Watson & Holmes: The Lost Diaries

Watson & Holmes: The Lost Diaries Rulebook

Table of Contents

Introduction

Watson & Holmes is a deduction game for 2 to 7 players in which each participant assumes the role of Dr Watson and accompanies Sherlock Holmes in the investigation of a series of unpublished mysteries. To solve them, players must visit different locations where they will gather clues taken from the doctor's diaries and attempt to piece them together logically before their rivals. Only the player who uncovers the truth most quickly will earn the trust of the genius of Baker Street.

This new volume includes ten new cases recounting in full detail some of the most extraordinary adventures experienced by Watson alongside his inseparable friend and detective. As in the first volume, players will immerse themselves in Victorian England to put their deductive skills to the test.

In addition to the classic mode, in which each player competes to be the first to solve the mystery, this volume introduces new game modes, detailed below:

Cooperative Mode, which may also be played solo, in which all players work together to solve the case in time.
Team Mode, in which groups compete against one another.

Overview

The game unfolds through a series of independent cases, each filled with mysteries and questions that every player will attempt to resolve before their opponents.

After reading aloud the Case Introduction and its questions, players begin the investigation by travelling to different Locations where valuable Clues are hidden. However, each Location may only be visited by one player per round. If several players attempt to travel to the same destination, the player who uses the most Carriage Tokens prevails; the others must choose another Location.

Once at their destination, each player secretly reads the Clue obtained and may discreetly take notes before returning the Location Card to its place, so that it may be consulted in later rounds.

This process continues round after round until a player believes they have solved the Case. To verify their solution, they must travel to 221B Baker Street and check their answers there. If all answers are correct, that player is declared the winner; otherwise, they are eliminated from the game.

Players will not be alone in their investigation: they may rely on the assistance of Sherlock Holmes' trusted allies, the detective himself and, of course, the ever-reliable Dr Watson.

Warning! Do not read any Clues on the Location Cards or the contents of any Booklet, as this will ruin the experience. Read this Rulebook before examining the game components.

Components

Case Booklets (x10)

Each Case has its own Booklet, containing all the information needed to play it: the introduction, the questions players must answer to win the game and, of course, the solution revealed by Sherlock Holmes. It also includes, when necessary, the Special Rules that apply exclusively to that Case. The structure of the Booklet is always the same.

1st page: Case number, Case illustration, Level of difficulty, Card layout, QR code.
2nd and 3rd pages: Case solution.
Last page: Case introduction, Case questions, Special rules.

Location Cards (x210)

Location Cards represent the different places involved in each Case. The back shows the name and number of the corresponding Location, and the front shows the clue that players may discover when visiting it. In some Cases, the name of the Card refers directly to a character or an object being examined, without mentioning the physical place where it is found. Nevertheless, these Cards are still considered Location Cards for all purposes.

Back: Case number, Card number, Restrictions, Name, Bonus.
Front: Bonus, Location clue.

Organisation of the Location Cards. When opening the game, separate the Location Cards by Case and store them in the envelopes corresponding to each Case number. Be very careful not to read the clues on any of the Cards!

Player Pawns (x7)

These represent the players themselves. They are used to indicate the Locations players intend to visit during the Visiting Phase, as well as the Locations where they are during the Investigation Phase.

Magnifying Glass Tokens (x7)

These are used to remember each player's colour and, in Cases where Locations are divided into areas, to indicate which area they are in.

Carriage Tokens (5x5, 52x1)

These represent, in an abstract way, the speed at which players travel between Locations. They are mainly used to bid for Location Cards when several players wish to visit the same place, and also to use the abilities of certain Character Cards.

Normally, each player begins the game with 10 Carriage Tokens. During the game, it is possible to obtain more Tokens at the Carriage Stop or at Locations marked with the Carriage icon.

Police Tokens (x6)

These indicate that a Location is Under Surveillance by Scotland Yard. Normally, each player begins the game with 1 Police Token. During the game, it is possible to obtain more Tokens at Scotland Yard or at Locations marked with the Police icon, but no player may ever have more than 1 Police Token at any time.

Call Off Tokens (x6)

These represent an order from Scotland Yard to remove Surveillance from a Location, removing the Police Token and leaving it free for all players. During the game, it is possible to obtain more Tokens at Scotland Yard or at Locations marked with the Call Off icon, but no player may ever have more than 1 Call Off Token at any time.

Lockpick Tokens (x2)

These allow access to a Location Under Surveillance or marked with the Lock icon. The Lockpick does not remove Surveillance. The Police officer remains in place, but the player using the Lockpick may infiltrate the Location without being seen. During the game, it is possible to obtain more Tokens at Locations marked with the Lockpick icon, but no player may ever have more than 1 Lockpick Token at any time.

Wiggins Token (x1)

This is exclusively associated with the Wiggins Character Card.

Start Player Token (x1)

This indicates who will be the Start Player each round.

Carriage Stop Card (x1)

Several players may visit this Location at the same time. Unlike other Locations, there are no clues to investigate here. Instead, it allows the player to recover 3 Carriage Tokens.

Watson and Holmes Cards (x2)

These are available during the game so that players may request help from the protagonists. However, Holmes is only activated after the first failed attempt to solve the Case.

Back: name of the card.
Front: Watson and Holmes cards artwork.

Character Cards (x8)

These represent Sherlock Holmes's most important allies and grant their owners special abilities that may be used during the game. Front of each card shows a Description and an Ability.

Cooperative Mode Cards (x10)

The Character Cards, as well as the Watson and Holmes Cards in this mode, replace those used in Competitive Mode. See Game Modes below.

Important: Game components are limited. If the supply of a type of Token runs out, no player may obtain more of that type until some are returned to the supply.

Setup

Choose one of the Cases and take its Booklet, taking care not to open it. The Cases are arranged by difficulty from 1 to 3 pipes. To become familiar with the game, it is advisable to start with Case 1 and continue in order until you reach the more complex ones. Read any Special Rules that may affect setup, as they may modify the steps described below.
Take the Location Cards corresponding to the Case, taking care not to read their Clues, and place them in the centre of the table following the layout shown in the Booklet, with the name of each card visible. Place the Watson card face up, the Holmes card face down, and the Carriage Stop card beside them.
The player with the best acting skills receives the Start Player Token.
Each player chooses a pawn and takes the Magnifying Glass Token of their colour.
Each player receives 10 Carriage Tokens, 1 Police Token, a sheet of paper and a pencil. The paper and pencil are not included in the game. Form a supply with the remaining Tokens, including Call Off Tokens, Lockpick Tokens and the Wiggins Token. In games with more than 5 players, the sixth and seventh players counting clockwise from the Start Player do not receive a Police Token. Instead, each receives 1 Call Off Token.
Shuffle the Character Cards and deal one face down to each player. Read your card secretly and place it face down in front of you again. In games with fewer than 4 players, remove Wiggins from the game before shuffling the Character Cards.
Finally, the Start Player reads aloud the Case introduction, the questions, and any Special Rules. The Booklet remains available to consult the introduction and the questions during the game, but take care not to open it, as the Solution is inside. Alternatively, the Start Player may use the QR code in the Booklet, which narrates both the introduction and the questions.

Playing the Game

Watson & Holmes is played over an undetermined number of rounds. Each round consists of 2 phases: the Visiting Phase followed by the Investigation Phase.

1. Visiting Phase

Starting with the Start Player and proceeding clockwise, each player must choose a Location to visit on their turn. When you choose a Location, one of two situations may occur:

The Location is free (with no pawn on it). You must decide whether to travel there on foot or by carriage. If you go on foot, place your pawn on the card. You may not travel on foot to Locations marked with the No Walking icon. Those must be visited by carriage. If you travel by carriage, place your pawn and one or more Carriage Tokens on the card.
The Location is occupied (with a pawn on it). You may only travel there by carriage and must exceed the number of Carriage Tokens placed by the previous player. Place your pawn and the Carriage Tokens you use on the card. The displaced player retrieves their pawn and all Carriage Tokens except one, which is returned to the supply. That player must wait until their turn comes again to attempt to visit another Location or the same one.

After placing your pawn, the turn passes clockwise to the next player who still has their pawn available. The Visiting Phase ends when all players have successfully placed their pawns. The last player to place their pawn, provided it was not on 221B Baker Street, receives the Start Player Token and the Investigation Phase begins.

Location Under Surveillance. If the Location you wish to visit has a Police Token on it, you must spend a Call Off Token to place your pawn there. Remove the Police Token and return both the removed Police Token and the spent Call Off Token to the supply. Then place your pawn on the card.

If you do not have a Call Off Token or prefer not to use it, you may not visit a Location that is Under Surveillance unless you have a Lockpick Token. In that case, place your pawn on the Location Under Surveillance. The Police Token remains on the card and you keep your Lockpick Token for now. You will use it during the Investigation Phase to access the Location.

Example. On his turn, Ivan decides to visit the Meeting Room, which is Under Surveillance. He uses a Call Off Token to remove the Police Token and then places his pawn on the card along with 1 Carriage Token (he chose to travel by carriage). On his turn, Marco also decides to visit the Meeting Room. He places his pawn with 2 Carriage Tokens, exceeding Ivan. Ivan retrieves his pawn and returns one Carriage Token to the supply. When his turn comes again, Ivan returns to the Meeting Room and places his pawn with 3 Carriage Tokens, exceeding Marco. Marco retrieves his pawn and one Carriage Token, returning the other to the supply. On his next turn, Marco chooses not to return to the Meeting Room and instead visits the Caretaker's Office on foot without using Carriage Tokens.

Carriage Stop. If you visit the Carriage Stop, simply place your pawn on the card. Multiple players may visit it at the same time.

221B Baker Street. This card represents the residence of Watson and Holmes and contains the Solution to the Case questions. Only visit this Location when you wish to attempt to solve the Case. If you do so, place your pawn on the card and announce how many Carriage Tokens you have remaining. Multiple players may visit 221B Baker Street at the same time. The number of Carriage Tokens each player has determines the order in which they attempt to solve the Case during the Investigation Phase.

Watson. During your turn in the Visiting Phase, instead of choosing a Location Card, you may request help from Watson, provided his card is still available. Once a player takes it, it is no longer available that round. To do so, return 4 Carriage Tokens to the supply and take the Watson card. While you have it, no other player may use Watson during that round. You may use Watson's ability at the beginning of the Investigation Phase.

2. Investigation Phase

At the beginning of this phase, you may use Dr Watson's ability (see below) if you have taken his card. Whether you decide to use it or not, you must return the card to its place immediately afterwards. It will be available again in the next round.

Each player then takes the card where their pawn is located in order to read its Clue. The Carriage Stop and 221B Baker Street are resolved differently, as explained below.

When you take the card, leave your pawn where it is and return any Carriage Tokens you placed to the supply. If the Location is Under Surveillance and you use a Lockpick Token to access it, return the Lockpick Token to the supply and leave the Police Token where it is.

Read your card secretly and write down whatever you consider necessary on your sheet, always discreetly. Once you have finished taking notes, return the card to its place, replace the Police Token if you used a Lockpick Token, and retrieve your pawn. At that moment, you may place a Police Token on the card you just read to make it more difficult for other players to access in future rounds. You may not place a Police Token on:

A Location that is already Under Surveillance.
Locations marked with the No Police icon.

The Investigation Phase ends after all players have retrieved their pawns and, if they wish, placed a Police Token.

Closed Location. A Location marked with a Lock icon is considered Closed. To read its Clue, you need a Lockpick Token. If you have one, return it to the supply to open the lock and read the card. If you do not have a Lockpick Token, you may not read the Clue.

Carriage Stop. There are no Clues to investigate at this Location. Simply take 3 Carriage Tokens from the supply and then retrieve your pawn.

221B Baker Street. You must attempt to solve the Case. Write your answers to the questions from the Booklet on your sheet. Once you have done so, take the card, read it secretly, and check whether your answers are correct.

If all your answers are correct, you win the game and are proclaimed a worthy companion of Sherlock Holmes (see End of Game).
If you have made any mistake, you are eliminated from the game. Return the card to its place, retrieve your pawn, return all your Tokens to the supply, and inform the other players that you have failed in your attempt. State aloud how many questions you answered correctly, but not which ones, and do not reveal any further details. From that moment on, you may only participate as the voice of Sherlock Holmes (see below).

If several players visit 221B Baker Street at the same time, the number of Carriage Tokens each possesses determines the order in which they attempt to solve the Case. The player with the most Carriage Tokens goes first. The others must wait for that player to fail before attempting their own solution, always respecting the order determined by the number of Carriage Tokens. If several players are tied, they attempt to solve the Case simultaneously, so it is possible to have more than one winner.

When a Case asks for the identity of a character, only a full name answer will be considered valid, for example John Smith. Answers such as "The gardener" or "Martha's husband" will not be accepted.

Watson and Holmes Cards. These represent the heroes of Baker Street. If you use them, each allows you to perform an additional action.

Dr Watson. At the beginning of the Investigation Phase, you may use Watson's ability if you have his card. You may choose a player to read aloud the Clue from the Location where their pawn is placed. This ability cannot be used on Locations marked with the No Watson icon.
Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's ability is only activated after the first failed attempt to solve the Case. At that moment, turn his card face up to indicate that it is active. From then on, once per round, you may return 3 Carriage Tokens to the supply at any time to:
- Consult. Secretly read the written answers of an eliminated player and return the sheet afterwards. You know how many questions they answered correctly because they stated the number aloud, but not which ones.
  
  OR
- Verify. Write your answer to one of the Case questions on your sheet, clearly indicating the question number, and show it to an eliminated player, who knows the Solution. They may answer only yes or no. Each player may perform this action only once per game.

If several players are at 221B Baker Street and one decides to use Holmes's ability, the others must wait until that player finishes before attempting to solve the Case. Since Carriage Tokens were spent to use Holmes, the order of resolution may change.

End of Round

If no player has solved the Case and not all players have been eliminated, the game continues. The Start Player begins the Visiting Phase of the new round.

End of Game

The game ends when a player visits 221B Baker Street and answers all the Case questions correctly. That player is declared the winner, shows their answers to the others, and reads aloud the Solution provided by Sherlock Holmes inside the Booklet. It is possible to have more than one winner if several players tied in Carriage Tokens solve the Case simultaneously.

However, the other players may wish to continue playing to solve the Case themselves. In that case, the winner simply announces that they answered all questions correctly without revealing their answers until the game is officially concluded and the final Solution is read.

If a player is left alone because all others have been eliminated, they may continue playing for as many rounds as they have Carriage Tokens remaining, up to a maximum of 4 rounds. If they solve the Case within that time, they are declared the winner. Otherwise, the game ends with no winner.

Character Cards

Keep your Character Card hidden until you decide to reveal it during one of your turns, following the reveal condition printed on the card. When you do, you must immediately decide:

To use the card for its ability. If so, place it upright in front of you and apply its effect.

OR
To use the card to gain 3 Carriage Tokens. If so, take 3 Carriage Tokens from the supply and rotate the card 90 degrees to indicate that you have renounced the character's ability.

Clarifications about Wiggins. If a player uses Wiggins to copy Irene Adler in the same round that another player reveals her, both players may take notes during that round. If the same situation occurs when copying Martha Hudson, both players attempt to solve the Case simultaneously and are treated as tied for first.

If Wiggins and the copied character wish to act at the same time and order matters, the original character has priority.

Wiggins cannot copy characters whose card is marked with the No Wiggins icon.

Recommendations

Begin by visiting the most obvious Locations, such as the Crime Scene or any Location mentioned in the Case introduction. This is often very useful, as it helps you make sense of later Clues and follow a logical path in your investigation.

When taking notes, avoid writing excessive detail. It is usually more effective to record concise information you consider important and devote the remaining time to analysing Clues, thinking, and deducing.

When answering the Case questions, respond specifically to what is being asked and include enough detail to clearly demonstrate that you know the answers. This helps avoid disputes over whether an answer is correct.

A QR code in the rulebook links to a video tutorial for players who prefer to learn how to play that way.

Icons

Back of Location Card — Bonuses (shown on the back to indicate what you may obtain when you read the front of the card):

Take 1 Police Token or 1 Call Off Token from the Supply.
Take 1 Lockpick Token from the Supply.
Take 3 Carriage Tokens from the Supply.
Draw 2 Character Cards, keep one, and return the other to the bottom of the deck.

Back of Location Card — Restrictions:

You must use a Lockpick Token to read this Location's Clue during the Investigation Phase.
You may not travel on foot to visit this Location. You must travel by carriage.
Watson's ability may not be applied to this Location.
Police Tokens may not be placed on this Location.

Front of Character Cards:

Wiggins cannot copy this character's ability.

Game Modes

Any of the Game Modes described below allow you to play both the Cases from this game and from the previous one.

Cooperative and Solo Game Mode

All players form a single team with a common objective: solve the Case. Share your theories and deductions, and agree together on the next step. Dialogue will be your best tool. The rules detailed below also apply if you play solo.

Setup. Set up the game in the usual way, with the following exceptions:

The Start Player Token and the Wiggins Token are not used, although his Character Card will be available regardless of the number of players.
The team uses a single Player Pawn and its corresponding Magnifying Glass Token. In addition, the team receives 1 Police Token or 1 Call Off Token (if the Case allows it) and a number of Carriage Tokens equal to the highest number printed on a Location Card minus 3 (it does not matter whether that Card is deployed during the Case Setup or not; 221B does not count for this purpose). Form a reserve with the remaining Tokens, including Lockpick Tokens and Magnifying Glass Tokens.
You must replace the Character Cards, as well as the Watson and Holmes Cards from the Competitive Mode, with those from the Cooperative Mode.
After reading the introduction, place 2 Police Tokens (if the Case allows it), each in Locations of your choice that do not prohibit them, except in Cases 6 and 8.

Playing the game. Apply the usual rules, except for the differences explained below.

General considerations:

No notes may be taken, except to write the answers to the Case. You must collectively memorise the information you consider relevant. However, if you play solo, ignore this restriction (you may take notes, if the Case allows it).
The Token limit applies to the group: you may not have more than 1 Call Off Token and 1 Lockpick Token at any time, although you may accumulate several Police Tokens. These Tokens are not used during the game, but those you obtain will improve your final score (see below).

Visiting Phase:

You may only visit one Location per round, as you have a single Pawn, and you must always travel by Carriage, even between Locations in the same group of Cards: spend 1 Carriage Token if the Location allows travel on foot to it, or spend 2 Carriage Tokens if the Location forbids travel on foot to it.
Important: When you visit 221B or another Location where you must solve the Case, you may do so for 1 fewer Carriage Token. Place the Carriage Tokens used on the visited Card; they remain there as a reminder that it has already been visited.
Important: If you wish to visit a Location more than once, you must pay its cost in Carriage Tokens again for each visit.
If you visit a Location Under Surveillance using a Lockpick Token or Call Off Token, remove the Police Token from the game, except if it is the last Police Token: in that case it is not removed and you must move it to an unvisited Location of your choice, respecting the usual restrictions (an unvisited Location is one that does not contain Carriage Tokens or Magnifying Glass Tokens; see Toby's ability). If it is not possible to move it, remove it from the game.
Locations that provide a Carriage bonus (including the Carriage Stop) only grant it the first time they are visited.

Investigation Phase:

Read the Clue from the Location as a group. You may reread it and discuss it as much as you wish. Once you finish, return the Card face down to its place. If you wish to read it again later, you must spend another turn (and the corresponding Carriage Tokens) to visit it again.
The abilities of Watson and Holmes are modified. You may use one of the two during the Investigation Phase. Watson's ability cannot be applied to Locations marked with the No Watson icon.

End of Game:

If you answer all the questions correctly, add together the Carriage Tokens you have remaining and those that remain unclaimed on Locations where they are granted and that you have not visited. Also add the Police Tokens obtained. The total determines your final score according to the following scale:

Score	Outcome
0	Just in time, justice has prevailed.
1	Elementary.
2	The Baker Street Irregulars could learn from you.
3	Scotland Yard, as always, has arrived late.
4	You are in the news: "Extra, extra, read all about it: mystery solved!"
5	You have an appointment at the Diogenes Club, Mycroft Holmes wishes to receive you.
6	Great Scott! Watson and Holmes are proud, they would not have done it better.
7+	Fascinating! Conan Doyle himself wants to publish your adventures.

Character Cards. The Cards in this Game Mode replace those of the Competitive Mode. When you obtain a Character Card, place on it the number of Magnifying Glass Tokens indicated. Each time you use their ability, remove one Token from the game. When you run out of the Character's Magnifying Glass Tokens, remove their Card from the game. Only one Character may be used per game, as usual.

Team Game Mode

Divide into teams as evenly as possible (it is not necessary for all teams to have the same number of players).

During Setup, each team (not each player) receives its own Pawn, Magnifying Glass Token, Character Card and corresponding Tokens. Apply the normal rules of the Competitive Mode, with the following exception: no notes may be taken, except to write the answers to the Case. Each team must memorise the relevant information. However, if any team has fewer than 3 players, this restriction is ignored and all teams may take notes, if the Case allows it.

When discussing decisions or reading Clues, each team must do so discreetly to prevent others from hearing their conclusions.