Comments on: Scotland Yard

By: Horst Tappert

Horst Tappert — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:19:48 +0000

I played scotland yard (the old version that is) a few times now in the last couple of years (after not playing it for about fifteen years) and I must say: it’s just a very good game, even for serious gamers.
About the balance I agree: it works best with four detectives. It’s a balanced game where both mr. x as the detectives have a good chance of winning. (Needless to say it’s much more satisfactory to win if you’re mr.x!)
However, about the number of players I couldn’t disagree more. If you play with a lot of players it indeed becomes too chaotic and people will become too easily distracted, but with only two players it’s just too dull. In my opinion if you’re a bit of a serious gamer three players is definitely the best way to play it. In that way two players can both control two detectives. Although it’s not really important who controls who, because the fun is you do it TOGETHER, meaning you discuss everything openly over the board. That means analyzing all possible moves&positions and discussing possible future moves in a chesslike manner. The tension you feel as mr.x. when they’re intensively discussing your possible escape routes, and especially if they’re weighing the chance that you’re at the place you actually are, is just unbearable. (They’re supposed to warn people with a heart condition if you play it this way!) I experienced it really put an extra flavour to the game and makes it one of the most challenging and exciting games I’ve ever played.
Not something you wanna play on a very regular basis like caylus, hammer of the scots etc. but it’ll always be good for a lot of fun.
And of course they should deliver something like a hat and sunglasses with it, without it you’ll become paranoid as hell.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 03:06:51 +0000

Against newer players, Mister X can always surface more regularly.
Also, against fewer players Mister X can try and limit his options (without telling his opponents). Maybe try to use only taxis for four moves in a row. That kind of thing.

By: Mikko Saari

Mikko Saari — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:24:43 +0000

“Scotland Yard is, in my opinion, a two-player game, not 3-6 as the box claims. The boredom you cite does not exist when one player controls all the detectives.”
Yes, that’s what I wrote in the Finnish review as well. This applies for serious gamers, basically — as a family game, it works perfectly well with three to six.
What comes to the amount of detectives, it’s easy to start with five and then reduce once you get good enough. That offers a small handicapping mechanism — those are always good.

By: Greg Aleknevicus

Greg Aleknevicus — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:21:09 +0000

Scotland Yard is, in my opinion, a two-player game, not 3-6 as the box claims. The boredom you cite does not exist when one player controls all the detectives.
As for balance, I think working with 4 detectives is pretty good. With 5 you should almost always make the arrest and 3 should be quite challenging for the lawmen.