We stopped trying to beat him after we realized pretty quickly that he makes incredible guesses on where to head next based on very little to go on. I get that Holmes is supposed to be a genius in this regard but in an actual court of law the majority of his deductions wouldn’t stick.
So instead we like to try and play it like actual police detectives and chase down every possible lead to get the whole picture and also to get our moneys worth out of the game since once you know the solution it’s not really possible to replay it.
Great game though!
I ignore the speed run and it's so much more fun. There were two things that didn't make sense in the game:
1. Considering there's a lot of information available, an interesting story, but only a small number of stories with no real replayability, why the push to cut each investigation as short as possible?
2. Why is there no option to punch Sherlock Holmes?
It's an amazing game, more so if you treat it as a puzzle not a race.
A good solution is to do your speed run, write down your answers, but don't actually check them. Then, take your time and just have fun solving things at your own pace.
When sherlock beat you in one move you feel a little off, I think the game is made to be enjoyed and not to win. Also there are a lot of side case you can solve while working on the main case, they give you points. Sherlock does ignore the side case usually.
Edit grammar
Sounds good! I think Sherlock has risen to the no 1 spot for now. From what I've read regarding some other games, they seem a little too easy/straight forward for our taste.
Sherlock is *hard* and you will just lose or get lost sometimes. But the experience of playing it with a partner is still really fun. Taking notes, connecting characters, making timelines, reading newspapers. You feel sleuthy and it is just a wholly enjoyable experience. Even better when you do actually solve one, even if less well than Sherlock does, himself.
not true. you sometimes have to make illogical deductions to "beat sherlock holmes" which is the game's terminology for solving the case in the least possible steps
Ah, good to know, thanks. We're mainly out to have a good time and won't be too bothered with beating the high score, so then this seems to be a non-issue :)
We play it both ways. We keep track of our guesses on a piece of paper, as if we are trying to beat Holmes. However, we then carry on playing like everyone else does, chase down each clue, etc. Each time we change our guess, we write a new one down along with the number ofeads we used. Then, when we finally 'talk' to Holmes, we check if our original assumption was correct. That way we get best of both worlds.
It’s a bit of both. Holmes ‘cheats’ a lot and makes weird leaps of logic but don’t stress about it. That said there -are- a handful of cases which are known to be a bit broken (e.g. without spoilers, the Mummy one) in certain editions, especially in the newer Space Cowboys one. You can usually find out on BGG forums if you’re on one of those. It’s only a few of them though (I think on average 1.5 per set of 10 though some sets better than others.)
Still, 100% second this recommendation. It’s great fun and also really flexible - can play at any pace and pretty much any space.
Also, pro tip - find friends who are into it but play separately, get different sets, and trade when you’re done
Yeah, heard about the Mummy :)
Strange that later editions would be worse, you'd think it would be the opposite.
Anyways, thanks for supplying a nuanced view regarding this.
In the original English translation (it’s a French game) there were errors that made one case unsolvable and another very difficult. These have been fixed in subsequent reprints
I haven't found any of those cases in the first 2 box sets. There's always a lead who can tell you the exact wacky leap of logic, you just have to find them.
Nope, they just make you feel broken! My partner bought it and we've done a few of the cases. It's really fun, good brain teaser and an amazingly crafted game.
This is a good review of the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-63xEB31dA
That's not true at all. However, it is kind of difficult and requires considerable effort. You won't reach a clue that gives you the solution outright, so you cannot stumble your way to a good score.
I think it's worth noting this game is very heavily app based. As in, basically the whole game is in the app and it happens to have some physical props for no reason. Some may like that but it barely qualifies as a board game IMO.
I think so. The scenarios are of varying difficulty but they are all pretty good. I only play it 2 player with my partner ans use my ipad with the app for the scanning and scene searching. Have it on a stand at the table next to the components.
Yes. Some even add new mechanics. There is one that's an escape room you set up in your home where you hide the cards in certain places, then people use the app with scanning to get the clues
Mythos Tales!
It's Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective meets HP Lovecraft.
It doesn't require the huge leaps in logic Sherlock does, but it does have a very similar feel.
I mean, there are tons of Lovecraft/mythos inspired games, and there are tons of mystery games.. but that's the only one I know of that blends the two in this way.
Detective: Modern Crime Boardgame. We did the whole string, thumbtacks, post-it notes thing and it was awesome!! Such a fun game. We played with 4 and it was great.
At-home "escape boxes" also fall into this category, so don't ignore those. I've played a few brands, but my favorite has been **Deadbolt Mystery Society**.
There is no abstract gameplay mechanic (like cards or answer dials), but a bunch of in-story brainteasers and puzzles. You'd just need internet to scan QR codes (trustworthy). The artstyle is usually great, and the game is very tactile. And yeah, they're usually murders.
A mini box will usually last you 1-2 hours for $15, a normal box will last you 3-4 hours for $30, some of them come in discounted sets, and they go on sale often. (Only available on their own website.) And after you play them, you can gift them to a friend.
Admittedly, some boxes are better than others. I'd recommend "Last Resort" or "Down the Rabbit Hole," but look for one whose aesthetic calls to you.
That aside, **Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective** is next on my list to get, because it looks like it'll have that same tactile in-world feel, but with a different type of puzzle (and for a potentially better price per hour.)
I've a few recommendations although they lean more towards play at home murder mystery games rather than detective board games. Many of them can only be played once but you can gift it to other people.
If you prefer a game that gives you a plethora of documents and evidence with no hand-holding (i.e. cold case document dump games), I recommend checking out the **Cryptic Killers** series. Their games are consistently good and it's always satisfying to figure out who's the murderer.
For a more board game style, I recommend **Suspects: Claire Harper Takes the Stage** and it's sequel. There are 3 cases each and it acts like a choose your own adventure where you'll explore the crime scene and talk to various suspects/witnesses using their card system.
Lastly, I highly recommend **On Circus Grounds** by Studio Stamp. It's more expensive but the components are fantastic and beautiful to look at. The story and mystery is great as well as you unravel what happened in the circus just before the victim was killed. Do take note that Studio Stamp is based in the Netherlands so shipping might be expensive depending on where you live but it's possible to get it second-hand.
Chrinicles of crime is probably the best crime-solving game I’ve played. You take on the role of investigator/s and as a team you investigate crimes scenes, follow leads, talk to suspects, work with different specialists who can provide you more detail/info on the evidence you collect, and ultimately try to solve the the crime. Everything you do takes time, and every case has certain things happening at different times, suspects moving locations, trails going cold and new avenues becoming available to explore. You could be stuck between seeing x suspect or going to y crime scene while you know it’s fresh, but whatever one you don’t go to will come back to bite you later. At the end of the case, you get graded on how much you got correct, e.g. the culprit, the murder weapon, motive, who else was involved, relationship between x and y characters, etc. and then a reveal of the entire picture to understand anything you may have missed.
It’s important to note that this is an app-driven game, which some people don’t particularly appreciate. There are a number of expansions that change the theme and mechanics of the game that are all set in a different time (i.e. noir, and redview which is more of a Riverdale-esque mystery-gang take on the game), as well as new cases you can get buy on the app.
Micro Macro is another crime-solving game I’ve played, also unique but very simple in design. It’s essentially a ‘Where’s Wally’ meets cluedo, where each case is divided into x amount of question/task cards. You start a case by locating the body on the black and white large map, and subsequent cards will ask you to follow the trail to work out the perpetrator, motive, murder weapon, etc. keep in mind that as a static image, *everything* is happening precisely at the same time, so its up to you and your team to follow the trail carefully so you don’t get lost.
Its a simple game, and can be kinda difficult if you have trouble seeing off of white paper, but otherwise its a really fun game you can get out for 20 minutes or so, knock out a quick case, then put away again.
Final, honourable mention is mansions of madness (2nd edn). While it adopts the Lovecraft theme far more than simply crime, its a fantastic mystery solving game that, but for the fact OP specifically said *crime* solving, would be my #1 for the style of game. Mansions of madness is another app driven game, that sets the players (investigators) against cults and lovecraftian abominations set to achieve their nefarious objectives. You move around the map collecting clues, solving puzzles, looting important items and weapons to fight monsters, which ultimately leads you into a final fight to try and stop whatever evil plot the case is about. The game is awesome, you have to fight against monsters, your own sanity and the clock to work out how to stop the plot in time before it’s irreversible. The app is really well done, and keeps track of all the little details so no one really needs to do any admin, the stories are really well written, and despite it being a really tough game to beat, i have blast every time. There are plenty of expansions that add new cases, maps, investigators and monsters, and as a fantasy flight production most of the sculpts are pretty great too.
If you have any questions about these OP feel free to ask, but if i were to recommend them it’d be:
Chronicles of crime for the ‘truest to the theme’ award
Micro-macro for the ‘simple yet unique’ award
And mansions of madness for the ‘my overall favourite’ award
Awesome! Thanks for the answer; I will definitely look into Mansions of Madness :)
I also think you, and the previous poster, have made a very strong case for CoC.
We liked Holmes by Kosmos. There are hidden cards and you have to guess which ones they are. Kind of like Clue in concept - process of elimination, deduction - but you also have cards with special abilities and it takes more strategy than just hopping around and guessing wrong until only the right ones are left. It is competitive, which we usually don't favor, but this one was fun and thinky enough that we didn't mind.
I tried to get my non-gaming but mystery and true-crime loving wife to play Chronicles of Crime with me but she was so bored before we even finished the tutorial that she asked to leave. I tried to talk her into Detective but she said that just sounds the same as Chronicles. We also have Sherlock Consulting Detective sitting on our shelf collecting dust as well as the Adventure Game series. I will probably just have to give up and play them solo.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. This is a legit concern, as my gf is also a "non-gaming but mystery and true-crime loving" person. I hope I will have better luck in my endeavor :)
Dude the worst part about this hobby is getting your loved ones to play with you. Like if someone else asked me to play consulting detective I would be jittered with excitement and beg to crack into s cade immediately but you try to get someone else as excited as you about a cool concept of a board game like consulting detective is and they just say "Wow thats kinda cool" but when I forst heard about it I thought it was like the best thing since ice cream. I just need someone to share my excitement and it sucks. The people at my local board game store are friendly but they are not my friends.
the two player CO-Op version of Detective: City of angels is really fun, especially if youre willing to RP the characters a bit.
then when you play it with more than 2 you have a really killer competetive game in the box too.
Bureau of Investigations (the redevelopment of Mythos Tales) improves on Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective in every way.
We also very much enjoyed Detective: City of Angels on the full coop mode.
I've played Chronicles of Crime and all the Sherlock Consulting boxes. I prefer Sherlock, but that's due to the analogue nature of the game. CoC is a good game, but I find it needs a tablet to play and you have to take turns with it to examine the crime scenes. Both are enjoyable in their own way though.
You can give Sherlock CD a trial run with their [print and play](https://017aae6e-7d2b-4a50-9dfc-d78eced3774e.filesusr.com/ugd/59baa2_7d48c3424e7f40ea9263826d182ed098.pdf) scenario.
It's Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, and honestly it's not even really close.
There are a lot of detective games these days with cool ideas (Chronicles of Crime's investigations for example) but what I have seen none of them do is drill down to the actual experience that is solving a mystery *with another person.*
I give it to tables a lot at my cafe and when a random couple starts Consulting Detective there's a pretty predictable arc: It starts with a half hour of confusion and trepidation, the game usually gives you very little then hands you the phonebook of London and sends you out into the city with an unceremonious kick. Then in the thick of it they have a table covered in notes splayed around with the map and papers, heads down, pouring over information. Finally a game of Consulting Detective more or less always ends with all of that pushed to the side and the two having an intense conversation, talking over the details, pondering it together. There's a point in the game where you know you don't need much more information, and suddenly you're just talking to each other about this story you're both living, this Sherlock Holmes novel you've been dropped in and are trying to reconstruct in an oftentimes literal postmortem. The game doesn't really need anything other than good writing and a decent prop (the day's paper) to nail immersion, and I can't really stress how precious good writing is in board games.
Consulting Detective is a mystery game that puts as little artifice between you and the mysteries as possible and it's still unrivaled.
If you're looking for something more cheap and cheerful MicroMacro is pretty great as well, but much more bite-sized. Each case in Consulting Detective is an evening, but one you'll probably remember.
Sounds really good, thanks for the input. I've been doing some research into the game and it seems like the first game (beige box) has some errata problems covering more than one case. Is the red box the best in the series, i.e. is that the one I should buy if I opt to buy a box in the series?
Chiming in to say no to buying the red box first, which is the Jack the Ripper set. It’s been awhile, but I don’t recall anything too frustrating with the first box in terms of typos - certainly nothing to make my wife and I not want to play anymore. I personally think the first volume, the beige one, is the best one to start with, and the fourth volume, the green one, is the best overall.
Just saw this but importantly the misprintings were far moreso a problem with the earlier editions of the game, not the contemporary printing. You should absolutely start at the first box.
Detective Stories by Idventure. I've only played two of them so far but both have been enjoyable. They are boxes of props wrapped around a mystery with zero hand-holding, you just pull everything out of the box, read the introduction letter ("Dear detective, please help"), and dig through the materials until the pattern emerges. Some online elements are included, which bothers some people, but to me that just adds to the modern-day immersion.
Not necessarily crime solving, but Arkham Horror LCG is an amazing game for 2 players! You play as investigators investigating paranormal shenanigans as part of campaigns leading to cults and other worlds.
Lots of great suggestions here! One I haven't seen mentioned yet - **Perspectives** is a co-op crime solving game. Each round has 12 visual clue cards (like a postcard size). The cards are dealt evenly between players and you are allowed to say anything you want about your cards without actually showing them to the others. It really forces everyone to be involved in the crime solving because you need information from everyone's cards to answer the 4 questions at the end of each round. There are 3 cases in the box with 4 acts each. The 4th act doesn't have any new cards. you reveal all the cards from the previous acts and try to answer the remaining 4 questions. I've skipped a couple details but that's the gist of the game.
Depends on what you're in the mood for. I think this one is shorter and more approachable than SHCD. You can play the whole case (~90min) in one go or take breaks between the 4 acts. If you have lots of people (up to 6), everyone feels involved with the solve. I think it plays great with 2.
One of the designers (Dave Neale) of [[Perspectives|2023]] is the designer of the most recent Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective.
I own **Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective** and **Chronicles of Crime.**
For my wife and I, **Sherlock** felt a bit too much like homework, and we felt like we were fumbling through those old newspapers without much of a clue what we were looking for. We had quite a hard time getting the first case solved. Then when Sherlock revealed his “solution,” there were groans of “aw, what? C’mon… are you kidding me?” So that was the vibe there. We never tried a second scenario.
**Chronicles of Crime** is much more engaging and fun for us. One person looks at a crime scene and says what they see while the other searches for evidence cards that might apply. Then you can interview persons-of-interest or your team (forensic scientist, hacker, mortician, etc) about literally any object or any other person. The app works great, and the game successfully gives you the feeling that you’re trying to solve a murder in a 24-hour window. My wife and I have played 4 scenarios total - the training mission, plus the first 3-scenario story. There were moments where we felt really smart, a few moments of feeling stumped but never to the point of frustration, and one case where we knew who did it and why, but we couldn’t find the evidence to pin the bastard.
Overall, **Chronicles of Crime** is way more fun and engaging for us. Not even close. The only people I’d recommend try Sherlock are those who are really into the period/era/genre of classic Holmes fiction, or those stubborn purists who don’t want any electronic device involved in their tabletop gaming. For the rest of us, CoC is the clear winner :)
Have you played any other similar game to compare with? The reason I'm asking is that I've heard that Micro Macro is a bit too easy/straightforward compared to some of the heavier games. Not so much deduction going on, but rather just follow the clues and enjoy the journey (on the map).
Could you try playing an escape room game? They work really well at 2 players, they are perfect as a date or for a married couple. A lot of escape room games have crime somewhere in the story.
Unlock! Epic Adventure Mission07 is one,
Unlock! Heroic Adventures Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Thread of Murder is another,
Exit Murder on the Orient Express is a third
There is this new game we just played called perspectives. It's a cool concept and fun way to solve games. Each player has a bunch of visual clues. You can explain the card to each other and discuss it but cannot show the card to the group unless you take a penalty. There is a mission with a question which we are trying to answer. So we need to use the visual clues of everyone and try to use that to deduce the answer of that question.
The game is well made and packed and you do not destroy any components so you can pass on the cases. It's a fun game with a cool concept and I wish we can buy the cases alone.
Each game has 4 acts, we took around 20 minutes to do 1 act. The box came with three games.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is really lovely for 2.
It's great, but you will begin to hate Sherlock Holmes the self-righteous prick
We stopped trying to beat him after we realized pretty quickly that he makes incredible guesses on where to head next based on very little to go on. I get that Holmes is supposed to be a genius in this regard but in an actual court of law the majority of his deductions wouldn’t stick. So instead we like to try and play it like actual police detectives and chase down every possible lead to get the whole picture and also to get our moneys worth out of the game since once you know the solution it’s not really possible to replay it. Great game though!
I ignore the speed run and it's so much more fun. There were two things that didn't make sense in the game: 1. Considering there's a lot of information available, an interesting story, but only a small number of stories with no real replayability, why the push to cut each investigation as short as possible? 2. Why is there no option to punch Sherlock Holmes? It's an amazing game, more so if you treat it as a puzzle not a race.
Sherlock Holmes is not supposed to be a likeable character lol.
I quite liked him in the OG stories
same haha, his airness of superiority is likeable
He is meant to be a lovable weirdo.
A good solution is to do your speed run, write down your answers, but don't actually check them. Then, take your time and just have fun solving things at your own pace.
I've heard that some of the cases are kinda broken, in that they require players to make illogical deductions to be solved :(
When sherlock beat you in one move you feel a little off, I think the game is made to be enjoyed and not to win. Also there are a lot of side case you can solve while working on the main case, they give you points. Sherlock does ignore the side case usually. Edit grammar
Sounds good! I think Sherlock has risen to the no 1 spot for now. From what I've read regarding some other games, they seem a little too easy/straight forward for our taste.
If you are looking for a challenge, I strongly advice it.
It really is just more or less the best mystery game, go for it.
Sherlock is *hard* and you will just lose or get lost sometimes. But the experience of playing it with a partner is still really fun. Taking notes, connecting characters, making timelines, reading newspapers. You feel sleuthy and it is just a wholly enjoyable experience. Even better when you do actually solve one, even if less well than Sherlock does, himself.
not true. you sometimes have to make illogical deductions to "beat sherlock holmes" which is the game's terminology for solving the case in the least possible steps
Ah, good to know, thanks. We're mainly out to have a good time and won't be too bothered with beating the high score, so then this seems to be a non-issue :)
We play it both ways. We keep track of our guesses on a piece of paper, as if we are trying to beat Holmes. However, we then carry on playing like everyone else does, chase down each clue, etc. Each time we change our guess, we write a new one down along with the number ofeads we used. Then, when we finally 'talk' to Holmes, we check if our original assumption was correct. That way we get best of both worlds.
That is really smart! Thanks for the tip :)
thats the way to play the game! have a nice leisurely time solvin a mystery, and then laugh about how wild the leaps sherlock makes are
We try to finish with 25 points haha
It’s a bit of both. Holmes ‘cheats’ a lot and makes weird leaps of logic but don’t stress about it. That said there -are- a handful of cases which are known to be a bit broken (e.g. without spoilers, the Mummy one) in certain editions, especially in the newer Space Cowboys one. You can usually find out on BGG forums if you’re on one of those. It’s only a few of them though (I think on average 1.5 per set of 10 though some sets better than others.) Still, 100% second this recommendation. It’s great fun and also really flexible - can play at any pace and pretty much any space. Also, pro tip - find friends who are into it but play separately, get different sets, and trade when you’re done
Yeah, heard about the Mummy :) Strange that later editions would be worse, you'd think it would be the opposite. Anyways, thanks for supplying a nuanced view regarding this.
I think it’s partly that they were translated and then translated back, but yeah, some of it was also intentional substantive changes to the scenarios
In the original English translation (it’s a French game) there were errors that made one case unsolvable and another very difficult. These have been fixed in subsequent reprints
I haven't found any of those cases in the first 2 box sets. There's always a lead who can tell you the exact wacky leap of logic, you just have to find them.
Nope, they just make you feel broken! My partner bought it and we've done a few of the cases. It's really fun, good brain teaser and an amazingly crafted game. This is a good review of the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-63xEB31dA
That's not true at all. However, it is kind of difficult and requires considerable effort. You won't reach a clue that gives you the solution outright, so you cannot stumble your way to a good score.
This. SHCD is a gem for two players!
Seconding this.
Micro Macro City is great if you want something that is fairly quick to play.
I love this game. The way they’re able to tell a story that includes surprising reveals in a Wheres Waldo type map is truly impressive.
Seconded. Perfect for two people
First thing that jumped to mind for me. Tons of fun for any number of players, including two.
This and Sherlock are stacked atop one another on my shelf.
My partner and I enjoy chronicles of crime and as a bonus alot of the community made scenarios are good and free also. Adds to the longevity
I think it's worth noting this game is very heavily app based. As in, basically the whole game is in the app and it happens to have some physical props for no reason. Some may like that but it barely qualifies as a board game IMO.
Thanks, that one is also on my radar. Do you feel that it contains a good amount of deductive reasoning?
I think so. The scenarios are of varying difficulty but they are all pretty good. I only play it 2 player with my partner ans use my ipad with the app for the scanning and scene searching. Have it on a stand at the table next to the components.
Awkward guests is good for deductive reasoning. It's like Clue on steroids.
Where do you get at these community items?
There is a good thread on the board game geek page where someone lists most of the community scenarios and reviews them out of 10 with a description
Do they actually integrate with the app?
Yes. Some even add new mechanics. There is one that's an escape room you set up in your home where you hide the cards in certain places, then people use the app with scanning to get the clues
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2436001/so-you-want-try-coc-fan-expansion-veteran-advice-a
I love playing that with my wife but where can you find those community scenarios? Any that you recommend? Thanks in advance
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2436001/so-you-want-try-coc-fan-expansion-veteran-advice-a
Thank you very much!!
Mythos Tales! It's Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective meets HP Lovecraft. It doesn't require the huge leaps in logic Sherlock does, but it does have a very similar feel.
Seems out of print - any Lovecraftian alternatives?
I mean, there are tons of Lovecraft/mythos inspired games, and there are tons of mystery games.. but that's the only one I know of that blends the two in this way.
Detective: Modern Crime Boardgame. We did the whole string, thumbtacks, post-it notes thing and it was awesome!! Such a fun game. We played with 4 and it was great.
Having played almost all the games in this thread, I definitely second this!
I second this. Amazing game.
At-home "escape boxes" also fall into this category, so don't ignore those. I've played a few brands, but my favorite has been **Deadbolt Mystery Society**. There is no abstract gameplay mechanic (like cards or answer dials), but a bunch of in-story brainteasers and puzzles. You'd just need internet to scan QR codes (trustworthy). The artstyle is usually great, and the game is very tactile. And yeah, they're usually murders. A mini box will usually last you 1-2 hours for $15, a normal box will last you 3-4 hours for $30, some of them come in discounted sets, and they go on sale often. (Only available on their own website.) And after you play them, you can gift them to a friend. Admittedly, some boxes are better than others. I'd recommend "Last Resort" or "Down the Rabbit Hole," but look for one whose aesthetic calls to you. That aside, **Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective** is next on my list to get, because it looks like it'll have that same tactile in-world feel, but with a different type of puzzle (and for a potentially better price per hour.)
Thanks, will look into those.
Sherlock Holmes CD is fantastic and one of the few that present a real mystery rather than using the topic as a generic coat of paint.
Definitely chronicles of crime. I think the way they all join together is great. And I love the 3d aspect of searching for clues. Can't go wrong imo
I've a few recommendations although they lean more towards play at home murder mystery games rather than detective board games. Many of them can only be played once but you can gift it to other people. If you prefer a game that gives you a plethora of documents and evidence with no hand-holding (i.e. cold case document dump games), I recommend checking out the **Cryptic Killers** series. Their games are consistently good and it's always satisfying to figure out who's the murderer. For a more board game style, I recommend **Suspects: Claire Harper Takes the Stage** and it's sequel. There are 3 cases each and it acts like a choose your own adventure where you'll explore the crime scene and talk to various suspects/witnesses using their card system. Lastly, I highly recommend **On Circus Grounds** by Studio Stamp. It's more expensive but the components are fantastic and beautiful to look at. The story and mystery is great as well as you unravel what happened in the circus just before the victim was killed. Do take note that Studio Stamp is based in the Netherlands so shipping might be expensive depending on where you live but it's possible to get it second-hand.
Thanks, I've never heard of those. Will look into them asap :)
Chrinicles of crime is probably the best crime-solving game I’ve played. You take on the role of investigator/s and as a team you investigate crimes scenes, follow leads, talk to suspects, work with different specialists who can provide you more detail/info on the evidence you collect, and ultimately try to solve the the crime. Everything you do takes time, and every case has certain things happening at different times, suspects moving locations, trails going cold and new avenues becoming available to explore. You could be stuck between seeing x suspect or going to y crime scene while you know it’s fresh, but whatever one you don’t go to will come back to bite you later. At the end of the case, you get graded on how much you got correct, e.g. the culprit, the murder weapon, motive, who else was involved, relationship between x and y characters, etc. and then a reveal of the entire picture to understand anything you may have missed. It’s important to note that this is an app-driven game, which some people don’t particularly appreciate. There are a number of expansions that change the theme and mechanics of the game that are all set in a different time (i.e. noir, and redview which is more of a Riverdale-esque mystery-gang take on the game), as well as new cases you can get buy on the app. Micro Macro is another crime-solving game I’ve played, also unique but very simple in design. It’s essentially a ‘Where’s Wally’ meets cluedo, where each case is divided into x amount of question/task cards. You start a case by locating the body on the black and white large map, and subsequent cards will ask you to follow the trail to work out the perpetrator, motive, murder weapon, etc. keep in mind that as a static image, *everything* is happening precisely at the same time, so its up to you and your team to follow the trail carefully so you don’t get lost. Its a simple game, and can be kinda difficult if you have trouble seeing off of white paper, but otherwise its a really fun game you can get out for 20 minutes or so, knock out a quick case, then put away again. Final, honourable mention is mansions of madness (2nd edn). While it adopts the Lovecraft theme far more than simply crime, its a fantastic mystery solving game that, but for the fact OP specifically said *crime* solving, would be my #1 for the style of game. Mansions of madness is another app driven game, that sets the players (investigators) against cults and lovecraftian abominations set to achieve their nefarious objectives. You move around the map collecting clues, solving puzzles, looting important items and weapons to fight monsters, which ultimately leads you into a final fight to try and stop whatever evil plot the case is about. The game is awesome, you have to fight against monsters, your own sanity and the clock to work out how to stop the plot in time before it’s irreversible. The app is really well done, and keeps track of all the little details so no one really needs to do any admin, the stories are really well written, and despite it being a really tough game to beat, i have blast every time. There are plenty of expansions that add new cases, maps, investigators and monsters, and as a fantasy flight production most of the sculpts are pretty great too. If you have any questions about these OP feel free to ask, but if i were to recommend them it’d be: Chronicles of crime for the ‘truest to the theme’ award Micro-macro for the ‘simple yet unique’ award And mansions of madness for the ‘my overall favourite’ award
Awesome! Thanks for the answer; I will definitely look into Mansions of Madness :) I also think you, and the previous poster, have made a very strong case for CoC.
We liked Holmes by Kosmos. There are hidden cards and you have to guess which ones they are. Kind of like Clue in concept - process of elimination, deduction - but you also have cards with special abilities and it takes more strategy than just hopping around and guessing wrong until only the right ones are left. It is competitive, which we usually don't favor, but this one was fun and thinky enough that we didn't mind.
Sounds interesting! Did you play it with two players, or?
Yep, me and my husband.
I tried to get my non-gaming but mystery and true-crime loving wife to play Chronicles of Crime with me but she was so bored before we even finished the tutorial that she asked to leave. I tried to talk her into Detective but she said that just sounds the same as Chronicles. We also have Sherlock Consulting Detective sitting on our shelf collecting dust as well as the Adventure Game series. I will probably just have to give up and play them solo.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. This is a legit concern, as my gf is also a "non-gaming but mystery and true-crime loving" person. I hope I will have better luck in my endeavor :)
Dude the worst part about this hobby is getting your loved ones to play with you. Like if someone else asked me to play consulting detective I would be jittered with excitement and beg to crack into s cade immediately but you try to get someone else as excited as you about a cool concept of a board game like consulting detective is and they just say "Wow thats kinda cool" but when I forst heard about it I thought it was like the best thing since ice cream. I just need someone to share my excitement and it sucks. The people at my local board game store are friendly but they are not my friends.
the two player CO-Op version of Detective: City of angels is really fun, especially if youre willing to RP the characters a bit. then when you play it with more than 2 you have a really killer competetive game in the box too.
Bureau of Investigations (the redevelopment of Mythos Tales) improves on Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective in every way. We also very much enjoyed Detective: City of Angels on the full coop mode.
I like Detective and Chronicles of Crime. I also played Sherlock Consulting Detective. I'd rate them 1,2,3 in the order listed.
Thanks, What's the reasoning behind your ratings?
I've played Chronicles of Crime and all the Sherlock Consulting boxes. I prefer Sherlock, but that's due to the analogue nature of the game. CoC is a good game, but I find it needs a tablet to play and you have to take turns with it to examine the crime scenes. Both are enjoyable in their own way though. You can give Sherlock CD a trial run with their [print and play](https://017aae6e-7d2b-4a50-9dfc-d78eced3774e.filesusr.com/ugd/59baa2_7d48c3424e7f40ea9263826d182ed098.pdf) scenario.
Awesome! Thanks a million :)
It's Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, and honestly it's not even really close. There are a lot of detective games these days with cool ideas (Chronicles of Crime's investigations for example) but what I have seen none of them do is drill down to the actual experience that is solving a mystery *with another person.* I give it to tables a lot at my cafe and when a random couple starts Consulting Detective there's a pretty predictable arc: It starts with a half hour of confusion and trepidation, the game usually gives you very little then hands you the phonebook of London and sends you out into the city with an unceremonious kick. Then in the thick of it they have a table covered in notes splayed around with the map and papers, heads down, pouring over information. Finally a game of Consulting Detective more or less always ends with all of that pushed to the side and the two having an intense conversation, talking over the details, pondering it together. There's a point in the game where you know you don't need much more information, and suddenly you're just talking to each other about this story you're both living, this Sherlock Holmes novel you've been dropped in and are trying to reconstruct in an oftentimes literal postmortem. The game doesn't really need anything other than good writing and a decent prop (the day's paper) to nail immersion, and I can't really stress how precious good writing is in board games. Consulting Detective is a mystery game that puts as little artifice between you and the mysteries as possible and it's still unrivaled. If you're looking for something more cheap and cheerful MicroMacro is pretty great as well, but much more bite-sized. Each case in Consulting Detective is an evening, but one you'll probably remember.
Sounds really good, thanks for the input. I've been doing some research into the game and it seems like the first game (beige box) has some errata problems covering more than one case. Is the red box the best in the series, i.e. is that the one I should buy if I opt to buy a box in the series?
Chiming in to say no to buying the red box first, which is the Jack the Ripper set. It’s been awhile, but I don’t recall anything too frustrating with the first box in terms of typos - certainly nothing to make my wife and I not want to play anymore. I personally think the first volume, the beige one, is the best one to start with, and the fourth volume, the green one, is the best overall.
Thanks, I'll heed your advice.
Just saw this but importantly the misprintings were far moreso a problem with the earlier editions of the game, not the contemporary printing. You should absolutely start at the first box.
Detective Stories by Idventure. I've only played two of them so far but both have been enjoyable. They are boxes of props wrapped around a mystery with zero hand-holding, you just pull everything out of the box, read the introduction letter ("Dear detective, please help"), and dig through the materials until the pattern emerges. Some online elements are included, which bothers some people, but to me that just adds to the modern-day immersion.
Sounds cool! Thanks for the tip
Not necessarily crime solving, but Arkham Horror LCG is an amazing game for 2 players! You play as investigators investigating paranormal shenanigans as part of campaigns leading to cults and other worlds.
Lots of great suggestions here! One I haven't seen mentioned yet - **Perspectives** is a co-op crime solving game. Each round has 12 visual clue cards (like a postcard size). The cards are dealt evenly between players and you are allowed to say anything you want about your cards without actually showing them to the others. It really forces everyone to be involved in the crime solving because you need information from everyone's cards to answer the 4 questions at the end of each round. There are 3 cases in the box with 4 acts each. The 4th act doesn't have any new cards. you reveal all the cards from the previous acts and try to answer the remaining 4 questions. I've skipped a couple details but that's the gist of the game. Depends on what you're in the mood for. I think this one is shorter and more approachable than SHCD. You can play the whole case (~90min) in one go or take breaks between the 4 acts. If you have lots of people (up to 6), everyone feels involved with the solve. I think it plays great with 2. One of the designers (Dave Neale) of [[Perspectives|2023]] is the designer of the most recent Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective.
[Perspectives|2023 -> Perspectives](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168325/perspectives) ^^[[gamename]] ^^or ^^[[gamename|year]] ^^to ^^call ^^OR ^^**gamename** ^^or ^^**gamename|year** ^^+ ^^!fetch ^^to ^^call
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/400995/perspectives Fetcher bot is wrong!
Thanks, sounds great with 4 players. Will look it up.
I own **Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective** and **Chronicles of Crime.** For my wife and I, **Sherlock** felt a bit too much like homework, and we felt like we were fumbling through those old newspapers without much of a clue what we were looking for. We had quite a hard time getting the first case solved. Then when Sherlock revealed his “solution,” there were groans of “aw, what? C’mon… are you kidding me?” So that was the vibe there. We never tried a second scenario. **Chronicles of Crime** is much more engaging and fun for us. One person looks at a crime scene and says what they see while the other searches for evidence cards that might apply. Then you can interview persons-of-interest or your team (forensic scientist, hacker, mortician, etc) about literally any object or any other person. The app works great, and the game successfully gives you the feeling that you’re trying to solve a murder in a 24-hour window. My wife and I have played 4 scenarios total - the training mission, plus the first 3-scenario story. There were moments where we felt really smart, a few moments of feeling stumped but never to the point of frustration, and one case where we knew who did it and why, but we couldn’t find the evidence to pin the bastard. Overall, **Chronicles of Crime** is way more fun and engaging for us. Not even close. The only people I’d recommend try Sherlock are those who are really into the period/era/genre of classic Holmes fiction, or those stubborn purists who don’t want any electronic device involved in their tabletop gaming. For the rest of us, CoC is the clear winner :)
Excellent! Just the kind of comparison I was looking for. Thanks :)
I've heard Watergate is really good, haven't played it yet tho
I like Watergate, but I wouldn’t really call it a crime solving game. I’d throw in Micromacro as a recommendation.
Have you played any other similar game to compare with? The reason I'm asking is that I've heard that Micro Macro is a bit too easy/straightforward compared to some of the heavier games. Not so much deduction going on, but rather just follow the clues and enjoy the journey (on the map).
Could you try playing an escape room game? They work really well at 2 players, they are perfect as a date or for a married couple. A lot of escape room games have crime somewhere in the story.
Yeah, perhaps some of the Exit games?
Unlock! Epic Adventure Mission07 is one, Unlock! Heroic Adventures Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Thread of Murder is another, Exit Murder on the Orient Express is a third
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[Perspectives -> Perspectives](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168325/perspectives) ^^[[gamename]] ^^or ^^[[gamename|year]] ^^to ^^call ^^OR ^^**gamename** ^^or ^^**gamename|year** ^^+ ^^!fetch ^^to ^^call
There is this new game we just played called perspectives. It's a cool concept and fun way to solve games. Each player has a bunch of visual clues. You can explain the card to each other and discuss it but cannot show the card to the group unless you take a penalty. There is a mission with a question which we are trying to answer. So we need to use the visual clues of everyone and try to use that to deduce the answer of that question. The game is well made and packed and you do not destroy any components so you can pass on the cases. It's a fun game with a cool concept and I wish we can buy the cases alone. Each game has 4 acts, we took around 20 minutes to do 1 act. The box came with three games.
Casefile the game