One of the cons I list for this box is that the map is dark and hard to read. I know from a bgg thread that it was not just my copy. BUT I have heard from someone who just purchased the game that the map looks a lot better. So it may be that new printings have a better brighter map! Your mileage may vary. If anyone knows any more about this let us know! -jesse
Great points about variety of mysteries types/mechanics and the amount of content you get for one box. It was really fun to play with a group during the streams. Lots of good debates and fun moments when someone would crack a code. Side note: It's always fun to spot a "new" game on Jesse's shelf.
Advice: Watch at 2x speed to save 15 minutes of your life. ps. This video was uploaded at 4k several days ago but it's still not available in 4k on youtube, which is still "processing" it.
Very thorough review. I wholeheartedly agree with all the positives. For me the map wasn't an issue and I like to use newspapers. But I see your point for new players.
This is my next project. I already have the game. I love Sherlock Holmes having completed decades ago all 4 Consulting Detective releases in the 1980's and one in the 1990's. Just finished reading "Sherlock Holmes --- The Novel Collection" and now am eager to work on a new series of investigations. Your review whetted my appetite even more.
Thank you so much for this in-depth review Jesse. I just came across your channel while looking for the review of Sherlock holmes consulting detective. You covered so many things that many other reviewers did not. Thanks again for doing this.
This was the first SHCD game I played and I was INSTANTLY hooked. That said, it's not actually my favourite of the SHCD boxes - I understand the reasoning behind the 'alphabet trail' system, but I personally found it a little restrictive. There were times when my group got a step or two ahead of the detectives, and wanted to go to a particular place, but couldn't get any information from it until we'd got the 'official' clue from somewhere else. In terms of the individual cases, it varies. Some of them I absolutely loved, like the 'Red River Valley' case - which I gather wasn't one of your favourites - and the one with Wiggins' mother. Others I found a little frustrating, and wasn't so happy with the clues or solutions - but that's always going to be the case with this type of game. I do appreciate Neale's willingness to play around with the game mechanics a bit, e.g. in the last case (and I loved the call-back to 'Red River Valley' as well). No disagreement with you on the extremely high quality of the writing, plots etc. I'd personally give it an 8/10, which may seem a bit low, but for me 10/10 means "absolutely perfect, no flaws whatsoever" and I've never found a game like that yet. Just one slight quibble: 'Thames' is pronounced 'tems'. ;) Otherwise great review, as always.
Sometimes I have blinders on that my preferences will be the same as others -- it's always good for me to be reminded that with these games we may have different opinions on our favorite games. So did you like the Thames box better? -jesse
Yes, the Thames Murders box is my favourite - particularly the titular case, which was complex but very clever. Oh, the hours my family and I spent trying to work out exactly what had happened, and in what order...
Thank you for posting this. As a total newcomer I was looking for advice and guidance, which you provided wonderfully. I’m now looking on the internet where to buy it in the UK !
First game completed !!! You were completely right !! Loved the game, took five hours but enjoyed every minute and despite lots of visits to locations in London, detected who the killer was and why & ended up scoring 35 points. I have to admit that I purchased all four boxes at once…..and I’m so glad I did….. now got another 39 cases to complete. Thank you again for such a great review Jesse
Thank you for saying so :) In case you don't know, it is based on the US television show "The Odd Couple", one of my favorite shows of all time. -jesse
This is a game that is best played either solo or with your significant other. If you don’t like reading or reading long passages aloud, or going over and over pieces of evidence, this isn’t for you. However, if you enjoy reading, literary puzzles, and really digging into details, you’ll have a blast. This is NOT a game for kids. Nor is it a party game. If you bring this out at a party, prepare to immediately kill your party. This is for long evenings and patient players who enjoy reading a good mystery.
Excellent video, Jesse! I just subscribed to your channel. I’m looking forward to watching your play throughs while I play in case I get stuck, which I absolutely know will happen. 😂
Would love to hear what you think of the cases as you make your way through them. Take your time and take them seriously and enjoy the writing :) -jesse
@@COOPFORTWO Will do, Jesse, and yes, that is exactly what I plan to do. I’m a huge SH fan, so no way I’m rushing through this. Since this is a Christmas gift to myself, I won’t be starting it yet, but I’ll let you know my thoughts. Just checked out the beginning of your play through and I can already tell that is exactly what I was hoping to find, so thanks in advance!
Well, you sold me Jesse - going to start with Thames Murders latest reprint (even with the caveats you mentioned by beginning there). Besides “Clue” haha I think my earliest mystery solving experience was the two gem PC games The Colonel’s Bequest and it’s sequel Dagger of Amon Ra. Sadly, typing/point and click adventure games went by the wayside beyond the 1990s…
Let me know what you think of it once you play a couple of cases from it! If you find that the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series is not for you, there are a bunch of related genres that play completely differently (Cold Case / Mystery Suspects games, like the IdVenture series, and the more puzzle-focused games, like Hunt a Killer or Deadbolt Mystery Society). -jesse
Great video. I've not tried any, and bureau of investigation is the one that caught my eye... it's the whole mythos thing... but was looking for an overview on them all. But... It's the Thames, pronounced the Tems ;)
@@COOPFORTWO Well.. it made me smile everytime you said it... so it had its value :) And slowly going through the videos. Well, at least to the point where you say... "Okay, there'll be sploilers from this point". Which is very much appreciated. But I am picking up copies of Bureau and Baker Street tomorrow... so I'll be back to let you know how I got on as I work my way through them. Thanks again for the videos :)
I've added a link to another good youtube review; as always please feel free to provide links to other reviews you think are worth linking to in the description. -jesse
Thank you, Jesse. Great video. Separate question unrelated to Baker Street Irregulars, but is Jack the Ripper a case that is included in one of the old, original boxes or is that only in the Space Cowboy version? None of the old boxes actually reference "Jack the Ripper" in the title (as far as I can tell), so just wanted to check with you...
Hi Eric. Yes, Space Cowboys took the original West End Adventures cases, and combined it with a connected set of 3 new cases, the Jack the Ripper cases, to make there Red Box reissue titled "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Jack the Ripper and West End Adventures". We have actually started playing through some of the west end adventures cases, and comparing the old box to the new -- lots of changes actually. The 3 Jack the ripper cases are new to the Space Cowboys version, and while artistically and experimentally they are a wonder, I did not have much fun playing them. The fact that the mystery has no real solution was frustrating, but I also played it in a setting that was probably not helping my enjoyment. -jesse
@@COOPFORTWO Thanks very much! Your reply prompted me to search your videos and I then watched the first two-and-a-half hours comparing the old and new West End Adventures. Great to know! I would have otherwise thought it was a straight reprint.
Yes. It must be the shirt, simply because it can't be anything else. See, that's logical deduction in action. I have the beautiful green Bakerstreet box in my collection, just waiting to be played. But... I need to complete the Queen's Park affair from the Carlton House box first. Thanks to this video, I am super motivated to get stuck in over the Christmas holidays, along with my main co-investigator.
@@thinusconradie4297 I have yet to play Queen's Park(!) We are saving it for a special occasion. So looking forward to it (I think we'll probably play the standalone original release of it though, I know there is some disagreement about which is better). -jesse
From 06:36 to 09:09, or 2 minutes and 33 seconds, I got the following points: 1. analog parts; no need for dice, counters, turns, gameplay rules, etc. 2. therefore, uniquely immersive; free form 3. very "human" crimes, e.g. very human, very classic, psychological narratives (?) I want to stress that it's not how long it took to cover those three points. It can be effectively done in 15 seconds or 150 seconds. When I read your comment, I realized I could not recall those three (two?) points from just listening (nor really much else from the video... oof). I could only recall your mention of "analog parts" since that was an "unusual" and "precise" word👌. To write down these three, I had to replay it and write down each time you said something... which would be immediately lost in unrelated narrative. The truism near the beginning regarding the wide range of player enjoyment is also pretty irrelevant to "what's special about SHCD," don't you think? Truisms and other trite comments (e.g. "people LOVE this game; others HATE it" can be useful though, e.g. for humour and signposting or orientation, such as for transitions... but notice how they should stay short. A side note: the third point is not special about SHCD though as many other mystery games (e.g. Chronicles) have that as it's part of the "diverse audience appeal and contribution" since you want to appeal to people who have, uh, very "formed" beliefs about "how people are" (really, it's just how people "should be" in their opinion, but projected), and are intent on applying them or being "rewarded" (i.e., their hunch was "right"!) for following said intuitions and beliefs. I gave it a thumbs up though, because of the shirt--it compliments the background).
Your first box should be EITHER The Thames Murders or the Baker Street Irregulars. I think the Baker Street Irregulars is the best box so I would start there. It doesn't require any experience with the other boxes even though its the most recent. Then Thames Murders would be your second box. For the third box, I'd probably play the red box, (Jack the Ripper & West end Adventures) but skip the Jack the Ripper cases (or at least leave them till laste). And then play the blue box last (Carlton House & Queens Park).
the last case is only 1.5x longer for us or almost equal. though i didnt like the last last part of it. It was fun hysterically looking at 6 newspapers finding a needle of info haha
In my opinion it is a significant improvement over the cases in the Thames Murders box, and almost all of the cases are more clearly resolved which will be less frustrating to you. Having said that, the general experience of playing the game is similar, so if you didn't enjoy the turn by turn storytelling of the Thames box, this one isn't going to magically fix that. -jesse
Jesse my friend good review, what can you recommend to me from games like Sherlock Holmes but it need to be dark adult horror mystery like Jack The Ripper, that kind type of games
Well I really with there were more adult horror themed games of this type. Unfortunately there are not too many games in this particular genre, and the closest you can get is supernatural cases in two sets: Mythos Tales and Bureau of Investigation. Neither of those are particularly adult but they do get closer to supernatural horror. If you are willing to go to an adjacent genre, the horror ESCAPE ROOM game, which is much more about puzzle solving and less about deduction, then you could try Deadbolt Mystery Society games which involve serial killers and murder. -jesse
One of the cons I list for this box is that the map is dark and hard to read. I know from a bgg thread that it was not just my copy. BUT I have heard from someone who just purchased the game that the map looks a lot better. So it may be that new printings have a better brighter map! Your mileage may vary. If anyone knows any more about this let us know! -jesse
I just bought the game. The map is very similar to the thames murder box. It's bright
@@yashkaran1 Good to hear they have fixed the dark map!
Great points about variety of mysteries types/mechanics and the amount of content you get for one box.
It was really fun to play with a group during the streams. Lots of good debates and fun moments when someone would crack a code.
Side note: It's always fun to spot a "new" game on Jesse's shelf.
Advice: Watch at 2x speed to save 15 minutes of your life.
ps. This video was uploaded at 4k several days ago but it's still not available in 4k on youtube, which is still "processing" it.
Very thorough review. I wholeheartedly agree with all the positives. For me the map wasn't an issue and I like to use newspapers. But I see your point for new players.
This is my next project. I already have the game. I love Sherlock Holmes having completed decades ago all 4 Consulting Detective releases in the 1980's and one in the 1990's. Just finished reading "Sherlock Holmes --- The Novel Collection" and now am eager to work on a new series of investigations. Your review whetted my appetite even more.
Well you've got some good times ahead of you. -jesse
Thank you so much for this in-depth review Jesse. I just came across your channel while looking for the review of Sherlock holmes consulting detective. You covered so many things that many other reviewers did not. Thanks again for doing this.
Hey it's so nice to read a comment like this -- makes doing these reviews all the more satisfying. Hope you enjoy the game!
-jesse
This was the first SHCD game I played and I was INSTANTLY hooked. That said, it's not actually my favourite of the SHCD boxes - I understand the reasoning behind the 'alphabet trail' system, but I personally found it a little restrictive. There were times when my group got a step or two ahead of the detectives, and wanted to go to a particular place, but couldn't get any information from it until we'd got the 'official' clue from somewhere else.
In terms of the individual cases, it varies. Some of them I absolutely loved, like the 'Red River Valley' case - which I gather wasn't one of your favourites - and the one with Wiggins' mother. Others I found a little frustrating, and wasn't so happy with the clues or solutions - but that's always going to be the case with this type of game. I do appreciate Neale's willingness to play around with the game mechanics a bit, e.g. in the last case (and I loved the call-back to 'Red River Valley' as well).
No disagreement with you on the extremely high quality of the writing, plots etc. I'd personally give it an 8/10, which may seem a bit low, but for me 10/10 means "absolutely perfect, no flaws whatsoever" and I've never found a game like that yet.
Just one slight quibble: 'Thames' is pronounced 'tems'. ;) Otherwise great review, as always.
Sometimes I have blinders on that my preferences will be the same as others -- it's always good for me to be reminded that with these games we may have different opinions on our favorite games. So did you like the Thames box better? -jesse
Yes, the Thames Murders box is my favourite - particularly the titular case, which was complex but very clever. Oh, the hours my family and I spent trying to work out exactly what had happened, and in what order...
Thank you for posting this. As a total newcomer I was looking for advice and guidance, which you provided wonderfully. I’m now looking on the internet where to buy it in the UK !
Glad to hear it -- I hope you'll come back and let us know what you think of the game once you get a chance to play it. -jesse
First game completed !!!
You were completely right !! Loved the game, took five hours but enjoyed every minute and despite lots of visits to locations in London, detected who the killer was and why & ended up scoring 35 points.
I have to admit that I purchased all four boxes at once…..and I’m so glad I did….. now got another 39 cases to complete.
Thank you again for such a great review Jesse
@@guywilton7471 Awesome, that's what I love to hear. :) -jesse
Your intro is the best EVER ❤❤❤
Thank you for saying so :) In case you don't know, it is based on the US television show "The Odd Couple", one of my favorite shows of all time. -jesse
This is a game that is best played either solo or with your significant other. If you don’t like reading or reading long passages aloud, or going over and over pieces of evidence, this isn’t for you.
However, if you enjoy reading, literary puzzles, and really digging into details, you’ll have a blast.
This is NOT a game for kids. Nor is it a party game. If you bring this out at a party, prepare to immediately kill your party. This is for long evenings and patient players who enjoy reading a good mystery.
Excellent video, Jesse! I just subscribed to your channel. I’m looking forward to watching your play throughs while I play in case I get stuck, which I absolutely know will happen. 😂
Would love to hear what you think of the cases as you make your way through them. Take your time and take them seriously and enjoy the writing :) -jesse
@@COOPFORTWO Will do, Jesse, and yes, that is exactly what I plan to do. I’m a huge SH fan, so no way I’m rushing through this. Since this is a Christmas gift to myself, I won’t be starting it yet, but I’ll let you know my thoughts.
Just checked out the beginning of your play through and I can already tell that is exactly what I was hoping to find, so thanks in advance!
@@anthonycanduci7166 Awesome. I can't think of a better christmas gift to yourself -- it's like buying a time travel ticket.
@@COOPFORTWO Ha ha, yes! 👍
Well, you sold me Jesse - going to start with Thames Murders latest reprint (even with the caveats you mentioned by beginning there). Besides “Clue” haha I think my earliest mystery solving experience was the two gem PC games The Colonel’s Bequest and it’s sequel Dagger of Amon Ra. Sadly, typing/point and click adventure games went by the wayside beyond the 1990s…
Let me know what you think of it once you play a couple of cases from it!
If you find that the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series is not for you, there are a bunch of related genres that play completely differently (Cold Case / Mystery Suspects games, like the IdVenture series, and the more puzzle-focused games, like Hunt a Killer or Deadbolt Mystery Society). -jesse
Great video. I've not tried any, and bureau of investigation is the one that caught my eye... it's the whole mythos thing... but was looking for an overview on them all.
But... It's the Thames, pronounced the Tems ;)
I've pronounced it every way other than the correct way. I'll get it right one day!
@@COOPFORTWO Well.. it made me smile everytime you said it... so it had its value :)
And slowly going through the videos. Well, at least to the point where you say... "Okay, there'll be sploilers from this point". Which is very much appreciated.
But I am picking up copies of Bureau and Baker Street tomorrow... so I'll be back to let you know how I got on as I work my way through them.
Thanks again for the videos :)
@@neilgooge would love to hear what you think of them after you get a chance to play them.
I've added a link to another good youtube review; as always please feel free to provide links to other reviews you think are worth linking to in the description. -jesse
Thank you, Jesse. Great video. Separate question unrelated to Baker Street Irregulars, but is Jack the Ripper a case that is included in one of the old, original boxes or is that only in the Space Cowboy version? None of the old boxes actually reference "Jack the Ripper" in the title (as far as I can tell), so just wanted to check with you...
Hi Eric.
Yes, Space Cowboys took the original West End Adventures cases, and combined it with a connected set of 3 new cases, the Jack the Ripper cases, to make there Red Box reissue titled "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Jack the Ripper and West End Adventures".
We have actually started playing through some of the west end adventures cases, and comparing the old box to the new -- lots of changes actually.
The 3 Jack the ripper cases are new to the Space Cowboys version, and while artistically and experimentally they are a wonder, I did not have much fun playing them. The fact that the mystery has no real solution was frustrating, but I also played it in a setting that was probably not helping my enjoyment. -jesse
@@COOPFORTWO Thanks very much! Your reply prompted me to search your videos and I then watched the first two-and-a-half hours comparing the old and new West End Adventures. Great to know! I would have otherwise thought it was a straight reprint.
Of all my videos.. this is the one that has a couple of thumbs downs.. I can only assume that is related to the shirt I chose to wear.
I like the shirt!
@@Apiphany69 Careful, you might get some thumbs down too now :)
Yes. It must be the shirt, simply because it can't be anything else. See, that's logical deduction in action.
I have the beautiful green Bakerstreet box in my collection, just waiting to be played. But... I need to complete the Queen's Park affair from the Carlton House box first. Thanks to this video, I am super motivated to get stuck in over the Christmas holidays, along with my main co-investigator.
@@thinusconradie4297 I have yet to play Queen's Park(!) We are saving it for a special occasion. So looking forward to it (I think we'll probably play the standalone original release of it though, I know there is some disagreement about which is better). -jesse
From 06:36 to 09:09, or 2 minutes and 33 seconds, I got the following points:
1. analog parts; no need for dice, counters, turns, gameplay rules, etc.
2. therefore, uniquely immersive; free form
3. very "human" crimes, e.g. very human, very classic, psychological narratives (?)
I want to stress that it's not how long it took to cover those three points. It can be effectively done in 15 seconds or 150 seconds. When I read your comment, I realized I could not recall those three (two?) points from just listening (nor really much else from the video... oof). I could only recall your mention of "analog parts" since that was an "unusual" and "precise" word👌. To write down these three, I had to replay it and write down each time you said something... which would be immediately lost in unrelated narrative. The truism near the beginning regarding the wide range of player enjoyment is also pretty irrelevant to "what's special about SHCD," don't you think? Truisms and other trite comments (e.g. "people LOVE this game; others HATE it" can be useful though, e.g. for humour and signposting or orientation, such as for transitions... but notice how they should stay short.
A side note: the third point is not special about SHCD though as many other mystery games (e.g. Chronicles) have that as it's part of the "diverse audience appeal and contribution" since you want to appeal to people who have, uh, very "formed" beliefs about "how people are" (really, it's just how people "should be" in their opinion, but projected), and are intent on applying them or being "rewarded" (i.e., their hunch was "right"!) for following said intuitions and beliefs. I gave it a thumbs up though, because of the shirt--it compliments the background).
Hi!
In which order should you play the four boxes?
Best regards jonas
Your first box should be EITHER The Thames Murders or the Baker Street Irregulars. I think the Baker Street Irregulars is the best box so I would start there. It doesn't require any experience with the other boxes even though its the most recent.
Then Thames Murders would be your second box.
For the third box, I'd probably play the red box, (Jack the Ripper & West end Adventures) but skip the Jack the Ripper cases (or at least leave them till laste).
And then play the blue box last (Carlton House & Queens Park).
👍 thanks!
the last case is only 1.5x longer for us or almost equal. though i didnt like the last last part of it.
It was fun hysterically looking at 6 newspapers finding a needle of info haha
Yeah having to go through all those papers is kind of crazy.
Did it improve upon the Thames murders? Our group started with that box and found it maddeningly inconsistent
In my opinion it is a significant improvement over the cases in the Thames Murders box, and almost all of the cases are more clearly resolved which will be less frustrating to you. Having said that, the general experience of playing the game is similar, so if you didn't enjoy the turn by turn storytelling of the Thames box, this one isn't going to magically fix that. -jesse
Jesse my friend good review, what can you recommend to me from games like Sherlock Holmes but it need to be dark adult horror mystery like Jack The Ripper, that kind type of games
Well I really with there were more adult horror themed games of this type. Unfortunately there are not too many games in this particular genre, and the closest you can get is supernatural cases in two sets: Mythos Tales and Bureau of Investigation. Neither of those are particularly adult but they do get closer to supernatural horror. If you are willing to go to an adjacent genre, the horror ESCAPE ROOM game, which is much more about puzzle solving and less about deduction, then you could try Deadbolt Mystery Society games which involve serial killers and murder. -jesse
Great set of games, don’t try and beat Mr Holmes though