Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Carlton House & Queen's Park
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Carlton House & Queen's Park Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
You take on the role of members of the unofficial gang of the "Baker Street Irregulars", founded by the famous Sherlock Holmes to keep him informed about the word on the street and help him in mysterious cases. This set contains ten mysterious cases which will be up to you to solve.
For each case, you'll have a series of leads to follow, a map of London, a directory, and the local press.
You also have a list of informants which contains some very qualified people who will assist you in your research (medical examiner, criminologist, sources…).
Armed with all these elements and with your imagination, you'll walk the streets of London looking for clues which will allow you to solve the enigma and answer a series of questions about the case. But nothing's ever as simple as it seems, and you will have to be wise if you don't want to be ridiculed during your final confrontation with Holmes!
Will you surpass the master?
Contents
Map of London
This map is a simplified version of the city of London during the Victorian era. All along, this map will take you through its streets so that you can visit specific places and verify alibis.
London is divided into areas – North West (NW), West Centre (WC), South West (SW), East Centre (EC), and South East (SE) – which are delineated by blue lines and the Thames. Then, each area is divided into numbers matching the addresses of people to be questioned. These divisions are used in the books as chapters' titles and in the directory. For example, the Hyde Park address is 95 NW, which is the abridged version of the full address 95 Park Lane in the NW area.
The house blocks marked in red represent specific places (e.g. the British Museum), those marked in black represent police stations and the yellow ones represent all other places where you may have, at some point, to go and investigate. As the addresses are applied to house blocks, a character can, for example, be located at 62 EC – which is also the address of the Hotel Dacre – without living in it. The places (a house, a building, a store, etc.) may change ownership from one case to another.
There is a travel time scale in one of the map's corners. This scale allows you to check suspects' walking speed only and thus ascertain their alibis.
London Directory
This booklet presents the addresses of people living in London. Thus, when players wish to meet someone, they can consult the directory to find their address and then head over to that address by reading the corresponding lead. To simplify the game, the address system uses the map's division system. Thus, for example, Sherlock Holmes' address (which will be found in the directory under "Holmes, Sherlock") is 42 NW. If the players want to head over to Holmes' during the case, they must therefore read chapter 42 NW from the current case.
Note: found in the directory, in addition to the standard alphabetical list, are entries by profession.
List of Informants
Located on the back of this booklet, this list offers Sherlock Holmes' recurring informants, as well as their addresses. These informants will be able to help you in most cases, some being more useful than others depending on events.
Newspapers (10)
For each case, you'll have at your disposal the day's newspaper, as well as all of the newspapers published on previous dates. In these newspapers you'll sometimes find articles or ads which will point you at new leads.
Case Booklets (10)
These ten booklets contain the ten cases you will have to solve. The cases are sorted by date and are all structured the same way:
Introduction: In this text the title and date of the mystery are presented to you, as well as the details of the case (generally during an interview at Holmes').
Leads: This part of the text represents all of the leads (in the form of chapters) which you may follow during your investigation. By following the leads and making the right deductions, you will be able to solve the mystery offered by Holmes. Each lead corresponds to a geographic area (see Map of London and Directory). The leads are sorted by area and, in each area, the leads are sorted in ascending order. The illustrations which accompany the text are purely decorative.
Questions: As soon as you think you have solved the case, you will be faced with two series of questions. The first series is always in direct relation to the case. The second series will allow you to score additional points for the discovery of events which are related to the case.
Solutions: Holmes will detail for you the way he unravelled the threads of the case.
Note: Questions and solutions are printed upside down at the end of the booklet.
Score: In this final section (located in the envelope placed at the end of the booklet), you'll get the answers to the questions and will tally your final score, which you'll then compare to Holmes'. It is common knowledge that Holmes is unbeatable. But do not despair, you might surprise yourself!
Game Setup
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The players choose a case they all agree on. For practical reasons, we suggest that the cases are played in chronological order (notably to avoid finding clues in the newspapers which may spoil the surprise, and in so doing, the fun).
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The map of London is placed in the middle of the table.
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The London directory and the list of informants (at the back of this booklet) are placed near the map.
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The players also place nearby the newspaper whose date matches the case's, as well as all previous newspapers.
Important: Newspapers with a date following that of the case will not be used.
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The players may choose to grab blank sheets of paper and pencils to keep notes during the investigation.
Note: The players may delegate the task of keeping notes to a specific member of the group.
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A player is chosen as the "lead investigator". That player takes the booklet, reads the case's introduction text, and the game begins!
Game Overview
The players all cooperate to solve the case.
The game plays over a series of turns.
The lead investigator chooses a lead from the current case (they can for example declare: "I want to go visit the crime scene," find the address in the directory and go there).
If the lead doesn't exist in the booklet (meaning there's no corresponding paragraph in the current case for the location the player wanted to visit), the player simply chooses another lead.
When they have found their lead, the player reads the paragraph out loud, then notes that this lead has been followed. Their turn is now over.
Note: To keep intact the pleasure of discovering the answer, avoid looking too closely at the other leads on the page you're reading!
They then pass the book to the player sitting on their left, who becomes the new lead investigator and chooses in turn a lead of their own.
The players continue this way, until they believe they know the solution to the enigma.
The players can follow as many leads as they want, but on their turn a player can only read a single lead.
Newspapers, already visited leads, directory: On their turn, all of the players have a free and unlimited access to the directory as well as the case's newspapers. They can also reread the leads already visited as much as they want.
Discussions: Of course, the players can discuss as much as they want to talk about the case or to debate the next lead to follow. But if there's a disagreement between them about their next destination, it's the current lead investigator who has the final word.
End of the Game
The players can decide to stop following leads as soon as they want to. They then move on to the "Questions" section of the case and answer the two series of questions given to them.
Players then head over to the "Solutions" section and one of them reads Holmes' conclusions out loud. Finally, the players open the envelope to evaluate their score and compare it to Holmes'.
Score
To tally their scores, the players add the points obtained by answering the questions, then total up the number of leads they followed. Then, they compare this number of leads to the number of leads followed by Holmes.
Note: In some cases, some leads are considered to be "free". These are given at the end of the "Solutions" section of each case. If the players have followed some of these leads, they do not count them among their followed leads.
If the players have followed more leads than Holmes, they subtract 5 points from their score for each extra lead. If they've followed fewer leads than Holmes, they add 5 points to their score for each fewer lead. They obtain their final score this way.
Example: The players have followed 8 leads and scored 95 points by answering the two series of questions. They realise that Holmes has, for his part, finished the case with 6 leads. As they followed 2 extra leads, they deduct 10 points from their score and finally only score 85 points.
Holmes
The players may then compare their score to Holmes'. Holmes' score is always 100 points. Defeating the Master is clearly hard, but not totally impossible!
Carlton House
Welcome to Carlton House! Luxuriant dwelling, stylish district, discreet neighbourhood, and galore murders! Indeed, even if the dodgy areas of the East End and the mist-covered docks seem far away from the colonnades and Venetian chandeliers of this sumptuous building, death always prowls close to Sherlock Holmes, and the Baker Street Irregulars will be very busy untangling the intrigues forging behind these walls…
Additional Rules
A new place, Carlton House, is added to the list of informants. This place will be central to some of the intrigues in this box set. Carlton House is a private mansion, built on three levels (Basement Floor, Ground Floor, and First Floor). It is located on the map of London at 100 Eaton Place, SW.
Two maps, which will be placed close to the map of London, are here provided. They allow to visualise the rooms and staircases layout for each of the levels. Further, the following chapter of this booklet will allow you "to look around the property" and to get familiarised with the premises.
During your first visit of Carlton House, you will start by reading lead 100 SW, which will introduce you to the current context of the house. Once you read it, the characters will be able to move through the various rooms, following the leads matching the numbers indicated on the map. These leads are divided into three sections in the booklet (after the usual 5 areas): Ground Floor (GF), First Floor (FF), and Basement Floor (BF).
Depending on the investigation you choose, the rooms may serve different purposes. A list of the occupants of Carlton House and a list of rooms are also specified before the Ground Floor section: these lists will allow you to easily find the whereabouts of the occupants.
Of course, players are not blocked in the house. The visit of some rooms can therefore alternate with trips through the city. Visiting a room in the house is the same as visiting a location in London, and costs ONE lead when tallying.
Visiting Carlton House
DWELLING
Rental – Carlton House, 100 Eaton Place, SW. Old mansion, rebuilt in 1783 to be used as a city house by the Prince of Wales, Carlton House is the most typical example in London of the French neo-classical style. Spacious private mansion, sophisticated, magnificently equipped. Contact Smith, Smith, Jones & Vanbrugh-Hawksmoor; 33 Great Wild Street, WC.
Under the Portico with the Ionic columns, Mr Renford T. Pennypacker of the Smith, Smith, Jones & Vanbrugh-Hawksmoor agency is expecting us. He is a short, lively man, of whom one notices above all, on a face otherwise nondescript, the broad, somewhat artificial smile, topped by a moustache trimmed in two fine tips like needles. He hands us a delicate hand, which he withdraws immediately. With his hands crossed on his belly, he looks like a diva about to execute an aria. In a fluttered voice, chirping and sometimes chirruping, he starts a guided tour of the dwelling.
As we are outside, he points out the vastness of the main court and notes that it is more than sufficient to accommodate an almost unlimited number of cars, "quite large enough to satisfy the most tenacious of reception organisers. He also mentions the vast courtyard for cars, on the south-west side.
The doorman's Lodge (GF-50, GF-51) and the Marshal Forge (GF-52) form on the right a kind of a miniature Greek temple. On our left, adjoining the main building, are the upper part of the Kitchen (GF-40), the Cook's Flat (GF-41, GF-43) and a Staircase (z) leading to the basement.
"The supplies which are delivered can thus be discreetly unloaded and taken down to be put away, and without disturbing the comings and goings of the house masters."
Before we go inside the mansion, Mr Pennypacker points out the Balcony to us, accessible from the front by the two Staircases (a) & (b).
"Of course, the Balcony is accessible from the first-floor rooms, through French Windows, but you'll see for yourselves in due time. Now, if you'd please follow me."
We climb the stairs and enter the First Vestibule (GF-1). We make a left to enter an Anteroom where Pennypacker points out a Staircase (k) to us.
"There are backstairs leading to the basement and to the first floor. When shutting this door, next to the fireplace, the servants can attend to their chores, go up and down as discreetly as possible. You will note, hidden in this corner, another Staircase (o) which leads to the kitchen, in the basement. It is used for serving in the main Dining Room. It is somewhat small, 2x2x1.5 ft., but it also connects that floor to the Kitchen, and leads to the First Floor (FF-1) Living Room.
Mr Pennypacker opens two large doors and enters the main Dining Room (GF-27). His enthusiasm for the "English solid oak" - in which the 30 or so foot long table was carved -, for the draperies in velvet of the finest quality adorning the tall windows "an enjoyable carpet of green grass," and for the "Venice" crystal chandelier, seems limitless. Once his monologue is finally done, he turns the heels and enters the adjoining room, the Library (GF-26).
"This room is my favourite one" he says, going into raptures again. The Library is a circular room that occupies both the ground and upper floors. It is crowned by a glass ceiling shaped as a dome.
On the first floor, an open gallery encircles the Library. A spiral wrought iron staircase (m), gives access to that gallery, as well as the Laboratory (BF-5), thus connecting all the floors of the house.
"Here, you have close to 20 000 books, all leather-bound, on all unimaginable topics. These books are included in the rental price." On that note, Mr Pennypacker enters majestically in the Large Living Room (GF-25). "Remove the furniture, and you have a ball room. Place the chairs in rows, add a stage, and you have a show room. You can transform this room so easily. Please, take note of the upper part of the casements. Belgian stained glass! A marvel!"
In the adjacent room (GF-22), Mr Pennypacker draws our attention to the French windows which overlook the Porch (GF-35) and the garden.
"This room, and the other two that are on this side, can be used for almost anything. For example, this one could be a study room, or maybe a snooker room. The room next to it (GF-23), could be a smoking room and the one after (GF-24), could be a small sitting room."
He turns over and have us cross another Study Room (GF-21), which can also be used as a conference room, and an Anteroom (GF-20), before getting to the following rooms.
"The rooms in this angle make a very nice private suite. The Anteroom (GF-17) and the Living Room (GF-15) are the only rooms, apart from the one we've just seen, to have French windows providing access to the Porch."
"This Stairwell (GF-16) allows going up and down. It is a private staircase (h), adjoining a suite: A Toilet (GF-13), a large Bedchamber (GF-14) and… err… a Lavatory (GF-12)."
Blushing, Mr Pennypacker crosses briskly the large bedchamber, the suite's Anteroom (GF-11), and enters a hallway. He stops to show us another Backstairs (g) which, once again, leads to the three levels of the house. On each side of the hallway, are the rooms reserved for the servants (GF-5 through 10)."
"We are here on the other side of Carlton House, where we find the Study of the house master (GF-3), his personal Cabinet (GF-4), the adjoining Anteroom (GF-2), as well as the private Staircase (c) leading to the house master's Bedchamber of and its annexes (FF-5 through 7)."
Mr Pennypacker managed to make us complete the tour of Carlton House going through the rooms overlooking the outside, so that we find ourselves in the First Vestibule (GF-1).
"Now, if you're not too tired, we will go upstairs."
Without waiting for our response, he goes down the two steps giving access to the main Vestibule (GF-30).
"Oh! I almost forgot, next to the Loge reserved to the doorman (GF-31), there is another Backstairs (e), which gives access to the basement and, further away, there's another Staircase (d) which leads to the Turkish Bath (FF-26) on the first floor… Ah, there's also the Octagonal Vestibule (GF-34) and the Stairs of Honour (j)."
Once in the centre of the octagonal Vestibule, Mr Pennypacker suddenly starts twirling around, the arms extended. Just as suddenly, confused at having thus flaunted his emotions, he freezes in full motion.
"Err... humm... the marble used here for the floor, and for the Stairs of Honours, is a white marble of Florence, very rare and very pure. Note the particular sound that the leather soles produce on the marble." He taps his foot softly so as to illustrate what he has just said.
Looking up, we see that, just as the Library, the Octagonal Vestibule rises over the entire height of Carlton House. Mr Pennypacker shows us the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
"This chandelier is, of course, the twin of the one in the main Dining Room."
Before we start climbing the Stairs of Honour, Mr Pennypacker shows us a succession of hidden rooms: the Playroom (GF-18), a Study (GF-19), and another Backstairs (i) leading to the basement.
"Oh, yes! There's somewhere in this house a secret room which once was used for… Well, never mind what it was used for."
We go up the stairs very slowly, making ours the majestic tempo of Mr Pennypacker's gait. He seems enchanted by the sounds his shoes produce on the naked marble. Finally, we make a turn, keep going up, and at last get to the balustrade running alongside the circular gallery, from where we take a last look downwards.
"Behind me, there is a set of Bedchambers and rooms (FF-11 through 16) which all have French windows overlooking the Patio. There are, at the end of the corridor, on this side, the Study Room (FF-17) and, right here, I must show it to you, the Tapestry Room (FF-19). The tapestry that you see, which practically covers three walls of this room, is about fifty feet long and twelve feet high. It dates back to the 13th century. As you can see, it represents scenes from the life of Christ and was made by Lady Anne of Conventry who worked on it alone. His brother had been seriously injured during a joust defending her honour, and she swore that if he'd recover she'd devote her life to the service of God. This tapestry was her way of expressing her devotion. It is said that after completing the last point - it took her fifteen years to get there - she fell dead."
After a few moments of silence, we leave the room and head towards the part of Carlton House which is in the front.
"Still more Rooms (FF-20, FF-22) and a Smoking Room (FF-21), where these discreet Backstairs (k) lead to, and which I told you about when we visited the ground floor. Here is another fairly large Living Room, where the Dumbwaiter (w) stops at and, on the front side, still more Rooms (FF-2 through 4). These three rooms, as well as the Antechamber (FF-5) adjoining the Bedchamber of the house master (FF-6), all have patio doors overlooking the Balcony."
We walk along the Suite of the house master (FF-5 through 7) and make a right.
"Ah! The Turkish Bath (FF-26)… Decorated with a mosaic which happens to be the exact replica of the one in the private bathroom of the Izmir Sultan. Ours, of course, is much smaller." Continuing the tour of the house, Mr Pennypacker points to another Bedchamber (FF-8), a Small Storeroom (FF-9), and the Bedroom of the floor servant (E-10), the main Staircase (f) that leads to the ground floor, and the Backstairs (g) that gets to the basement. Finally, we make another right and enter the Storeroom (FF-27). As we have finished visiting the first floor, we take the Private Stairs (h).
When we get to the bottom floor, it is obvious that Mr Pennypacker's enthusiasm for this seriously declines. We detect a crack in his never-ending smile, and the tips of his moustache start sagging.
We make a left in the Boiler Room (BF-15), and find there the boiler in an open air well. The Stairs (p) next to it go all the way up to the roof.
We walk by the Coal Cellar (BF-16) and the Basement (n) doors. Mr Pennypacker is about to make a left, but stops suddenly. He then explains, with a hand gesture:
"Well, here in the basement, as anywhere else, there are the servants' rooms, the wine cellar, the cheese cellar, the grain cellar, and so forth. Oh, there is also an Armoury (BF-10) with some quite remarkable armours and other medieval items, but we'll keep that for some other day."
We then go through the Passageway (BF-23), and climb other Stairs (y). We suddenly find ourselves in the doorman's Lodge (GF-50). From there, we go to the Main Courtyard.
The visit being over, Mr Pennypacker's conversation about art and architecture becomes a big money business. He tells us the rental price for this dwelling.
"And this amount is inclusive of all standard maintenance costs… It's really a good deal, you know… Of course, you don't have to decide on the spot… Think about it…"
A car drives into the Main Courtyard and Mr Pennypacker's face blossoms at once. He regains his smile which had almost faded, twists his moustache, and whispers, sputtering:
"Lord Wiggleston!" He goes to meet Lord Wiggleston then as if he remembered our presence, waves his business card in our direction and takes his leave, mumbling.
Queen's Park
By the end of the 19th century, when the city of London was in full expansion, the surrounding countryside was occupied by new suburbs whose small houses offered to the rising middle classes a peace and security which only until then the dominant class had enjoyed. But the evildoers could also, in half an hour's train travel, come from their hovels into these promising suburbs. And where crooks go, so do Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars. Once again, there is something new.
Queen's Park is an area located north of NW Area, and it is precisely through there that one reaches their destination. The map is here provided and so is the Directory. When reference is made to this area, the abbreviation used is QP.
Gameplay
The investigation lasts three days. One of the players is in charge of keeping the Timesheet updated. Each day begins at 9:00 a.m., at 221B Baker Street (42 NW). To fill the Timesheet, you must keep track of the travels duration and each lead duration. It is that duration that is reported at the end of each lead. The day ends at 10:00 p.m.
Trip Duration
The trips from one location to the other within a same area last 15 minutes. If you move from one neighbourhood to an adjacent one, the duration of the trip is also 15 minutes. However, if you have to cross another neighbourhood during your trip, you will have to add another 15 minutes.
For example, to go from 38 SW to 42 NW, it will take you 15 minutes; from 38 SW to 40 EC, 30 minutes; and from 32 SE to 34 QP (Queen's Park, north of NW), 45 minutes.
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Start by reading the introduction of the booklet "Day One". Then, review the contents of the envelope that the Queen's Park Sporting Gazette addressed to Holmes.
Don't forget that the September 3 newspaper is at your disposal and you will be able to consult it throughout the game. Prior issues are not used. The map of Queen's Park, found in Franklin Kearney's office, is also at your disposal throughout the investigation.
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Choose the LEAD you wish to follow and read the entry corresponding to that day.
For example, if you wish to go to Scotland Yard, look for their address, 13 SW.
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After reading the chosen LEAD, record on the Timesheet the time spent going from one location to the other, and the DURATION noted at the end of the LEAD.
For example, the duration of the trip between 42 NW and 13 SW is 15 minutes when applying the method hereabove described. The duration of the LEAD 13 SW on Day One is 30 minutes. On your Timesheet, record that it is now 9:45 a.m. (beginning of the day = 9:00 a.m. + 45 minutes in all for the duration of the trip).
If there is no available LEAD on that day for that address, just deduct a DURATION of 5 minutes (which does not prevent you to follow this LEAD on the following days).
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Repeat steps 2 and 3, up to 10:00 p.m. (the duration of your last LEAD may exceed 10:00 p.m.). Day One is then over.
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When Day One is over, Day Two starts. The newspaper dated September 4 is then available besides the one of the 3rd (so is the introduction of the investigation booklet). Now, it is mandatory that you use the Thursday LEADS, Day Two.
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Once Day Two is over, proceed identically for Day Three (newspaper of the 5th and introduction).
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At the end of the three days, read the end of the last booklet: Day Four, then the questions, then the answers, and last Holmes' solutions.
List of Informants
Informants are recurring characters, with specific skills. From time to time, you will need their assistance to progress in your investigation. Of course, not all informants will be of use in each case, and they will sometimes be absent. It's up to you to decide when to use a lead and to call on one of them…
Carlton House (100 SW) — Mansion whose occupants can be critical to the outcome of some cases.
Sir Jasper Meeks (38 EC) — Head Medical Examiner at Saint Bartholomew's hospital. He performs the autopsies on all bodies found during the investigations.
H.R. Murray (22 SW) — Criminologist. He analyses all items and substances found during cases.
Scotland Yard (13 SW) — Police (represented by Inspectors Lestrade and Gregson). They have reports and details relating to the case.
Disraeli O'brian (14 WC) — Archivist with the Office of National Archives. Compiles legal and criminal records.
Somerset House (17 WC) — Records of births, deaths, marriages, and wills. Free access.
Edward Hall (36 EC) — Lawyer at the Old Bailey court. Source of information on court cases and legal affairs.
Porky Shinwell (52 EC) — Owner of the Raven & Rat pub. Source of information on all illegal affairs and underworld figures.
Fred Porlock (18 NW) — Member of the Underworld. Leaves coded information about the activities of Moriarty (leader of the Underworld and sworn enemy of Holmes) at the Parsons & Sons toy shop.
Henry Ellis (30 EC) — Reporter for the London Times. Source of information on current events, mainly on foreign affairs.
Quintin Hogg (35 EC) — Reporter for the Police Gazette. Source of information for criminal cases.
Mycroft Holmes (8 SW) — Eminence grise. Source of information on all things relating to politics and government.
Langdale Pike (2 SW) — Social columnist. Knows all London society gossip.
Central Carriage Depot (5 WC) — Meeting point for London cab drivers. Source of information on the movements of suspects.
Lomax (5 SW) — Librarian at the London Library. To be consulted for any encyclopedic research.
Sherlock Holmes (42 NW) — If you're stuck in your investigation, Sherlock Holmes will set you back on track with some good advice. Be careful, that help could spoil the fun of investigating!
Download the App
Consulting Detective
You can download the app on your smartphone or tablet on the App Store or Google Play.
Before starting an investigation, select it in the application to listen to its introduction instead of reading it in the booklet. Then, choose your lead and dive into the world of Sherlock Holmes. Good luck!
Credits
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective — a game by Gary Grady, Suzanne Goldberg and Raymond Edwards.
Additional cases: Thomas Cauët
Illustrations by Pascal Quidault (box), Arnaud Demaegd (booklet covers), Neriac (inside), Bernard Bittler (maps)
Rewriting by JudgeWhyMe and Cyril Demaegd
Revisions by Space Cowboys
Sherlock Holmes is published by JD Editions - Space Cowboys, 238, rue des frères Farman, 78530 BUC - France.
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