13 DEAD END DRIVE

OBJECT OF 13 DEAD END DRIVE: The object of 13 Dead End Drive is to be the last alive or have your portrait on the wall.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 players

MATERIALS: A rule book, the gameboard and assembled traps, 12 character pawns, 1 detective pawn, 13 character portraits,  12 character cards, and 29 traps cards.

TYPE OF GAME: Deduction Board Game

AUDIENCE: 9+

OVERVIEW OF 13 DEAD END DRIVE

13 Dead End Drive is a deduction game for 2 to 4 players. The goal of the game is to inherit the money of Aunt Agatha. This can be done by controlling the character whose portrait is on the way when that character leaves the house or when the detective enters the house. You can also win by being the only surviving character.

SETUP

The mansion should be assembled and setup. Each character pawn should have a stand and should be randomly placed on one of the red chairs in the center of the game board. The detective is placed on the starting position outside the mansion. The trap card deck, and the character card deck should be shuffled and set to the side. 

The portrait cards should have Aunt Agatha’s picture removed and be shuffled. Then aunt Agatha’s portrait added to the bottom of the deck. The deck should then be slipped with Aunt Agatha’s portrait facing out into the picture frame on the wall.

Now the character cards will be dealt facedown to each player according to the number of people playing. 4 players receive three cards each, 3 players receive 4 cards each, and 2 players receive 4 cards they can view, and 2 secret cards they cannot, each.

GAMEPLAY

All players will roll the dice and the player with the highest number goes first and proceeds left from them for the turn order.

To start the game, Aunt Agatha’s picture is removed from the frame and set on the couch. The picture shows the character who is the current inheritor. The player who has the character card is trying to escape the house to earn the money.

Movement

On a player’s turn, they will roll the 2 dice. On most rolls, you will move any two (not just your own, because you are trying to keep them secret) characters for the number of spaces from once die. For example, if you rolled a 2 and a 5 you will move one character 2 spaces and another character 5 spaces.

There are rules for movement. A pawn can only move horizontal or vertical, never diagonal. A pawn cannot move or land in the same space twice during a turn, this includes where they started. Characters cannot move through furniture, other characters, or walls (this does not include carpets, and the red chairs if other characters are blocking squares.) And a character cannot be moved a 2nd time or onto a trap until all pawns are moved off the starting red chairs.

There are 5 secret passages on the board. If you move onto one you may spend a movement to move to any other secret passage on the board.

If a player rolls a double it changes the rules a bit. A player may change the portrait but does not have to. The current picture will be moved to the back of the deck if you choose to change it. You will also move pawns you may choose to either move one pawn the total of the two dice or two pawns according to the one shared number each. If a dead character’s picture is revealed remove it and place it on the couch facedown.

Traps

If a pawn is moved onto a trap space, you may play a matching trap card from hand, but do not have to. If you do not you may draw a trap card. if it matches the trap you may play it, but also still do not have to. If you don’t play it, you will tell other players it doesn’t match and add it to your hand. if you play a matching trap card, the trap is triggered and the character on the space is killed. If at any point all the player’s characters are killed, they are out of the game.

If you draw a detective card, he is moved up a space, and you will draw a new card.

2-player Game

For a two-player game, the only special rules are that you will have 2 secret characters for the game. a player cannot be knocked out of the game. both players play until a win condition is met and then all secret cards are revealed to find a winner.

END OF GAME

The game can end in one of three ways. A player can move a pawn onto the game over tile at the front of the house, and the character pawn matches the portrait on the wall. The player who holds the character card for that pawn wins. The second way is the detective reaches the game over spot. This means the player who holds the character card of the current portrait wins. The final way to win is to be the only remaining character alive.

Amber Crook
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