There’s Been a Murder

There’s Been A Murder takes you back to the 1930’s where you find yourself in an austere country house solving a murder. A selection of townspeople can help or hinder progress with their unique abilities. As a team, players must use these characters to catch the killer before they escape!

Setup

This game is a breeze to setup, with only 24 cards there isn’t much shuffling to do. First, take out the detective and killer cards. Shuffle the rest and then place the killer near the top of the deck and the detective near the bottom. Each player then gets dealt 2 cards. That’s it! The player who has recently read or watched a murder mystery goes first.

Death & Deduction

Once setup, it’s time to solve a crime. The deck is split into action and effect cards. Action cards will activate when they are discarded. Whereas effect cards have a passive trait whilst held. Players must choose which card to keep and which to get rid of. They only replenish their hand to 2 on their next turn.

Through discarding and using effects, players must deduce which cards everyone has. The aim is to find out who has the killer card. Players win if the killer card is discarded by the detective or if the killer ends up with the informant card. This sounds easier said than done. When playing with 8 it can be a nightmare moving cards around to meet these conditions.

Players lose if, the draw deck runs out of cards, or the witness and killer card end up together. This means you have to deduce quickly and discard the witness as soon as you can.

To make the game a bit harder it enforces a no talking rule! Players cannot talk about any cards in their hand or cards they think others have. The only cards they can openly discuss are those in the discard pile. This is a hard rule to follow especially when you all want to win.

If you manage to win, the team is scored based on how many cards are left in the draw deck.

The Townspeople

Your team only has one chance to use each character and their abilities, so playing cards at the right time can really change the outcome. This adds an element of strategy, but luck still dictates gameplay as you never know what you’ll pick up next. Despite carefully plotting moves I was thwarted as I picked up the witness whilst holding the killer. Gameplan ruined!

Most character abilities are helpful and will have you swapping cards, reorganising the draw deck and looking at other player cards. Some of the best cards in the deck allow you to break the no talking rule. The gossip card can be vital to success as you’re allowed to tell everyone what you have in your hand and what you suspect everyone else to have. Getting this card early can be a bummer though, as it’s rendered useless.

However, not all cards are helpful, the stranger, imposter and blackmailer all hinder you catching the killer. These cards up the ante and make the game feel like a murder mystery with twists and turns.

When playing with less than 5, you only use cards 1-18. This changes up the game as you lose powerful cards such as the reporter and faithful hound. But with less players it is easier to keep track of who has what.

Despite, the deck being thin, it packs a punch with a mix of interesting effects and actions. By removing or adding cards, based on player count, it adds freshness to the formula.

Final Thoughts

There’s Been a Murder, is a fun little party game. With an average playtime of 15 minutes, it’s quick to setup and gets everyone involved. With simple rules and instructions written on each card its accessible to those who aren’t avid gamers. The no talk rule is a great twist, and you’ll find yourself coughing, raising eyebrows and shrugging your shoulders to get someone’s attention.

Thematically, this game isn’t as good as others on the market. Artwork is basic and follows a simple colour scheme. What brings the theme to life is the atmosphere you build as a team. If you have friends who are willing to roleplay you can recreate that 1930’s Miss Marple vibe. If you don’t, the game is more mundane and less fun.

Overall, this game works as a nice cooperative party game. It’s a solid filler to start off your board games evening. It’s a game which will get you working together and deducing who has what. If you are after something with a bit more bite, this may not be your bag. This game works at its best with 5-6 players and I wouldn’t try it at 3. So why not switch up you’re evening and swap the competitive murder games for a teamwork adventure. Just don’t let the killer get away!