Title: Tabletop Review: Mr. Jack
Author: NiteFenix
Recovered Author: NiteFenix
Published Date: 2017-03-09
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2017/03/tabletop-review-mr-jack
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170713054253id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2017/03/tabletop-review-mr-jack/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Tabletop Game Review
Tags: 2 player game, board game, featured, jack the ripper, mr. jack, sleuthing, table top games, Table top review

- Developer Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc, Pierô
- Publisher Hurrican, Neuroludic
- Distributor Solar Pop
- Where we got our copy Timeless Boardgames
- Table top type Board Games
- Players 2
- Where to buy Timeless Boardgames

- NiteFenix

- 4 months ago

- 0 0

Jack The Ripper has gone down in history as one of the most notorious and despicable serial killers to have ever existed. Many theories have been passed around as to the possible identity of the butcher of White Chapel. We are not here to speculate that, although it would certainly be a fun article for community discussion. No, we are here today to look at a board game adaptation of the aftermath of the killings. The hunt for Jack is on. Let’s find out if Mr. Jack is as wiley and clever as the killer himself.

Mr. Jack is a 2-player board game in which one of the two players assumes the identity of Jack The Ripper and the other has the goal of capturing the stealthy killer. Jack can literally be any one of the eight playable characters, who consists of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Sergeant Goodley and several others that are a little less known.

Mr. Jack is an interesting game in the sense that it’s both simple and complicated at the same time. The basic goal is for Jack to escape, while his/her opponent needs to capture Jack. Every game starts with a pre-determined setup as illustrated in the rulebook (which is very well designed in my humble opinion with a foldout which enables you to view the rules at the same time). The board is divided into hexes in which the characters (represented by tokens) can move as determined by their character limitations. Some characters can move before their special ability (more on that later) and some after. At the start of the game an alibi card is drawn by Jack and this reveals to Jack what his secret identity is. The detective is then tasked with figuring out who Jack is before the timer runs out or before Jack escapes.

The whole game works through the interesting gimmick that is lamp lights. Using a token, at the end of each round, depending on whether or not Jack is lit by a lamplight, the player controlling Jack’s hidden identity must flip the card indicating whether or not Jack is currently visible or not. Thus, by process of elimination, the detective can figure out who Jack is. Throughout the board, there are certain items that can aid or impede either player namely manhole covers, buildings, lamplights and police barriers.

Each round works a little different. On the first round (and every round thereafter), four completely random character cards are drawn and players are then to play said cards in the order of detective, then Jack plays two, followed by the detective playing the last character. This reverses in the following round with Jack playing one, the detective playing two and then Jack playing one again. Each character has their own special abilities with examples including Holmes’ ability to Deduce based on evidence, presented to him. Watson has a lantern with which he can light other players in his direct line of site, Lastrade can move barriers from one end of the board to another, Miss Stealthy can jump whole buildings, and many more.

An easy way to summarize a Jack playthrough would be to say that as Jack you need to ensure that the player token that is Jack’s secret identity needs to stay out of the light as long as possible to avoid your identity being found out. What makes the game harder as the rounds progress is that certain lamplights are removed after every round, thus making it harder to reveal Jack. At the end of each round, characters who are visible and who are not Jack have their tokens flipped over and a greyed out version of the character is revealed on the opposite side.

In order for Jack to win and escape, he needs to be invisible (ie. not lighted by a lamplight) and escape through a corner of the board that is not covered by a police barricade. If all rounds are completed without Jack being identified, the player playing Jack wins. If the detective figures out (or thinks he/she has figured out) who Jack is, he/she may (and only if Jack is lit and visible) accuse said character of being Jack. If the detective is correct, he/she wins. If the detective is incorrect, Jack escapes immediately and wins the game. Jack may not escape if he is lit and visible.

So that’s a basic description of how the game works. Now you’re wondering what my thoughts are on it, aren’t you? Mr. Jack is a fun, if not interesting concept which will enthrall anybody who enjoys social board gaming. The problem is, there are only so many times that you can play the game before it gets boring. Some of the rules in the rulebook are not very clearly laid out, like for example Holme’s ability to deduce. It is explained in the rulebook that Holmes may pick up an Alibi card, but it isn’t explicitly explained whether or not the player may look at said card. Being avid board gamers, my wife and I made a house rule where we decided to look at the card, which we assumed was correct. The next gripe I had with Mr. Jack was the fact that unless you concentrate on the game and planned several moves ahead, which might be difficult for some, you can very quickly end up revealing Jack’s hidden identity too early in the game, thus negating the need to play further.

All in all, Mr. Jack is a fun game to play if you’re looking for a quick palate cleanser inbetween other board games, however, don’t get your hopes up if you’re looking for a game with real substance and a lot of replay value. The artwork and premise of Mr. Jack is fantastic but it is ultimately a very shallow game.

Jack The Ripper has gone down in history as one of the most notorious and despicable serial killers to have ever existed. Many theories have been passed around as to the possible identity of the butcher of White Chapel. We are not here to speculate that, although it would certainly be a fun article for community discussion. No, we are here today to look at a board game adaptation of the aftermath of the killings. The hunt for Jack is on. Let's find out if Mr. Jack is as wiley and clever as the killer himself. Mr. Jack is a 2-player board game in which one of the two players assumes the identity of Jack The Ripper and the other has the goal of capturing the stealthy killer. Jack can literally be any one of the eight playable characters, who consists of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Sergeant Goodley and several others that are a little less known. Mr. Jack is an interesting game in the sense that it's both simple and complicated at the same time. The basic goal is for Jack to escape, while his/her opponent needs to capture Jack. Every game starts with a pre-determined setup as illustrated in the rulebook (which is very well designed in my humble opinion with a foldout which enables you to view the rules at the same time). The board is divided into hexes in which the characters (represented by tokens) can move as determined by their character limitations. Some characters can move before their special ability (more on that later) and some after. At the start of the game an alibi card is drawn by Jack and this reveals to Jack what his secret identity is. The detective is then tasked with figuring out who Jack is before the timer runs out or before Jack escapes. The whole game works through the interesting gimmick that is lamp lights. Using a token, at the end of each round, depending on whether or not Jack is lit by a lamplight, the player controlling Jack's hidden identity must flip the card indicating whether or not Jack is currently visible or not. Thus, by process of elimination, the detective can figure out who Jack is. Throughout the board, there are certain items that can aid or impede either player namely manhole covers, buildings, lamplights and police barriers. Each round works a little different. On the first round (and every round thereafter), four completely random character cards are drawn and players are then to play said cards in the order of detective, then Jack plays two, followed by the detective playing the last character. This reverses in the following round with Jack playing one, the detective playing two and then Jack playing one again. Each character has their own special abilities with examples including Holmes' ability to Deduce based on evidence, presented to him. Watson has a lantern with which he can light other players in his direct line of site, Lastrade can move…

Tabletop Game Review: Tabletop Review: Mr. Jack

Tabletop Game Review: Tabletop Review: Mr. Jack

2017-03-09

NiteFenix

Total - 5.5

55
5.5

Mr. Jack is a quirky and fun, but ultimately shortlived board game which should not be purchased with the intention of replay in mind. The game only remains interesting for so long and may end up boring you if you play it too often, especially if you play it with the same opponent.

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NiteFenix

Editor-In-Chief / Entertainment Editor at Geek Node

Jonathan has been a journalist for several years. Writing primarily about video games, and occasionally films and television series.

He spends most of his time talking crap on Twitter and looking for the meaning of life in all the wrong places.

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Article Tags:
2 player game · board game · featured · jack the ripper · mr. jack · sleuthing · table top games · Table top review

Article Categories:
Tabletop Game Review
