Scotland Yard has a distinguished history in the board game industry, having won the 1983 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year). The family and players ten years of age and older can enjoy Scotland Yard the board game. In this game, players take on the role of the police and hunt down criminals.
Do you know how to play the Scotland Yard board game? Here, in this article, we will tell you the rule of Scotland Yard.
Components
- 1 game board
- 6 playing pieces
- 29 start cards
- 57 x taxi tickets
- 45 x bus tickets
- 23 x underground tickets
- 5 x black tickets
- 3 double-move tickets
- 5 ticket boards for the detectives
- 1 travel log with a paper insert for Mister X
- 1 visor for Mister X
- 2 rings for the Bobbies
Setup
First, decide who will play the role of Mister X. The other participants are all detectives. Before playing, place the tickets next to the game board.
Mister X Receives:
- 1 transparent playing piece
- The Mister X visor (conceals Mister X and keeps him from giving away any secrets)
- Travel log with paper insert
- 1 pencil (not included)
- Tickets: 5 x black tickets and 2 x double-move tickets
Note: All throughout the game, Mister X selects regular tickets from the general draw pile.
Each Detective Receives:
- 1 colored playing piece of his choice and the corresponding ticket board
- Tickets that he lays on his ticket board: 4 x underground tickets, 8 x bus tickets, 11 x taxi tickets
If fewer than 4 detectives are in the game, Bobbies in the form of additional playing pieces lend a helping hand:
- For 2 detectives: 2 Bobbies
- For 3 detectives: 1 Bobby
For games with 2 or 3 detectives, both detectives and Bobbies are in play!
One of the remaining playing pieces stands in for each Bobby. Each playing piece that represents Bobby should have a cardboard ring around it. As a reminder that they are Bobbies, the ring remains on each of their respective playing pieces the entire time.
For all modes of transportation, they pay nothing but the ring. To perform their moves, Bobbies don’t need tickets! Throughout the game, Bobbies are moved collectively by all detectives. Together, the detectives choose the new location for the Bobbies.
Movement
A player will use one of their tickets to use a mode of transportation during their turn. The colors on their current location’s number indicate whether or not a particular mode of transportation is offered where they are right now. Mr., the detective actor, and X are capable of three types of movement.
- Taxi: When taking a taxi, the player can travel along one of the yellow lines to a nearby location from their current location.
- Bus: The bus enables a player to travel to a different location that is connected to their current location by a green line.
- Underground: The player can travel to a nearby location that is connected to their current location by a red dotted line when using the underground.
When moving a couple of rules must be followed:
- You are limited to moving to the next stop on your chosen mode of transportation. A stop cannot be skipped in order to proceed to the next location on a route.
- You are not allowed to opt to stay where you are instead of moving. Each turn requires that you move.
- When another detective pawn occupies space, the detective pawn cannot stop there. The game is over the moment Mr. X enters a space where a detective pawn is placed.
Play then moves clockwise to the following player after a player has moved.
Mr. X’s Turn
The player controlling Mr. X will scan the board during their turn to decide where to move him. To stay clear of the detective pawns is the objective of Mr. X. Unlike the detectives, who move their pawns around the gameboard to indicate where they are at any given moment, Mr. X player will jot down the number for their new location.
Then they will cover the number with the ticket for the mode of transportation they took. To demonstrate to the detectives what kind of vehicle Mr. X used.
On occasion, Mr. X will have to surface to the detectives to tell them where he is. Following the third, eighth, thirteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-fourth moves made by Mr.
To show where they are right now on the gameboard, X must place a pawn there. Mr. took the wheel next. Since the pawn is now in a different space, player X may remove it from the playing field.
Mr. X is equipped with a few unique moves that can help him get away from the detectives.
Two double-move tokens will be given to the Mr. X player. A player who has a double move token can move twice before the other players can move by using two transportation tickets.
The player has the option to use two different modes of transportation or the same mode of transportation twice. These two moves are recorded by the player exactly like any other move.
A player must make sure to reveal their location after the appropriate move if they have to surface after one of their moves. A player uses a double move token and makes both moves before throwing it away.
The game starts off with Mr. X receiving five black tickets as well. These tickets can be used for any type of transportation, but they conceal the mode of transportation from the detectives.
Additionally, black tickets can be used to travel between any two cities that are linked by a black line across a river.
Detective’s Turn
The detectives and Bobbies take turns after Mister X has finished his turn in any sequence.
The detectives should cooperate to plan their actions and the actions of the Bobbies because they all have the same objective. The detectives all place their used tickets in the general draw pile and then use the chosen mode of transportation to move their playing pieces to the desired station.
General Rules to Keep in Mind:
- There are only so many tickets available for detectives. A detective cannot use a particular mode of transportation if he has run out of tickets for it.
- Detective must sit out if they run out of tickets or if they can’t leave their current station with the tickets they still have.
- It is forbidden for detectives to exchange tickets with one another.
- Detectives’ tickets are always laid face up so that Mister X can see what modes of transportation they are using.
Mister X’s Special Moves
Mister X Surfaces
Every third, eighth, thirteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-fourth move that Mister X makes requires him to reveal himself. On the travel log, larger fields and circled numbers represent the times he must surface.
The travel log is filled out as usual by Mister X, who marks his station and then covers it up with his ticket. Then he positions his playing piece over his current position.
To finally catch Mister X or contain him, the detectives have the opportunity they have been waiting for. There is no time to waste, though! Mister X will remove his playing piece from the board and vanish once more on his subsequent turn!
Double Move
If Mister X plays a double-move ticket, he can move to two stations on a single turn and with any valid combination of two modes of transportation. He fills out two fields in his travel journal with the locations of both stations and places the two used tickets on top of the fields.
After that, the double-move ticket is eliminated from play. If the first station is one where Mister X needs to surface, he briefly appears there before making his second move vanish once more.
Mister X cannot move to a station that is already occupied by a detective on either his first or second move because a double move is equivalent to two consecutive normal moves. Only once per round may Mister X use a double-move ticket.
Black Tickets
Instead of a regular ticket, Mister X is permitted to use a black ticket that gives him the freedom to use any form of transportation.
Mister X (and only Mister X) is the only person with a black ticket who is permitted to use a ferry to move from, say, 157 to 115. The only ticket that can be used on this route (the black line) is black.
The detectives are unable to determine which mode of transportation Mister X has used when he uses a black ticket. Black tickets can be used in conjunction with a double-move ticket. They are as usual recorded in the travel log.
End Of Game
One of two outcomes is possible for the game.
If one of the investigators enters the area where Mr. X is currently residing in or Mr. The game is over the moment X enters a detective’s area of the board. The Mr. X player positions their pawn on the playing field to indicate where they are. Mr. wins the game, and all of the detectives do. X player loses.
After 24 rounds, if all the detectives are out of tickets or have none left that they can use to leave where they are, Mr. Since none of the detectives can get closer to X, X wins.
Final Thoughts
Because luck plays a very small role in the game, Scotland Yard succeeds because it is both approachable and highly strategic. The team that executes its moves the best will probably win.
The entire family will enjoy playing this game. While its kid-friendly design encourages kids to start playing board games, the tactics, and strategies needed to play make it an exciting experience.
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