Country: England

Have you ever had the desire to walk the streets of Victorian London with Sherlock Holmes in search of Professor Moriarty? To search the docks for the giant rat Sumatra? To walk up Baker Street as the fog is rolling in and hear Holmes cry out, "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot!"? Now you can! You can enter the opium den beneath the Bar of Gold, but beware, that may be Colonel Sebastian Moran lurking around the corner. You can capture the mystery and excitement of Holmes' London in this challenging and informative game. You, the player, will match your deductive abilities against your opponents and the master sleuth himself, Sherlock Holmes.

In Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, you are presented with a mystery to solve, and it is then up to you to trace the threads of evidence through the byways and mansions of nineteenth century London. You will interview suspects, search the newspapers for clues, and put together the facts to reach a solution.

Why were two lions murdered in Hyde Park? Who is responsible for the missing paintings from the National Gallery? Who murdered Oswald Mason and why? These are just a few of the cases that will challenge your ingenuity and deductive abilities.

This is not a board game: No dice, no luck, but a challenge to your mental ability. The game has been thoroughly researched for Holmesian and Victorian accuracy so as to capture a feeling of that bygone era.

London was Treefrog's 2010 Essen release.

(Inspired by the history of the city from just after the Great Fire until 1900, the game has evolved since the description originally listed on the Treefrog website).

London is a 2-4 player game with a playing time of aproximately 90 minutes. Players select cards with varying powers of cashflow, victory points, and poverty penalties, and compete to manage them most efficiently.

"London lies devastated after the Great Fire of 1666. This is your opportunity to build a new city on the ashes of the old. It is up to you how you employ the talents of the people of London to this end. Will you favour the business classes, who will earn you money? Or would you prefer to spend more money than you can rightly afford on grand monuments and sumptuous palaces? You must also deal with the problem of rising poverty and how to employ the many paupers of the city. Throughout the game you will be forced to make tough decisions. To achieve one aim you must sacrifice another, which may open an opportunity for a competitor."

Nearly 250 years of progress is glimpsed in this game. Famous buildings and monuments of the era as well as engineering developments such as streetlights are illustrated on the cards.

The publisher calls London "a relatively simple game that can be played easily within ninety minutes."

Description below is quoted from Kris Hall's BGN interview with Martin Wallace:
http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comments/kris_hall_...
(Note: Some elements of the game described below have changed as shown in the final rulebook available online)

As with a lot of games, London is about scoring the most VPs. Players manage their hand, selecting cards to play into their building display by laying them out in a line. At some point a player will choose to run his city. They can activate their buildings in whatever order they prefer. The resulting actions can generate money and VPs, reduce poverty or have some other effect specified on the card. Some cards have an entry cost which must be paid before the action can be performed.

On Sunday September 2, 1666, Thomas Farriner, the baker to the King, forgot to put out the hearth fire in his shop. This simple act of negligence created a towering and lethal inferno which would eventually destroy 13,000 houses and leave nearly 90 percent of the city's population destitute and homeless...

You are no simple bystander to this tragedy; the future of London lies in your hands.

In The Great Fire of London 1666, the players are men of wealth and standing who own property around London. The Lord Mayor has failed to act and it is down to these mighty men to lead trained bands of militia to fight the fire and save the city. To do so they must decide which districts to sacrifice to the fire and which to protect. Remember, these same men own much of London, thus such choices will shape their own future and greatly affect their wealth and standing.

Use the trained bands to suppress the fire and explosives to destroy blocks of housing to create fire breaks and prevent its spread. Do you choose to protect your own homes, turning a blind eye and allowing the fire to consume your rival's property? Or will you stand as the hero of London, and choose to save as much of the city as possible?

Victory can belong to the player with the most property left after the ashes settle, but stopping the fire and saving London's most famous landmarks may win a more altruistic land owner the hearts and minds of the people.

Save the city, or watch it burn.

Game description from the publisher:

In New Scotland Yard: Crime Scene, there has been a murder in the heart of London and New Scotland Yard's team of Crime Scene Examiners are investigating the case. There are six pieces of evidence to find, and the race is on to locate each one before the crime scenes are contaminated and the evidence is lost forever.

First, you must collect the forensic test equipment you will need for the investigation. Then, racing around London, you must find where each piece of evidence is located. Visit the scenes, study the clues and perform forensic tests using the tools included in the game. This may sound easy, but speed, a keen eye and attention to detail are essential to success. There is multiple evidence in each location and you will need to use your forensic test equipment with skill and accuracy to ensure you get the correct results.

Once you have successfully determined the location of all six pieces of evidence, return quickly to Scotland Yard and present your findings to the Detective Superintendent ... but be quick, the police are counting on you.

During the second third of the 19th century, a rapid development of railway transport got under way. All over the world, the railway networks were growing and steam engines accelerated the progress. 175 years ago, on December 7 1835 to be precise, the first German train powered by a steam engine started operating between Nuremberg and Fürth, transporting passengers and goods. In England’s region of Wensleydale transport of goods via railway tracks was started 13 years later.
First Train to Nuremberg is a revised edition of Last Train to Wensleydale. You take the role of a railway promoter, backed by the investments of hundreds of local landowners. Your aim is to build lines that can make a profit from the transport of passengers and goods. However, money is not the only resource you require. Many locals will oppose your schemes and only with influence in the government will you be able to build over their land. Your company is far too small to be able to have its own engine works, so contacts with the major operators will help you acquire second-hand trains and rolling stock. You will also need to be on good terms with the two local railway companies. Without their support you will not be able to link to their networks, nor will you be able to negotiate the sale of your lines when they become unprofitable (as they surely will).

With First Train to Nuremberg now two players can fully enjoy this extraordinary train game as well. Instead of cheese and stone, now beer and mail will be transported, besides passengers of course. There is a new challenge when transporting passengers: They can travel first class now and thus you will gain more victory points but on the other hand, you have to buy trains that are more expensive. Additionally, you may benefit from the first connection between Nuremberg and Fürth and receive extra victory points, which may be crucial for winning the game. What’s more, you may play the original game of Last Train to Wensleydale on the flip side of the game board, or almost so. Some slight changes of the original rules work with that map as well as the rules of the first edition.