Small Detectives Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Setup
• Overview
• Play
  • 1. Playing Cards
  • 2. Applying Card Effects
    • Card Effects
  • 3. Applying Tile Effects
  • 4. Preparing the Next Round
• End of the Game
• 2-Player Game

Contents

• 1 Center
• 1 Bar
• 1 Police
• 4 House/Culprit tiles
• 4 House/Weapon tiles
• 4 Clue/Culprit tokens
• 4 Clue/Weapon tokens
• 5 Detectives
• 5 Colored Magnifying Glasses
• 15 Action cards

Object of the Game

Each player is a detective working to solve the murder by finding out who the murderer is and which weapon was used. The winner is the first to report their findings to the police... provided that they are not mistaken!

Setup

1. Place the Center in the middle of the table. It represents the street and helps the players remember the various suspects and weapons.
2. Place the Bar and Police tiles on opposite sides of the board. Match them to the pedestrian crossings on the street.
3. Shuffle the House/Culprit tiles and set aside 1 tile chosen at random, face down (house side up). Repeat this process with the House/Weapon tiles. Place both of these tiles under the Police tile. These are the culprit and the murder weapon that the players will have to discover.
4. Shuffle all the remaining House tiles and place them house side up around the board.
5. Divide the Clue tokens (suspects and weapons) into 2 piles and place them next to the Bar tile.
6. Each player takes a Detective figure and the matching colored marker (the colored marker is a reminder of each player's color). They place their detective on the tiles according to the number of players, as shown in the picture (2, 3, 4 or 5 players).
7. Take the deck of Action cards, discarding some cards according to the number of players:
   • 5 players: play with the entire deck,
   • 4 players: discard the 5+ cards,
   • 3 players: discard the 4+ and 5+ cards,
   • 2 players: discard the 3+, 4+ and 5+ cards.
8. Shuffle the Action cards and deal 3 to each player, or 4 each in a 2-player game.

Note: see the 2-player game section below for the special 2-player rules.

Overview

The game is played over a series of rounds. During each round the players simultaneously play one of their Action cards and apply the effects in the order indicated on the cards. These cards let players look at the Clues hidden under the Houses, so as to gradually determine who the murderer is and which weapon was used. After each round the cards are passed to other players clockwise. The game continues like this until a player solves the case and wins the game.

Play

Each round consists of 4 phases:

1. Playing a card
2. Applying card effects
3. Applying tile effects (house, bar and police)
4. Preparing the next round

1. Playing Cards

Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. After choosing a card, move on to the next phase.

2. Applying Card Effects

If a player chose the Shadowing card, he or she announces it, reveals it and applies its effect. Then all players simultaneously reveal their cards and apply the effects in ascending order of the number on the card.

Card Effects

PRIORITY

Shadowing: Place your detective on the street, facing his tile, and designate another detective. If that detective is alone on a House tile at the end of the round, you can also look at his clue (see Tile Effects).

No. 001, 002, 003, 004 - Foot Patrol: As shown on the card, move your detective 1, 2 or 3 tiles clockwise.

No. 005 - "Dead End": Move your detective 1 tile counterclockwise.

No. 006 - Police Raid: Move directly to the opposite tile.

No. 007 - Informant: Move to the Bar tile.

No. 008 - Unexpected: Move your detective 1, 2 or 3 tiles clockwise.

No. 009 - On Wheels: Go directly to a tile of your choice.

No. 010 - Disguise: Swap places with an adjacent detective.

No. 011 - Small Move: Swap the House tile under your detective with an adjacent one.

No. 012 - Big Move: Swap the House tile under your detective with the opposite one.

Note: Only move the House tile during the move, not the Detective!

No. 013 - Neighbor Survey: Place your detective on the street, facing his tile. You may look at the clue under each adjacent house tile on which there is no detective.

No. 014 - Telephone Call: Swap 2 of the Action cards being played. As a result you can choose the card that you will receive next round.

The detectives of players who played Shadowing and Neighbor Survey are not on the tiles when the effect is applied. Therefore they do not prevent another detective from being "alone" on that tile.

3. Applying Tile Effects

After each player has applied their card effect, they may apply the effect of the tile on which their detective is standing.

Tiles are always resolved in the following order: Houses, Bar and Police.

Houses: Search for the weapon and question the suspects. Inspect the houses - that is where they are!

• If a player's Detective is alone on a House tile at the end of the round, he looks at it without showing it to the other players. Nothing happens if several detectives are on the same tile.

Bar: Everyone knows that this is where you will find the best information!

• When a detective is alone on the Bar tile at the end of the round, the player secretly chooses 1, 2 or 3 of the 4 Clue tokens matching the Bar symbol and asks another player whether he or she has seen them. Then the Bar tile is flipped to its other side.

Note: the questioned player answers "yes" or "no" for the whole set of tiles. He must answer "no" if he has not seen all of them!

Police: You know, they won't help you with anything. They are just waiting for your conclusions!

• When a Detective is on the Police tile at the end of the round, he is placed on the first free space, and the player may try to name the culprit. To do this, starting with the first player to arrive, the player secretly chooses 1 Suspect token and 1 Weapon token and compares them with the 2 tiles hidden under the Police tile, without revealing them to the other players.
• If the tiles do not match, he is mistaken and is therefore eliminated. The tiles are put back and the other players continue the game (his cards are eliminated along with the player).
• If the tiles match, he or she wins the game!

4. Preparing the Next Round

After each player has applied the effect of the tile on which his Detective is standing, he or she takes into hand the card previously played by the player on the right. Detectives on the street return to the tiles. A new round begins.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately when a player goes to the Police and names the correct murderer and murder weapon. If all players but one have failed at the Police, the remaining player wins the game.

2-Player Game

All the rules of the game apply, except for 2 points:

• During setup, each player receives 4 Action cards.
• In each round, each player chooses 2 of their Action cards and places them in front of them, side by side and face down. The card action and tile effect are applied to the 1st card, then to the 2nd. Then the players exchange the 2 cards before starting a new round.