Does this box cover bring back memories? It sure does for me! We played this all the time as kids and in retro cool style Winning Moves Games has brought it back for your kids to try! The friends and staff of wealthy old Aunt Agatha are vying to inherit her fortune and every one of them is shady! So shady they're each willing to knock off all the others to be the sole beneficiary!
While the theme of 13 Dead End Drive is classic to every detective series ever, the funnest parts of the game are the traps. How will each character go? Crushed beneath a toppled statue? Sudden fall from the bookcase? Chandelier drop? Fireplace flip? Maybe a good ole fashioned fall down the stairs? All are possible. And even better, multiple times!
How to Play
The set-up takes a little effort but it's worth it for those traps. The 13 characters start around the main table. Each turn a player rolls the dice and moves one character (ANY character, it doesn't have to be one in your hand) for each die. All the characters have to be in play to keep things interesting and you keep your cards to yourself, so part of the fun is guessing who is playing the other characters NOT in your hand. Every time you maneuver a character onto a trap square you draw a Trap Card which will either match a trap or traps, a Wild card that can be used on any trap on the board, or a Detective card that advances the Detective character one space.
If you roll doubles you can change the character portrait over the fireplace, which is the current favorite beneficiary to the fortune. If the character whose portrait is showing escapes the house, that's a win. Alternatively, if the Detective reaches the front door whichever character is above the fireplace is the winner. Or, just be the last one standing by eliminating all the competition and you win! (By far the most entertaining way to win.)
House Rule Variation
We played with four people and a slight variation on the official rules. Instead of the Detective arriving and random chance deciding a winner, when he reached the front door we all voted on a character to be "taken in for questioning" and eliminated from play. Sometimes we went two or three rounds to come to a majority rule, but it always worked and allowed us to keep the characters in play while we worked through the deck. Playing this variation eliminates the need for the portrait cards to change. It's just straight up cutthroat.
We recommend you start the regular way for maximum learning! For some guidance and tips, Winning Moves Games has a short video:
Where to Purchase
You can buy 13 Dead End Drive directly from Winning Moves Games via their website. It's also available at Barnes & Noble and from Amazon.
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Disclosure: The products in this post were provided by Winning Moves Games. As always, our posts are our own, honest opinions.