How to Play

Whitehall Mystery

2-4 players 45-60 min 7.5 Board Game Geek Rating

Players investigate London's Whitehall Mystery, where a killer has scattered body parts across the city in a twisted treasure hunt. One player controls the murderer moving secretly through Victorian streets, while others play detectives attempting to track down and capture the elusive criminal before more evidence disappears.

Published 2017

Whitehall Mystery

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Place the game board
Set the board representing 1888 London in the center of the table, showing 189 numbered circles connected by dotted lines
2
Assign roles
One player becomes Jack (preferably the most experienced player), and the remaining players become Investigators who work together
3
Distribute investigator figures
Divide the 3 colored figures (yellow, blue, and red) among the investigator players as they wish; all three colors are always used
4
Distribute black tokens
Equally divide the black investigator tokens by color among the investigator players
5
Jack takes movement sheet
Jack takes a new movement tracking sheet from the pad and places it behind the screen with a pencil
6
Jack places black figure
Place Jack's black figure on the "0" (red) position of the movement tracking strip on the board
7
Jack selects discovery sites
Jack secretly chooses 4 white numbered circles, one in each quadrant of the map (bA, aA, aB, bB), and writes these numbers at the top of the movement sheet as discovery sites
8
Jack collects tokens
Jack gathers the red discovery site markers, yellow clue markers, and blue special movement tiles
9
Investigators place figures
Investigator players place their figures on different yellow-framed crossings of their choice
10
Jack chooses starting location
Jack secretly selects one of the 4 discovery sites as the starting position, places a red discovery marker on that circle, and writes the number in the grey space below "0" on the movement sheet

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Move to adjacent circle
Jack moves from the last recorded numbered circle to an adjacent numbered circle following black dotted lines
2
Record movement
Write the destination circle number on the movement sheet in the next empty space to the right
3
Advance tracker
Move the black figure on the movement tracking strip to the next position corresponding to the current move number
4
Movement restrictions
Jack must move every turn (cannot stay on the same circle for two consecutive turns) and cannot pass through a crossing occupied by an investigator figure unless using a Coach
5
Use special movement
Instead of normal movement, Jack may use one blue special movement tile (Coach, Alley, or Boat)
6
Announce discovery
If Jack reaches a new discovery site, announce this at the end of the turn after Phase 3
7
Discuss strategy
Investigators may consult together before moving
8
Move in priority order
Move figures in priority order: yellow (1), then blue (2), then red (3)
9
Movement allowance
Each investigator figure may move 0, 1, or 2 crossings following dotted lines
10
Passing through
Investigators may pass through other figures but cannot end movement on a crossing occupied by another investigator
11
Choose one action
Each investigator figure must choose to either search for clues OR execute an arrest (not both)
12
Action range
The action range includes all numbered circles adjacent to the figure's crossing (connected by dotted line)
13
Announce circles
Declare numbered circles one at a time in any order where the figure wishes to investigate
14
Jack checks sheet
Jack checks if each announced number appears anywhere on the movement sheet for the current round
15
Mark clue found
If found, Jack places a yellow clue marker on that circle and the searching action ends immediately
16
Continue if not found
If not found, the investigator may continue checking other adjacent circles until a clue is found or all adjacent locations are checked
17
Declare one circle
Announce the number of one (and only one) adjacent circle, hoping to arrest Jack
18
Jack verifies position
Jack checks if the announced number matches Jack's current position (last number written in the current round's row)
19
Arrest outcome
If the numbers match, Jack is arrested and loses; if not, Jack provides no additional information
20
Coach (2 available)
Move two adjacent numbered circles at once (double movement); can pass through crossings with investigator figures; both circles must be different from each other and from the starting circle; write both numbers in order on the movement sheet
21
Alley (2 available)
Cut through a city block (area completely surrounded by black dotted lines containing no blue numbered circles) to move from one circle to another within the same block
22
Boat (2 available)
Move from one blue numbered circle to another blue numbered circle within the same water block (area surrounded by black and blue dotted lines containing blue numbered circles)
23
Tile placement
When using a special movement tile, place it face-up next to the movement tracking strip aligned with the move numbers used
24
Usage limit
Each special movement tile can only be used once per game
25
Discovery restriction
Special movement tiles cannot be used to reach a discovery site
26
Jack announces discovery
After Phase 3, if Jack reached a discovery site and wasn't arrested, announce reaching a new discovery site
27
Place red marker
Place a red discovery marker on the corresponding white numbered circle
28
Reset for new round
Return Jack's black figure to the "0" position, remove all yellow clue markers from the board (red markers stay), and discard special movement tiles used in the previous round
29
Record new starting position
Write the discovery site number in the grey space of the next row on the movement sheet
30
Begin new round
Start the new round with Phase 1

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Jack wins by completing discoveries
If Jack places all four red discovery site markers on the board without being arrested, Jack wins the game
2
Investigators win by arrest
If any investigator successfully arrests Jack by correctly guessing Jack's current position, the investigators collectively win
3
Investigators win by trapping Jack
If Jack cannot move (all adjacent circles are blocked by investigators and no Coach is available), Jack loses the game
4
Investigators win by timeout
If Jack uses all 15 possible moves in a round without reaching a new discovery site, Jack loses the game
5
Game duration
The game lasts a maximum of three rounds, with each round lasting up to 15 turns

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FULL rules

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