New York City, the city that never sleeps. Things were supposed to be different in our modern 1930’s. Shining skyscrapers and subway cars to lead us into a grand future. Sure. So why was I in the same dingy office with a cheap desk and a cheaper secretary, paid to track cheating spouses? I had no more time for introspection. I grabbed my hat and gun. I slipped a flask into the pocket of my overcoat. I was ready to wade into the cesspool.
Wizkids’ upcoming release, Deadline, is a cooperative, hard-boiled murder mystery card game set in the noir style of 1938 New York City. It features clever card play full of twists, turns, and 12 engrossing ‘fairplay’ mysteries. Deadline is part of the compelling new wave of games that pull players into a different crime story with each play.
Each player chooses one of eight Detective characters, each with a unique ability. The game begins by reading a case introduction from the case book. A handful of lead cards are dealt to each player and the game begins.
Each round, an available clue card is chosen as the one players will attempt to get. Each clue card has a combination of 3-5 symbols — gun, cash, shot glass, etc. — which players must match by “chaining” their lead cards. Turns go quickly as players must either play a lead card, use their detective ability, or tap into a group resource called “Hot Tips” — tokens that give special actions.
During play, players are sometimes forced to drop out of the round, but the other players continue the attempt at getting the clue. An entire round can go by in a couple minutes. Some cards, called “Plot Twists”, have negative effects that make success more elusive. Each Plot Twist represents a challenge to the detectives — being tailed by some thug, questioned by the cops, hassled by newspaper reporters, or revealing some dark secret from their past.
As a team, players must manage their hand to get the clue’s symbols to the table. Conversing and interacting during play is not only encouraged, but essential to solving the case! If the players are successful, they get to read the clue and advance the mystery. If they fail, they lose one of their few bullets and eventually lose clues as well. The trick is that each play has to continue the investigation chain — it can’t break it. It’s a simple system that even new players can understand, yet rewards smart card play.
Once all the clues are obtained, it’s time to answer unique questions for the case. Players discuss their best solution, theories about how the crime was committed, who was lying, and who’s guilty. This part is where Deadline really shines, as players mull through the clues together. Did the cabbie’s alibi hold up? How could the murderer have exited through the window with no footprints in the snow?
The questions at the end of each case cover the culprit and motive, but there are also questions that are specific. Players might have to figure out why the bartender lied about the gun, or whether the lawyer was an accomplice, or why a pickpocket left the city. There are 3-4 critical questions and 2-3 bonus questions in each case.
Players collectively determine their best answers then read the solution to the case. There are answers and a wrap-up explaining the details of each mystery. If they played well and successfully answered all of the questions, players are declared Master Detectives!
Deadline celebrates story-driven noir mysteries, delivers clever cooperative card play, and wraps up in about an hour. It scales exceedingly well for 2-4 players and uniquely encourages working together to solve the most baffling crimes. At the end of the game, whether they figured it all out or muse at how they missed the critical (but now obvious) clues, players are sure to be anxious to play again in the hard-boiled tradition of the best mystery novels!
Designed by A. B. West and Dan Schnake, and featuring the illustrations of Glen Orbik and Tom Babbey, Deadline will be available in friendly local game stores in June.
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