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Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
- 1–8 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 1981
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,764
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Gumshoe
1985
Rules assistance for Gumshoe
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.1/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Gumshoe
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gumshoe is a board game released in 1985 for 1–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Gary Grady and its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, Storytelling, and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
The hardboiled detective in the Thirties. Players work as operatives for the Continental Detective Agency entering the exciting, exotic and dangerous underworld of 1934 San Francisco. From Chinatown to Nob Hill, from gambling dens to drawing rooms, from forgery to murder, Gumshoe splendidly captures the rough and tumble world of ‘the hard-boiled detective’. There is one case to solve each day over a period of nine days from July 3rd to July 11th 1934. The ‘Old Man of the Continental Detective Agency’ gives out assignments. Everything players need to dig out the clues, search out the suspects and figure out the solutions is here: detailed 1930s maps of San Francisco and the Bay Area, directories alphabetically listing thousands of people and places encountered in investigations, a case book with hundreds of clues to unravel, police mug shots with vital statistics on dozens of known criminals, dated newspapers, a fingerprint file, time sheets for recording the time spent on each clue, and case reports with the solutions to the cases. Gumshoe is not a role-playing game or a board game. It is a detective investigation game for the individual or team who work to solve a large number of cases. Game is from the makers of the innovative and award-winning Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. Gumshoe introduces several new gaming concepts, it continues the traditions of simple rules, elaborate and well-constructed plots, excellent writing and faithfulness to its period style, which made the Consulting Detective series so popular worldwide.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Sleuth Publications
Questions and answers
Gumshoe supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Gumshoe is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gumshoe for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Gumshoe has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Gumshoe belongs to these categories: Deduction and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, Storytelling, and Cooperative Game. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Gumshoe are: Gary Grady. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Gumshoe as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.