Elementary Watson (1978)

The perfect crime! This boxed game allows players to plan and try to solve it. No dice or other elements of chance.

One player (a referee) plots and writes the basics of a crime set in Victorian London. The other players (detectives) have little to work with at the start other than a description of what occurred, plus some information on the main characters. From that point on, it becomes a race against the clock since each crime must be solved within a set number of turns known only to the referee.

The mechanics are simple: detectives submit questions in writing to the referee. After collecting all of them, the referee answers them verbally. This means that the answers usually are understood only by the asking players. Questions must be very specific: for example, a player can check bank records only if he or she has spent part of a turn going to the bank. A mixed group of players will always have one or two ahead of the pack and one or two behind. Players also may pool information, but some always will hold back.

Elementary Watson is simple to play, difficult to master because it requires role-playing thinking. Players can choose areas of expertise, which might help them gain additional clues. A game board of London with neighborhoods and landmarks is included, but Elementary Watson can be played with paper and pencil.

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