MR JACK

OBJECTIVE OF MR JACK: The objective of Mr Jack depends on which role the player is playing. As Jack, the player is attempting to avoid getting caught by the detective over the course of eight turns. If the player is the detective, they have eight rounds to find Mr. Jack.  

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 Players 

MATERIALS: 1 Game Board, 8 Alibi Cards, 8 Character Cards, 1 Double-Sided Witness Card, 2 Police Cordon Tokens, 6 Lit Gaslight Tiles, 2 Covered Manhole Tiles, 1 Turn-Counter Token, 8 Character Tokens, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Grid Movement Board Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 9 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF MR JACK 

Throughout the game, the players play two opposing roles. One player will play the role of Jack the Ripper, while the other will play a private investigator who is right on his tale. Jack the Ripper must either get out of town or avoid accusation. With eight characters on the board, the investigator must be careful, as he is only permitted to make one accusation throughout the course of the game. Will Jack be able to stay in the dark, or will his terrible ways be brought to light very quickly? 

SETUP 

The players will begin by choosing which player will play what role. The detective will face the board, standing up, with the yellow edge directly ahead of him. On the other side of the board, Jack will be positioned, seeing the area upside down, ensuring that the grey edge is in front of them. The manhole covers and gaslight cards are placed on the board in their assigned spaces.  

All of the character cards should be facing with their suspect side up, and four of them should be oriented in the dark, with the other four being placed in the light. The character cards are shuffled and placed beside the board, with the alibi cards placed beside them. The witness card is placed beside the board, ensuring that the face up side is showing Jack seen.  

The player who has taken on the role of Jack will draw a single alibi card, showing them which character they will impersonate during the gameplay. This character is the only one who does not have an alibi, and Jack should ensure that they keep this character secret throughout the course of the game. The game is then ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

The game is played over the course of eight rounds or less. During the turn, two characters are played by each player. During the odd turns, the detective will choose a character to play, using their special ability if they wish. Jack will then play two-character cards, using both of their abilities. Finally, the detective will play the last character card. On the even turns, the number of cards that the player will play is switched.  

Once all of the characters are played, Jack must announce to his opponent if he can be seen or not. If the character that Jack is impersonating is beside another character or on a lighted hex, then they are able to be seen. If Jack places the Witness card beside the board with the Seen side up, then the characters who are in the dark are innocent. The detective may then switch them to their innocent side, ensuring that they do not chance the location of the card.  

If Jack places the Witness card beside the board with the opposite side showing, then he is still hidden in the dark, and the detective is able to flip all of the characters in the light to innocent. If Jack is not able to be seen, he is able to try and leave the district during the next turn, so the detective should ensure that all exits are covered.  

At the end of each turn, some of the gaslights may go out, and these are removed for the remainder of the game. The gaslights that are going out are found on the turn track. Once all of the steps have been completed, the next turn is able to begin. The turn counter is progressed one space.  

END OF GAME 

There are three ways in which the game may come to an end. If Jack manages to leave the area, moving their character out of the district, then they win the game. If the detective catches Jack, then the detective wins the game. On the other hand, if the detective is wrong, then Jack escapes, and he wins the game! 

Ellie Phillips
Latest posts by Ellie Phillips (see all)
×