Detective Charlie
Detective Charlie Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 die
- 6 "CULPRIT" envelopes
- 1 Detective Charlie Holmes standee
- 1 police station
- 1 pocket watch
- 1 Detective notebook
In each of the 6 Case decks:
- 1 case card — front shows the name of the case; back shows the case information (place of the crime, time of the crime, size of the spots, and so on).
- 8 witness cards — front shows the name of the witness; back shows their account.
- 8 suspect cards — front shows the name of the case; back shows information on the suspect (occupation, size, print, and so on).
- 2 or 3 evidence cards (place under the matching witness card) — front shows the witness card and evidence card icons that match them together.
Set up
Important: Do not turn over the cards and look at them before playing! All Case decks are played the same way.
Choose a Case deck from the box and remove the wrap from it.
The cases are numbered in increasing difficulty; it is recommended to play them in that order. Each case can only be played once.
Follow the order of the deck to place the cards on the table.
- Position the Case card in the center of the table.
- Place the 8 Witness cards face down in a circle surrounding the Case card, following the numbers on their backs.
- Slip the evidence cards under the Witness cards with the same number. An icon on the Evidence card also shows the matching Witness card.
- Insert the 8 suspect cards into the slots in the police station. The suspects' case files are being examined by the police and the police officers await Detective Charlie's orders to clear them one by one!
- Place the Detective Charlie standee in front of the Witness card number 1.
- Place the die and pocket watch near the circle of Witness cards. Set the hand of the watch to 12.
- The oldest player read both sides of the Case card out loud, starting with the name of the case. Now the game can start!
Goal of the game
Detective Charlie is a cooperative investigation game. Each player takes turns moving Detective Charlie with the die and interrogating witnesses. Witnesses help you clear suspects until only one is left: the culprit! Check that you got it right by reading the Culprit card hidden in the envelope with the same number as your case.
Game play
The game is played over several rounds until only one suspect is left in the police station. Starting with the first player then moving clockwise, players take turns rolling the die and applying its effect.
The player who read the Case card during setup starts.
On your turn, roll the die and apply its result:
-
1 or 2: Move the Detective Charlie standee as many Witness cards as the number shown on the die, in the direction you choose. Then flip over the card Detective Charlie stopped in front of and read their account out loud.
As a team, you may then decide to clear one or several suspects (see next page). Then put back the Witness card face down.
End your turn by giving the die to the player on your left.
-
Watch: The investigation is stalled! Move the hand on the watch forward by one hour, then end your turn by giving the die to the player on your left.
-
Watch + ?: Move the hand of the watch forward by one hour then place Detective Charlie in front of any Witness card you want. Turn the card over and read the account out loud. You may then clear one or more suspects. End your turn by giving the die to the player on your left.
After you roll the die, apply the result, and potentially clear one or more suspects, the player on your left gets a turn. Now they get to roll the die!
Read an account: When you put back a Witness card after reading it, try to remember its number to avoid going back and reading the same account again. Sometimes the game will encourage you to return to see a witness you have already questioned (for example: to see the Evidence card they are hiding).
Clearing a suspect: After reading a Witness card, you can decide to clear one or more suspects. Remove their card from the police station and put it aside. Good work, you are getting closer to the culprit! Not all the accounts will enable you to clear suspects, sometimes you must combine several accounts to find the suspect(s) to clear.
Note
If the die places Charlie in front of a Witness card that you have already read and don't need to read again, you may choose as a team to move the hand of the watch forward by one hour to read the card to the left or right instead. You may do this several times during the same game, but it is never required.
Parents, don't hesitate to ask your children questions to help them deduce the answers on their own!
End of the game
When only one suspect is left in the police station, they are named the culprit and the game ends.
Did you find the right culprit?
To find out, open the Culprit envelope with the same number as your current case and read the Culprit card together! If you were correct, well done! If you were mistaken, no worries, you will do better next time! All that is left to do before opening the next case is to fill in your Detective's notebook…
How do I fill in the detective's notebook?
Find the page that matches your case and fill it out together. Remember to write down the hour shown on Charlie's pocket watch at the end of the game and the matching score from the chart below.
At the end of the 6 cases, fill out the last page of the notebook and discover your detective score!
| Time on the watch | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 5 o'clock or earlier | You found the culprit in time for tea with Charlie and the police station team, great job! | 5 points |
| 6 o'clock | When you arrive at the police station, most of the police officers are there, but the tea is cold. | 4 points |
| 7 o'clock | When you get to the police station, sadly there are no cookies left. The police officers ate everything while waiting for you. | 3 points |
| Between 8 and 11 o'clock | When you get to the police station, it is pretty empty… Charlie is a bit disappointed she missed teatime! | 2 points |
| Midnight or later | You get to the police station out of breath. Everyone has fallen asleep waiting for you and Charlie will have to wait until tomorrow to reveal the name of the culprit… | 1 point |
| Wrong culprit | As you are about to say the name of the culprit, a police officer comes in with a different conclusion. You must have followed the wrong lead. You don't have the right culprit… | 0 points |