Baantjer Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• The Winner
• Contents
• Introduction
• Setup: The Preparation – A Good Start
• The Game
  • When It Is Your Turn
  • With What Weapon Was the Murder Committed?
  • Finding the Murder Weapon
  • Listening to the Experts' Clues
  • Gathering Extra Information From the Other Detectives
  • And Finally: Arrest the Killer!
• Tip
• Safety Note

Goal of the Game

Collect the evidence from 3 murder files and thereby solve the murders.

The Winner

The player who solves 3 murders first wins the game.

The player who first closes his or her three murder files wins the game and is proclaimed the only true De Cock… with ceeooceekaa!

Contents

• 1 game board with the floor plan of Amsterdam Centre
• 4 police cars (pawns)
• 1 die
• 12 plastic location tokens, printed with 4 different types of murder weapon (plus 2 blank spare tokens)
• 48 green clue cards, divided into:
  • 12 cards from Doctor Den Koninghe with clues about the murder weapon
  • 12 cards from Brigadier Jochems with clues about the murderer
  • 12 cards with clues from Smalle Lowietje: that man is worth gold!
  • 12 cards with clues from Commissaris Buitendam: a difficult man!
• 12 blue file cards
• 32 red murder weapon cards (each showing half of a murder weapon)
• 12 yellow culprit cards

Introduction

Detective De Cock (with ceeooceekaa!) and his team must solve 12 murders in this murder game. The murders were committed at 12 different locations in Amsterdam by 12 merciless killers. Commissaris Buitendam, however, has lost the files, and all the information from the 12 files lies scattered across Amsterdam.

Each player, as a detective, has the task of gathering the evidence of three of the twelve committed murders, collecting additional material, and working out who the killer is. (De Cock himself would gladly have a cognac for that!)

To solve a murder, during your investigation in the city you must collect the following items:

1. The location token. This token lies at the scene of the crime and gives you a clue about the murder weapon.
2. The murder weapon. That is, collect two matching murder weapon cards that together show the two halves of the required murder weapon.
3. A clue card from Doctor Den Koninghe with a clue that fits the relevant murder weapon.
4. A clue card from Brigadier Jochems with a clue about the murderer.

Once you have collected these four pieces of evidence, you have solved the murder and know who the murderer is. Take the matching culprit card showing the murderer. You can now close the file. (De Cock himself would gladly have a cognac for that!) The player who first solves 3 murders and thereby closes three files wins the game.

Setup: The Preparation – A Good Start

1. Open the game board on the table. Mix the location tokens together with the weapon symbols facing down. Place one token, unseen, next to each of the numbered murder locations on the board, with the printed side facing down.
2. Sort the cards by type. Shuffle the green clue cards and place them next to the game board with the text side facing down. Shuffle the red murder weapon cards and place them next to the game board with the picture side facing down. Lay the yellow culprit cards next to each other, face up, on the table.
3. Shuffle the blue file cards and deal them out. Each player (detective) receives 3.
4. Place your file cards face up in front of you on the table. During the game you place the evidence you collect for your file underneath them.
5. Your file cards show the murders that you, as De Cock, must solve. The numbers on your file cards correspond to the numbered murder locations on the board.
6. Divide the cars among the players and place them on the parking place at the IJ.

The youngest player may begin. Play continues clockwise.

The Game

In brief: on your turn, roll the die once and move your car forward the rolled number of squares. Then, depending on where you end up, carry out what follows. When you have finished, your turn is over. Everything is described in more detail below.

When It Is Your Turn

On your first turn, move your car from the parking place to Bureau Warmoesstraat (the start). Then roll the die and move your car forward across the board the number of squares rolled. You may choose which streets you drive along, but it is logical to head straight for the locations where the murders you must solve were committed (see the location numbers on your file cards).

Observe the following (traffic) rules when moving:

• Two cars cannot stand on one square. As a policeman you of course understand that double parking is forbidden. If a square is occupied by another police car, place your car on the next empty square.
• When you come to a crossroads, you may change direction, but you may not immediately turn back. This does not apply at a roundabout: at a roundabout you may choose which road to take, which may also be the road you came in on. If you end your move on a roundabout, move on one more square of your choice (you simply may not stop on a roundabout).

With What Weapon Was the Murder Committed?

When you arrive at one of the murder locations, pick up the location token of that murder. On the token is a symbol showing the kind of weapon used. There are four possibilities: firearm, stabbing weapon, poison, or blunt weapon. Place the token with your file card, as part of your evidence. Now make sure you investigate the crime further and that you are first to have your files complete. Then your turn is over and the next player is up.

Finding the Murder Weapon

If you end your move on a red square, you may take a red murder weapon card. Each murder weapon card shows half of a murder weapon. Try to collect both halves of the weapon(s) you need for your murder(s), and keep them together with the file they belong to. The symbol on your location token only shows which type of weapon was used; you must find the two matching halves of a weapon that match that symbol. Put back at the bottom of the red stack any murder weapon cards you cannot use. Then your turn is over and the next player is up.

Note: you may not have more than 2 murder weapon cards lying in front of you per murder.

Listening to the Experts' Clues

If you end your move on a green square, you may take a green clue card. There are four kinds of clue:

• from Doctor Den Koninghe,
• from the watch commander Brigadier Jochems,
• from the pub owner Smalle Lowietje, and
• from Commissaris Buitendam.

A clue from Doctor Den Koninghe gives information about the weapon with which a murder was committed. A clue from Brigadier Jochems gives information about the murderer. You may be able to use this card for one of your files. Keep clue cards from the doctor and the brigadier that help you solve murders in front of you. Put back at the bottom of the green stack any cards you cannot use.

Note: you may have at most 1 clue card from Den Koninghe and 1 from Jochems in front of you per murder.

Act on a clue from Smalle Lowietje or Commissaris Buitendam, and then put the card back at the bottom of the stack. The well-known pub owner, who knows everything about Amsterdam and its surroundings, always takes your investigation a little further in one way or another. But De Cock always has problems with the commissaris. His clues therefore mostly do not have such a positive effect on your investigation!

Gathering Extra Information From the Other Detectives

If you later in the game end precisely on one of your murder locations again, you may take a clue card.

When an opponent ends on one of your murder locations, you must react immediately, because you may now take any card from him or her that fits one of your murders. If you do not notice this and the next player's turn has already begun, you have been unlucky: you may take no card. Of course that does not happen to a sharp detective!

And Finally: Arrest the Killer!

When, for a murder file, you have the location token, a complete murder weapon, and a matching clue from the doctor and from the brigadier, you know who committed the murder. As soon as you have collected all the required information, take the matching culprit card to complete the file. The murder is solved, and you close the file by placing the stack of corresponding cards and the location token face down on the table. Once a file is closed, no cards can be taken from it by other players.

After you have closed a file, return your car to the parking place. De Cock must type up his report at Bureau Warmoesstraat, and afterwards he wants to go over the murder again at home over a cognac and some tasty snacks. All this naturally takes time, which means you must skip one turn. Your next turn starts again from Bureau Warmoesstraat, to collect the remaining evidence for your other files.

Tip

For a quick variant of the game, you may choose to solve only 2 murders per player.

Safety Note

Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small parts. Keep the address for future reference.