The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Why do those murder mystery games always start just after the fun is over?
It's always the same, you know. You and a group of your companions have all met for a dinner party, or a board meeting, or a conference, or some other gathering and somebody (or some one's body) turns up dead. Of course, you'd try to find the killer, to bring them to justice, to expose their heinous crime to the bright light of truth, punishment, justice, and all that is right.
But imagine the other side of the coin: You've come to a dinner party, thrown by the aptly-named Dr. J. Robert Lucky. Doctor Lucky has done something to you- it doesn't matter what. Perhaps he won't pay for your mother's operation. Perhaps you think he's an ex-Nazi. It could be that his work needs doing on the Other Side. Yet on the other hand, maybe you just feel the urge to kill. The only problem is that you've got witnesses- up to seven other folk who may turn you in. So you've got to do the old bastard in quietly, where you can't be seen.

At the stroke of midnight, the power goes out- all of you are trying to Kill Doctor Lucky.

Kill Doctor Lucky is a board game for 2-8 players, though five to six works out best. Unlike most other games, you don't get everything you need to play with the game. Those nutters at Cheapass Games have a certain credo about not selling you extra fiddly you probably already have lying around. After all, you're a gamer; do you really need an extra set of play money or funny pawns (dibs on the shoe)? It's a good concept that works.

With Lucky, you get a board, a set of 96 cards that have thus far held up pretty well, and a sheet of rules. All you provide are pawns and tokens for the players and the evil Dr. Lucky. (Currently, we use a d7 for the good Doctor, and typical players have been a small plastic hotdog, a pull tab, a Lego head, the lid of a beverage, a small crystal sphere, and any singularly identifiable bit of manufacturing.)

Play is simple. On your turn, you do one of the following: Search for a card, Move, or Kill Doctor Lucky. After your turn, Doctor Lucky himself moves around the mansion in a fixed path. If he walks into a room with a player, the turn swaps to that player. The clever murderer can lead the dottering old fool around the mansion to a nice secluded corner, gathering weapons, and finally making an attempt on his life. The final clever twist is the inclusion of Failure cards, the ability to foil a murder attempt. Once played, a Failure card stays out of that game, even though the deck may reshuffle. Eventually, all of the Failure cards are out of play, and any attack, be it the fearsome Monkey Paw, the Loud Noise (my favorite), or even a mere one-point poke in the eye will win the game.

After all, you're trying to Kill Doctor Lucky

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Kill Doctor Lucky
Author: James Erenst Category: game Company/Publisher: Cheapass Games Cost: $6.00 Page count: N/A Playtest Review by Mischa Krilov on 12/16/98. Genre tags: Diceless	Why do those murder mystery games always start just after the fun is over? It's always the same, you know. You and a group of your companions have all met for a dinner party, or a board meeting, or a conference, or some other gathering and somebody (or some one's body) turns up dead. Of course, you'd try to find the killer, to bring them to justice, to expose their heinous crime to the bright light of truth, punishment, justice, and all that is right. But imagine the other side of the coin: You've come to a dinner party, thrown by the aptly-named Dr. J. Robert Lucky. Doctor Lucky has done something to you- it doesn't matter what. Perhaps he won't pay for your mother's operation. Perhaps you think he's an ex-Nazi. It could be that his work needs doing on the Other Side. Yet on the other hand, maybe you just feel the urge to kill. The only problem is that you've got witnesses- up to seven other folk who may turn you in. So you've got to do the old bastard in quietly, where you can't be seen. At the stroke of midnight, the power goes out- all of you are trying to Kill Doctor Lucky. Kill Doctor Lucky is a board game for 2-8 players, though five to six works out best. Unlike most other games, you don't get everything you need to play with the game. Those nutters at Cheapass Games have a certain credo about not selling you extra fiddly you probably already have lying around. After all, you're a gamer; do you really need an extra set of play money or funny pawns (dibs on the shoe)? It's a good concept that works. With Lucky, you get a board, a set of 96 cards that have thus far held up pretty well, and a sheet of rules. All you provide are pawns and tokens for the players and the evil Dr. Lucky. (Currently, we use a d7 for the good Doctor, and typical players have been a small plastic hotdog, a pull tab, a Lego head, the lid of a beverage, a small crystal sphere, and any singularly identifiable bit of manufacturing.) Play is simple. On your turn, you do one of the following: Search for a card, Move, or Kill Doctor Lucky. After your turn, Doctor Lucky himself moves around the mansion in a fixed path. If he walks into a room with a player, the turn swaps to that player. The clever murderer can lead the dottering old fool around the mansion to a nice secluded corner, gathering weapons, and finally making an attempt on his life. The final clever twist is the inclusion of Failure cards, the ability to foil a murder attempt. Once played, a Failure card stays out of that game, even though the deck may reshuffle. Eventually, all of the Failure cards are out of play, and any attack, be it the fearsome Monkey Paw, the Loud Noise (my favorite), or even a mere one-point poke in the eye will win the game. After all, you're trying to Kill Doctor Lucky Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)