend. This is 1000% a great game, do you enjoy Clue? Or perhaps the New Great Ace Attorney game that has released? Are you great with riddles/brainteasers? Then this is the game for you. Starting off it was a little confusing to figure out what some of the clues were, as the language/phrases used definitely show their age. (A few of the phrases were clues, which I had never heard before in my life. Thankfully my parents got a laugh out of the clues and could explain the older slang/euphemisms.) But that is a trite issue for a game that expands upon the basis of Clue. You start each game by having 1 player read aloud the "story" for that session. After which each player takes a turn rolling the dice and moving that amount of spaces around the board. You have to collect clues which is done by visiting different locales on the board (upon which you search in a handbook and receive your clue.) The clues won't always just be handed to you though, after all this is a race against the other players to figure out who dunnit and why. Therefore you'll have to solve puzzles, ciphers, riddles, etc to figure out what the true clues are for the case. Once you think you've got it figured out, you must race back to the starting point to announce what you've assessed the situation to be. You have to answer the who, what, where, and why upon explaining what happened in the starting story. Not all stories are murders though, some are bank robberies, some folks have lost items, etc. This game truly covers the full breadth of most things Sherlock has solved in the novels so hopefully you enjoy thinking as much as the novels. Also many of the cases have red herrings sprinkled throughout, so you may gather clues you think are relevant but once the truth is out you find out just how outlandish those clues really were. It adds an extra fun bit of strategy to this game, as most players don't all visit the same locations and as such most of your group will end up with an odd clue here or there. But you have to sort through everything you get to figure out how relevant it is to the case at hand; as one slip up spells defeat if you bring it up when solving the case.

This game is very fun and has withstood the test of time. I don't know if likening it to Clue does it justice, but the concept of the two games is similar. However, 221B Baker Street is more complex in that you are not just looking for simple clues, but subtler clues with varying degrees of depth and relevance, and you have to figure out how, or if, those clues go together. You can play against each other, as teams, or cooperatively.What is awesome about the Deluxe Edition is that you get 200 cases! If you buy the regular edition, you just get 20 cases then you have to purchase the rest separately in sets of 20, which cost about $10 apiece. The regular edition of the game is $20 on Amazon and the 8 extra case bundles are $10 each. The Deluxe Edition is $37 on Amazon and comes with the 8 extra case bundles plus an all new bundle of 20 cases exclusive to the Deluxe Edition. You do the math.This is a very fun game, not for kids, but easy for most adults to learn and play. If you enjoy board gaming then 221B Baker Street is a must have in my opinion.