221B Baker Street Board Game Review – A classic Sherlock Holmes deduction game

Don your deer stalker, Inverness cape and grab your pipe as you step into the world of Sherlock Holmes, with 221B Baker Street by Gibson Games.

Overview:

In this game players compete to decide who has the most skillful power of destruction as they take on the role of Sherlock Holmes galavanting around London to solve a number of cases.

Components:

The components for this game are 100% adequate however they were one of the issues I have with the game even though gameplay wasn’t hugely impacted. My main contention with the components is that the game is almost a carbon copy of its 1975 predecessor, I would have liked to have seen updated artwork for the board, punchboard material for the Scotland Yard badges and skeleton keys. The quality of components I would have expected from the original however felt these things could have been improved with the reprint.

Gameplay:

At the start of the game players are given a case card, which there are 75 of which includes cases from the original game as well as extra releases over the years. The case card provides the plot for the game as well as the brief of what the objective is, typically to find out the killer, weapon and motive.

Players then roll dice to move around the board, going to locations that may hold a clue. Each case card has a clue in the reference book that connects to the location on the board; however some of the locations hold no clues at all.

What’s really cool about this game is the use of the Scotland Yard badges to stop another player going to a location, as well as the skeleton key which a player has to spend to open said location back up.

The badge can be used to deny access to a location with a meaningful clue or you could double bluff and use it on a location that holds no benefits to the other players to throw them off the scent.

When a player thinks they can solve the case, they must make it back to 221b Baker Street, look up the case in the booklet and if they’re correct they win, if they’re wrong they’re out of the game and play continues with the other players.

Replayability:

As mentioned this game comes with 75 case cards, allowing for a good amount of replayability in terms of solving different cases. I wouldn’t expect to get through all 75 of these cases and so there is some replay value, however the main premise of the game rolling dice to move around the board to visit locations can seem a bit repetitive without any other mechanics built in.

Pros:

The game encapsulates the feeling of solving crimes, there is a thrill factor to visiting locations before your opponents and taking down notes to plot your thesis.

Cons:

I would have loved to have seen the components upgraded, board game components have come a long way since the original game was released and I’d like to see this reflected in the updated version of the game.

The game can feel a bit repetitive, despite the 75 case cards the main premise is to roll dice to move around the board.

Final verdict:

Overall, I did really enjoy this game and can see it being a classic we play from time to time. The thrill of solving the crime before your opponents and the ultimate deduction bragging rights. This game was kindly gifted to me by Gibson Games however all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

About this game: