Murder mystery games can’t get any better and simpler with this Foul Play card game that can be played on the go! Foul Play is a card-based murder mystery game, that is suitable for aged eight and above and can be played with two to five players. It comes as a pack of cards that is easy to carry and store.
There are two ways of playing this game! You can choose either to be a good cop or a bad cop to catch the villain! There are slightly different rules and tactics required depending on if you are playing good or bad cop. For good cop, you will need to identify the suspect, whereas with bad cop, you just need three evidence cards to win. Currently, there are two card games available: Once Upon A Crime (available from 1st July 2021) and The Manor House Murder.
Once Upon A Crime takes you back to a crime committed in Storybook land. Carabosse the Evil Fairy has been murdered and her Big Book of Villainy has been stolen. You have to find out who is the potential perpetrator from the eight suspects by gathering the evidence. The eight suspects are: Thumbelina, Dick Whittington, Red Riding Hood, The Pied Piper, Sinbad The Sailor, Goldilocks, The Swan Princess and Prince Charming. Who fits the bill?
There are 51 game cards with four instruction cards. To begin, from the total of 15 evidence cards, pick one blue (Evidence A), one green (Evidence B) and one purple (Evidence C) to mix it into the rest of the cards. Discard the remaining 12 evidence cards back into the box.
To set up the game, firstly deal nine cards in a 3 x 3 grid face down in the centre of the table. This is the Crime Scene. Then each player gets five cards if you are playing Good Cop, or seven cards if playing Bad Cop. The rest of the cards will be placed next to the Crime Scene and this is the Evidence Locker. The Discard Pile will be created on the opposite side of the crime scene once the play begins.
On the Foul Play website, they have a very helpful tutorial video to help you set up for both games: https://www.foulplaygame.co.uk/how-to-play. I find that watching the instructions through videos is much easier than reading them.
In this game, there is a lot of swapping of cards either with other players or via the crime scene. It is like a memory game. You have to remember the details as much as possible, just in case, someone takes your evidence cards away! Also, you need to have a good memory to remember how each of the suspects looks too! It is a challenging game that keeps our mind sharp! It is fun to play, especially as you need to keep cool and not let others know what you know.
Next, we have the Manor House Murder card game. This is their first-ever mystery murder card game! It is based in Edwardian England where the Lord of the Manor is found dead. The game set-up is exactly the same as the Once Upon A Crime, except there are 52 cards in this game, along with four instruction cards. There are eight suspects: Housekeeper, Governess, Chauffeur, Butler, Maid, Cook, Gardener and Stablehand. Will you choose to be a good cop or a bad cop to solve this murder!
I love that this is not a one-play murder mystery game. Each game you play, you always have a different killer. This game is quite similar to Cluedo, except this game can be played on the go. The cards are well made and the game concept is great. The game is priced at £8.95, which is very good value for money. Definitely a great travel game to pack and play with your family!
Disclosure: We received the samples for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.