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Murder in the Mansion - Sherlock Holmes "Who Done It?" Game - Signup by 9pm

deacvision7

deacvision7

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Welcome to the streets of Victorian London. The fog is rolling in and *murder* is in the air. Wealthy Tea Magnate, Sir Alfred Sipton, has been found murdered. But how? Why? When? By whom? And by what?
And you, one of the Baker Street Irregulars, are out to solve the crime. (players may play as a tandem of two, if desired)


Can you beat your fellow BSI's to solve the case? And can you do it faster *and* better than the great Sherlock Holmes?!


This game involves no elements of luck. No dice rolls. This is just a challenge of your mental ability, your cognitive thinking, and your deductive reasoning skills.


RULES:

1) I will provide a map of Victorian London divided into 5 sectors of the city. Within in city there will be many place to visit for clues. Some places will provide great insight into the case, some will confuse you, and yet some will be dead ends. So choose your path of investigation wisely.

2) I will provide a Newspaper from the days leading up to the murder. Some articles will be unrelated, yet, some, perhaps... will be related. It is up to you as the detective to discern which is which and what is what.

3) Each player will be on their own. Each will go to a location and get a full detailing from that location including any and all clues available. But again, some places will provide more relevant information than others. And some locations will send you on a divergent path that has nothing to do with the case at all. It is up to you to decide what is relevant and which leads to follow.

4) I will provide a lecture from Sherlock Holmes before we start. I implore everyone to read this in full if they wish to play. Some *very* valuable hints are in his words.

5) Each player that agrees to take on this case will PM me with the destination in which they wish to investigate by the deadline given. I will provide any and all information, conversations, or observations available from that location. All players have the option of turning in their SOLUTION at the end of a game play turn. If a solution is provided they will get a score from 1-100 based on accuracy with bonus points for speed (fewer number of locations/clues) investigated.

SCORING

The SOLUTION for this case will be divided into two parts.
- 1) the essential questions raised in the case (expect: who, what, where, when, why). And each will have a value attributed to it. *These questions will be provided after turn 3 to all detectives as a way to focus everyone on what is most important.*
- 2) the bonus questions possibly seen during the case -- these may or may not relate to the main case, but could be discovered depending on the path each detective takes. These questions also *may* just relate heavily to the canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. *These questions will be asked once a player has provided answers to the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS via PM.*

NOTE: Keep in mind, not only are you competing against your fellow Baker Street Irregulars detectives, but also against the great Sherlock Holmes. He is also solving the case as you are and following the same clues. Can you beat the master?
SH will solve this case in a pre-determined #of turns. His score will always = 100.

Your essential questions will = possible 100 points
Your bonus questions will = possible 50 points

And lastly, for each turn/location investigated more than Holmes needed you will lose 5 points.
i.e. Holmes takes 5 turns and you take 8 turns. You lose 15 points from your final score; (8-5)*5=15.


Sherlock Holmes is a very focused man and does not worry about superfluous details of a case, therefore he will never even attempt to answer the so-called "bonus questions", instead focusing on solving the case at hand in as little time as possible. As such, his score will be 100.


THIS CASE WILL ONLY TAKE ABOUT A WORK DAY (9-5) AT MOST TO SOLVE -- just a matter of PM and online availability. Would take 1-2 hours in real time.

Who wishes to attempt to solve this case? (I'll take up to 7 people/teams)

___________________

Players (teams?):

1) tejas
2) nonny
3) bestphan + (nonboards) partner
4) sd3
 
Last edited:
Map of London:

pic251113.jpg
 
In. Will probably select a teammate, but wanted to reserve our spot
 
Holmes' Lecture


"London is not a beautiful city. Under the soot that covers its building is the residue of the Empire, a teeming mass of four million souls trying to survive, mostly off of each other. Behind this assemblage is a force of evil, a lgion of scoundrels weaving their web of iniquity over the city, and in the center of the web is the master criminal himself, Professor James Moriarty, the greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld -- a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations. That's the man! But so aloof is he from criticism, so admirable in his management and self-effacement that his true character is unknown to the public and police. This fact must be kept in mind in all your investigations. Moriarty insulates himself from the crimes he controls and the public with an organization of underlings and thugs who make sure that no thread of evidence can be traced to Moriarty. So you can see that we are not dealing with the ordinary criminal mind and we will need all the help we can get.

"Today we will discuss some of the people who will be of help to you in your investigations. At the start of ANY investigation you must keep in mind that it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. The people that I will introduce you to at this time will help you collect the facts.

"Our first stop will be St. Bartholomew's Hospital or Bart's (38 EC on the map). Bart's is one of the oldest and greatest of London's hospitals and is one of the medical schools of the London University College. Located here is the office of the Coroner's Chief Medical Examiner, Sir Jasper Meeks. He is London's greatest forensic pathologist. You can depend on him for all the technical details that can be obtained from a corpus delecti. All murder victims' bodies will be taken to Bart's and examined by Sir Meeks.

"Our next stop is the Scotland Yard Criminology Laboratory (22 SW). Here we would meet H.R. Murray, Head Chemist. It is rumored that Murray lives in the lab; any time of the day or night you will find him bent over one of his tables trying to extract the history of a crime from the physical evidence available to him. You can learn much from H.R. if you can follow the twists and jumps of his thinking; there is no better mind when it comes to interpreting the physical evidence of a crime!

"And you may be thinking, 'would it not be better to just go straight to Scotland Yard?' -- ah ha! So, yes, let's talk about Scotland Yard. If the Yard would read the reports or knew how to look at the evidence, then there would be no need for our services. Yes, they will get the reports and sometimes they may even read them, but that doesn't mean that they will know how to interpret them. Gregson and Lestrade are the pick of a bad lot, but you will find that they often twist the facts to fit their preconceived theories. But Scotland Yard is located at 13 SW and is a very valuable souce of information. The professional police have methods for gathering facts and information that are not open to us.

"At this time I would like to mention another invaluable source of information. The Office of Records at Chancery-lane (14 WC). This huge fire proof Tudor-style edifice contains legal record, both criminal and civil, as well as state-papers. Your contact there is Disraeli O'Brian, Head Clerk of the Land Records Department, whome you will find a walking, or should I say sitting, encyclopedia of the office's affairs over the last thirty years.

"Another records office you should know about is the Somerset House on the south side of the Strand at 17 WC. The Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and Marriages and the Probate Registry are located there. You will also find the Commons Will Office which is a great repository of testamentary writings of all kinds. These records are public so you will need no special contact. ****(as such, no turn penalty will be assessed if you visit this location in the game)****

"The Criminal Court, or 'Old Bailey' is located at 36 EC. This location should be kept in mind when the dealings are with known criminals are concerned. You can pick up a lot of information hanging around Old Bailey. There is one young barrister, Edward Hall, whom you will find most days at Old Bailey, who is a cut above the other unimaginative members of his profession. You will find him of assistance.

"This would be a good time to talk about the Inns of Court, or on the map known as Grey's Inn (10 WC), Lincoln's Inn (13 WC), and The Temple (33 WC). These four great Inns of Court -- the Temple is divided into two Inns -- are incorporateions for the study of law possessing the exclusive privilege of calling barristers to the Bar. All barristers must belong to one of the four Inns. The Inns contain dining halls, libraries, offices, and living quarters for barristers and law students.

"Now that we've looked at the top of the legal society let's lower our sights a little and look at some other resources available to us. The first being Porky Shinwell...

"Porky is not a pillar of society, I dare say. But he is a man who has learned from his mistakes and is trying to start a new life on the right side of the law. He has been of great help to us in the past as I expect he will be again in the future. Shinwell Johnson, known as Porky, after two terms at Parkhurst has given up his life of crime for that of innkeeper. He is now the proprietor of the Raven and Rat Inn, 52 EC. Former patrons of Parkhurst, Millbank and every other prison in the Empire frequent the Raven and Rat Inn, but what better patrons could you have to keep an ear on the underworld of London. You can always get a case, or help on a case, from Porky Shinwell.

"Speaking of the underworld we should mention Fred Porluck. 'Fred Porluck' is the assumed name of a member of Mariarty's criminal organization who has been of immense help on a number of occasions. I don't know who he is or why he informs on his master, it is enough to know that he does. He communicates with me by post or by leaving a message, usually in code, at Parsons and Sons Toy Shoppe, 18 NW.

"Now it is time for one of the most valuable sources of information available to you, the newspapers. (dv7 note: I will post a picture of the newspapers in the game thread) Approximately 570 newspapers are published in London and its environs. As you know, I have filled on of the upstairs lumber-rooms with back issues of newspapers and I consult them regularly. The press is a most valuable institution, if you only know how to use it. I read nothing but the criminal news and the agony column. You will find the agony columns are most instructive, and the private consulting detective will not want for work as long as they exist. While some items in the columns may seem of insignificance, it has been more important to me to choose a case for its uniqueness and interest than for its significance. The strangest and most unique things are very often connected not with the larger but with the smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed, where there is reason to doubt whether any positive crime has been committed. One of the reasons I am training you in the art of detection is to enable you to take over part of my case load.

"Remember the more information you get out of the newspapers the more *time you will save* in solving your case.

"I have also found two reporters to be of assistance from time to time. They are Henry Ellis of The Times and Quintin Hogg of the Police Gazette.

"Mr. Ellis is the foreign news editor and is a great resevoir of information of what's happening on the continent. He also has an interest in crime news and is always happy to help when he can, but you must be careful of what you tell him or you might find what you confided to him in the next day's Times. He can be found at his office at 30 EC.

"Quintin Hogg is a crime reporter for the Police Gazette. He is an ex-police inspector who found the environment of Scotland Yard less than stimulating. He is a good reporter with a strong deductive mind. A very good resource to keep in mind. His address is 35 EC.

"Ah yes and before I forget, my brother Mycroft is a great resource when it comes to information about the government. He is the government. He has an extraordinary faculty for figures, and audits the books in some of the government departments. Mycroft lodges in Pall Mall, and he walks round the corner to Whitehall every morning and back every evening. From year's end to year's end he takes no other exercise and is seen nowhere else, except only in the Diogenes Club, which is just opposite his rooms. If you ever need his help, you will find him available at the Diogenes Club at 8 SW.

"Another person I would like to mention is Langdale Pike, a person who usually gets in the last word. He's a human reference work on social scandal, especially of the London scene. He contributes bits of gossip to the 'garbage papers' that cater to an inquisitive public. His working hours are spent at the Societies Club at 2 SW.

"And just two more resources that could be of help in any particular case... The Central Carriage Stables is located at 5 WC and it is at this location that all of London's cabs are stabled and dispatched. I have gotten much valuable information on people's movements by talking to cab drivers. Also, Lomax at the London Library (5 SW) is a wealth of information and can help you find anything you need on the full shelves of this great library.

"I think that is enough for today, but I must tell you again that it is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which are vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated."
 
ill play, this is a board game, correct? I think they have like 3 or 4 different versions. Or maybe I'm making that up
 
a version of a board game at least

no pieces or dice to roll


pretty much the same experience here as one would have with the game, minus not flipping through the clue book and mistakenly seeing something that helps solves the case (I've done that before on accident and I was *PISSED*)
 
I won't say how long it takes Holmes to solve this case, but I would expect a person to be able to solve it in no more than 12 visits.

***NOTE: Somerset House will never count as a place visited***
 
deacvision7 said:
a version of a board game at least

no pieces or dice to roll


pretty much the same experience here as one would have with the game, minus not flipping through the clue book and mistakenly seeing something that helps solves the case (I've done that before on accident and I was *PISSED*)
Click to expand...

Word, I have played the first case in one of the games, but that's it. If that disqualifies me, I'll sit out. If not, I'll play. None of the info posted looks familiar to me, unless you changed names to prevent googling. If this is case 1 of one of the board games, let me know so i can stop talking.
 
There's like 7 versions.

Have you played the "Termination of the Teetotaler"?

If not, you're good.
 
Introduction

In A Study in Scarlet (March, 1881), we were introduced for the first time to the Baker Street Division of The Detective Police Force, aka The Baker Street Irregulars. This group of "small dirty street arabs" under the leadership of Wiggins, was of invaluable benefit to Sherlock Holmes and operated as his eyes and ears in the streets of London.

By 1888 Wiggins was a grown man and the Irregulars had doubled in size. "They can go everywhere, see everything, and overhear everyone," Holmes has boasted before. Wiggins and the Irregulars became an unquestionable asset for the world's greatest consulting detective.

Around that time Sherlock Holmes gave a lecture to the BSI's which covered Holmes' view of London and the many personalities who were of help to Holmes and who would be of help to the Baker Street Irregulars.

Before the case is introduced to you, please keep Holmes' lecture in mind before you decide not only your first move but each next move and the move after that as well.
 
Looks cool. Don't think I can play this time. Look forward to playing in the future.
 
Do you have any indication about what the schedule or deadlines will look like?
 
wakephan09 said:
Do you have any indication about what the schedule or deadlines will look like?
Click to expand...

Since this is the first one, I won't wait for it to fill up.

Let's run with decisions for each player/team due by 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm tomorrow. Then go as necessary tomorrow night.


Honestly, each turn won't take that long to determine where you want to go next, so if everyone gets in, we can move on.
 
Any late comers to the boards that were busy at work today (GET IT, its a joke because the world is dying!) have until 9pm to sign up.
 
deacvision7 said:
Any late comers to the boards that were busy at work today (GET IT, its a joke because the world is dying!) have until 9pm to sign up.
Click to expand...

What's the first move? Is there another post incoming with information?
 
Cool (to me) info:

The Public Records office on Chancery Lane is since 2001 the Research Library, the Maughan, for my alma mater. It has never been a Tudor building though, it's Neo-Gothic (and the front face of the building the setting for a ton of films)

I took my Latin in Somerset House, also owned by my alma mater. Cool building. Saw Vampire Weekend play a free show from one of the balconies. The power went out and they didn't know, so they kept playing until they heard people shouting.

The map isn't super to-scale, obviously, or up to date for the C21, but I lived for a year in the building between #39 and #49 in Clerkenwell. Every other place I've lived is way off the map -- hackney/shoreditch, south Hampstead (near abbey road!), Swiss Cottage, south ken, highgate

I know none of this is actually helpful, but I love this shit.
 
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