Detective Rummy

Detective Rummy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Overview
Components
Campaign Mode and Case Mode
Setup
Summary of Play
Detective Work
Take 5
End of Turn
Ending a Case
Base Scoring
Winning the Game

Overview

Detective Rummy is a Rummy style card game with a story-telling element revealed in a series of 7 different cases, each relating to a different crime. Players portray detectives vying to solve these crimes, with each case presenting new locations, suspects, and challenges. Some elements carry over to other cases due to recurring suspects and bad blood.

There are two modes of play: in Campaign Mode, you play the 7 cases in order. In Case Mode, you play cases 2-6 as standalone games in any order.

Each case has Game Changer cards. These cards add variability and replayability to each case as they can be discovered (if at all) at different times and locations.

In either mode, your job is to gain fame by solving the crime and finding the guilty party. The detective with the most fame wins.

Components

1 Rulebook
1 Casebook
2 Score pads
6 Double-Sided Detective placards
150 Detective tokens: 6 large (5s) and 24 small (1s) in each color. Used by Game Changer cards: 6 large (5s) and 24 small (1s).
24 Skill tokens
16 Item tokens
16 Bad Blood tokens (4 of each color)
4 Double-Sided locations
7 Double-Sided Suspects
6 Lawyers
10 Assignment tiles
123 Evidence cards
60 Game Changer cards
1 Danger/Round Track
1 Danger marker and 1 Round marker
3 Skill dice
4 Turn Summary cards

Campaign Mode and Case Mode

If this is your first time playing Detective Rummy, we recommend playing in Campaign Mode.

Campaign Mode: Start with Case 1, The Sweet Tooth Sleuth, and work your way through all 7 Cases. Play 1 Hand per Case and each Case will last about 15 minutes per player. This can be played in one long game session or 2 or more shorter sessions.

Use the Campaign Score pad that allows you to carry over Fame and Bad Blood from Case to Case.

Case Mode: Choose one Case (among Cases 2-6), and determine whether you will play 2 or 3 Hands. Use the Case Score pad to total your Fame from Hand to Hand. (Bad Blood carries over between Hands.)

Setup

Each player selects a Detective with a unique Base Skill (Closer, Deduction, Forensics, Grit, Intuition, Valor) to play and takes a set of Skill tiles, Item tiles, Detective tokens, and Bad Blood tokens in their preferred color. The Detectives are 2-sided to allow a wide variety for selection (but mechanically are the same).

Players Ready the Skill tile that matches their Detective's Base Skill. The Base Skill is noted below the Detective's name on the placard and its placement on the placard will be highlighted. Place the matching Skill tile on the placard Ready side up. The remaining Skill tiles are placed to the left of the Locker on your placard. Keep the Items to the side: the Casebook will determine which Items will be used for the Case (see below).

For the first Hand of a Campaign or Case, randomly choose a Start Detective. All other times, the Detective currently with the most total Fame will be the Start Detective (break ties randomly).

When playing CAMPAIGN MODE, players keep the same Detective throughout all 7 Cases. In CASE MODE, players may select the Detective they wish to play each session.

The Start Detective places the Danger Level/Round Track near them, viewable to all other players. They then place the Danger Level marker on "0", the Round marker in the empty space, and the 3 Skill dice nearby. The Start Detective is responsible for these tracks at the beginning of each Round. Some Game Changer cards will have directions for advancing the Danger Level Track.

The Start Detective shuffles the Evidence deck and deals 10 Evidence cards to each Detective facedown and then places the Evidence deck in the center of the table convenient to all Detectives, leaving room for a discard pile. Detectives may look at their cards without showing them to other Detectives.

Beginning with the Start Detective and proceeding clockwise, each Detective may discard from 0-3 cards and redraw that number from the top of the Evidence deck. Place the discarded cards facedown until all Detectives have decided what to do, and then turn them all faceup and place them together to form the discard pile.

Then refer to the Casebook for the specific Setup of the Case being played. Note any special rules.

After the Case is set up, the Start Detective reads the INTRODUCTION to the Case.

Summary of Play

The Start Detective begins each Round by performing the following steps in order:

Advance the Danger Level (if directed by a Game Changer card) and Roll Skill dice for Wounds.
- The Danger Level for each Case begins at 0. Game Changer cards may direct the Start Detective to advance the Danger Level at the start of the Rounds. Otherwise it stays at 0 and has no effect.
- If the Danger Level is greater than 0, the Start Detective rolls a number of Skill dice equal to the current Danger Level (1-3). If the Danger Level is 0, no dice are rolled.
- For each Skill type rolled, Detectives MUST turn over any matching Ready Skills they have to the Wounded side unless they have an activated Bulletproof Vest that protects all of their Ready Skills from Wounds.
  - Wounded Skills may not be used until they are Healed.
  - Skill tiles are never lost; you only flip it over to its Wounded side.
Advance the Round Marker to the next highest number on the Round Track.
Detectives take their Turns beginning with the Start Detective and continuing clockwise. Each Detective now takes their turn for the Round. On each Detective's turn, they must perform the following actions in order:
- A. Return an Activated Bulletproof Vest to the Locker.
- B. Ready any Items on their Detective.
- C. Decide to do either Detective Work or Take 5.
- D. Draw 2 Cards to end their turn.

When all Detectives have taken their turn, start a new Round.

Detective Work

All Detective Work is optional. If chosen, Visit a Location must be done first. Depleting Your Hand is done last because doing so ends your turn. All other actions may be done in any order: resolve one action fully before performing the next action. Some Detective Work may only be done once per turn, as noted.

IMPORTANT: GAME CHANGER CARDS. Detectives must take an available Game Changer card whenever they Visit a Location or place a Detective token where there is a Game Changer card available. However, Detectives may only take 1 Game Changer card each turn. Game Changer cards apply to the Detective who takes the card unless otherwise noted.

Circumstantial Evidence cards all show two Skills (see the two Skill icons numbered 1 and 2 on the card illustration in the rulebook). Each individual Circumstantial Evidence card can be used for either of the two Skills shown on the card when playing melds as the player wishes.

Visit a Location (Once per turn) (MUST BE DONE FIRST IF CHOSEN)

Discard any card to Visit a Location.
Follow the directions on the visited Location.

Heal a Wound (Once per turn)

Discard any card to Ready 1 of your Detective's Wounded Skill tiles.

Investigate Circumstantial Evidence (Once per turn)

Discard a meld (set) of 3 or more Circumstantial Evidence cards with the same Skill.

If the meld does not match your Base Skill, perform the following steps:
- Ready the matching Skill by either Healing this Skill if it is Wounded or by taking it from your Locker and placing it Ready on your Detective placard.
- Place a Detective token on the Suspect with the Skill just played (in some Cases the Detectives may be the Suspects).
If the Meld matches your Base Skill, perform the following steps:
- Heal all Wounded Skills on your Detective.
- Take any one new Skill from your Locker and place it Ready on your Detective placard.
- Place a Detective token on the Suspect with the Skill that was just placed on your Detective placard. You may never place a Detective token on yourself.

Example:

A. Nora plays a set of 3 Circumstantial Evidence cards that each contains the Valor Skill.

B. Since the cards match her Base Skill of Valor, she is able to Heal her Deduction and Intuition Skills.

C. In addition, she chooses to gain the Forensics Skill and places it on her placard.

D. The final effect of playing such a meld allows her to place a Detective token on Phil Fashion, who has the Forensics Skill icon.

Investigate Fingerprint Evidence (Once per turn)

Discard a Fingerprint Evidence card.
- You must have Ready Skills to match all the Skills on the card.
- Perform the actions on the card.
A. Hearsay Evidence allows you to place a Detective token on a Suspect who has a Skill that matches one of your Ready Skills.
B. Material Evidence allows you to place a Detective token on a Suspect who has a Skill that matches one of your Ready Skills and draw another card.
C. Eyewitness Evidence allows you to place a Detective token on a Suspect who has a Skill that matches one of your Ready Skills, draw 2 cards, and then you may play another Fingerprint card. These can be chained.

Remember: Actions on cards and other game effects may allow you to ignore basic rules of the game as Eyewitness Evidence does by allowing you to play a second Fingerprint card during your turn.

You must have all the Skills on a Fingerprint card Ready on your placard in order to play it.
You may play your Detective token on ANY Suspect (not on yourself) as long as you have a matching Skill Ready on your placard.

Bad Blood (Special Rules for Investigation Suspects)

Detectives may gain Bad Blood on a Suspect from Game Changer cards.
If a Detective places a Detective token on a Suspect where they have a Bad Blood marker, they must roll Skill dice equal to the Danger Level and suffer a Wound for each of their Skills matching those rolled unless they are protected by a Bulletproof Vest.

Use Items

There are 4 Items in the game.
Items may be gained by visiting the Rummy Detective Agency or by Game Changer cards. When you gain an Item from your Locker, place it on your Detective placard as Unready. At the start of your next turn, flip any Unready Items to their Ready side.
You may only have 1 of each type of Item.
You may use as many of your Ready Items as you want during Detective Work.
- BULLETPROOF VEST: When you use a Ready Bulletproof Vest, it will protect all of your Ready Skills from being flipped over whenever you would take a Wound. When you use the Bulletproof Vest to activate its protection, place it on your Detective placard in the space marked "Activated Bulletproof Vest" to show you have activated it. It will protect your Detective for one Round. Return it Unready to your Locker at the beginning of your next turn after activation.
- FINGERPRINT KIT: You may use a Ready Fingerprint Kit to play a Fingerprint Evidence card using only your Ready Base Skill. Ignore all other Skills on the Fingerprint card. Return it Unready to your Locker after use.
- MAGNIFYING GLASS: You may use a Ready Magnifying Glass to take 1 card of your choice from the discard pile. Return it Unready to your Locker after use.
- GUN: You may use a Ready Gun to add one Detective token to a Suspect of your choice who has a Skill matching one of your Ready Skills. Return it Unready to your Locker after use.

Continue Investigations

If unwanted cards in your hand match your Ready Skill tiles, you may discard them. On Circumstantial Evidence cards, you only need 1 of the 2 Skills depicted, but you will need ALL of the Skills depicted on a Fingerprint card.

Depleting Your Hand for an Extra Investigation (MUST BE DONE FIRST IF CHOSEN)

If you play or discard the last card in your hand, you may place a Detective token on a Suspect whose Skill matches one of your Ready Skill tiles.
Draw 2 Evidence cards for emptying your hand.
Your turn ends immediately. (Reminder: you'll be drawing 2 more cards as your End of Turn action - see End of Turn below.)

Take 5

If you choose to Take 5 instead of doing Detective Work, you will perform the following 3 steps in order:

You must Activate a Bulletproof Vest on your Detective. (Take it from your Locker if you do not already have one). It will protect you from all Wounds until you return it to your Locker at the start of your next turn.
Heal all Wounded Skills on your Detective.
Draw 2 Evidence cards (and another 2 cards as your End of Turn action - see End of Turn below).

End of Turn

Draw 2 Evidence cards.

Ending a Case

At the end of 6 Rounds, the Hand is over.

In Campaign Mode, the Case is closed. Read its Case Notes in the Conclusion section of the Casebook. Then perform Base Scoring (see Base Scoring).

In Case Mode, the Case remains open unless the agreed upon number of Hands have been played for the Case. If the Case is open, perform Base Scoring for the Hand, leave Bad Blood where it is and play another Hand. (Completely reset the Case except for the Bad Blood.) When you close the Case, read its Case Notes in the Conclusion section of the Casebook. Then perform Base Scoring (see Base Scoring).

Base Scoring

The Base Scoring is the same for each Hand whether in Campaign Mode or Case Mode. Any additional scoring will be explained in the Conclusion for that Case (see Casebook).

If you have the most Detective tokens on an eligible Suspect for that Case, you score 1 Fame for each Detective token. Ties are friendly (all tied Detectives score full value).
Each Detective also scores 1 additional Fame for every Detective token they have on a Suspect that is found Guilty. The Suspect with the most tokens is the one found Guilty (ties indicate multiple Guilty Suspects).
Each Detective scores Fame for each Assignment tile they have completed this Hand according to the Assignment.
Detectives score additional Fame as directed by certain Game Changer cards.

Total the Fame received from the Case and write it on the appropriate score sheet. In Campaign Mode, if there is Bad Blood, mark the box to indicate with whom you have Bad Blood. (In Case Mode, no need to mark off Bad Blood as it carries over into the next Hand.) In either mode, indicate if you were the Start Detective for that Case/Hand.

The printed rulebook shows an example Campaign Score pad with Case 1 through Case 7 rows, Fame and Subtotal rows, Bad Blood boxes (marked with an X in the Suspect box) and a Start Detective star (marked with an X).

Winning the Game

Campaign Mode Winner: The winner is the Detective with the most Fame after playing all 7 Cases. If there is a tie, give each of the tied players a tie-breaker point for each time they were the Start Detective in Cases 2-7. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the win.

Case Mode Winner: The winner is the Detective with the highest Fame total after 2 or 3 Hands (whichever amount was agreed upon to play for the Case). If there is a tie, if any of the tied players were the Start Detective in the second Hand, they win. Otherwise, the tied players share the win.

Editor's note: the printed rulebook contains minor typos ("acton", "Take if from your Locker", "depeicted", "Uready"). They are corrected in this transcription; no rule content has been changed.