“It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognise, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which are vital.”
The idea
Each player is a detective. A case is picked — a murder, a theft, a missing person — and you investigate by visiting locations around Victorian London, gathering clues, and returning to 221B Baker Street to announce your solution.
This site is the Clue Booklet. Instead of one person reading clues aloud while everyone writes them down, each player opens the case on their phone and taps the locations they’ve reached.
Getting started
- All players start at 221B Baker Street.
- Each player begins with 1 Skeleton Key and 1 Scotland Yard card.
- Pick a case together. One player opens the site, reads the adventure out, then everyone opens the same case on their own device.
A turn
- Roll one die. Move that many squares in any direction (no diagonals).
- When you enter a location, tap it on the site — the clue for that location appears and gets logged in your notes.
- You may stay on a location for up to 30 seconds to study the clue, then play continues.
Types of clues
Most clues are general statements — a fact to factor into your deduction. Some are multi-part clues (killer, motive, weapon, hiding place) split across several locations. Gather all parts to assemble the answer.
The deductive clue set on this site has been rewritten from the original game so that every clue is something Holmes would deduce from, rather than a word puzzle.
Special locations
- Scotland Yard
- Seals a location with a Scotland Yard card so other detectives can’t enter. End your turn here to collect another card.
- Locksmith
- Unseal a location with a Skeleton Key. End your turn here to collect another key.
- Carriage Depot
- Hail a cab — on your next turn, move to any location on the board without rolling.
Winning
When you think you’ve solved it, roll your die, return to 221B Baker Street, and announce your solution out loud: killer, weapon, motive. Only the first player to announce a fully correct solution wins; a wrong answer means you’re out of the game (the others play on).
Reveal the solution on the case page to check. If nobody gets it right, justice fails that night — Holmes is disappointed.
What this site doesn’t replace
- The board, dice, and playing pieces — physical movement still drives the game.
- Scotland Yard and Skeleton Key cards — these are best tracked in hand at the table.