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Warren Smith
Canada
Calgary
Alberta
God Save The Queen
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Components: 8
Gameplay: 9
Replayability: 9
The year is 1888 and the streetlights in Manhattan flicker through the night as you seek cover in a nearby park. The subway stations here are littered with old newspapers but you don’t need to read the headlines. Everyone is talking about Jack the Ripper and his heinous crimes on the other side of the Atlantic. Rumor has it that he could be anywhere in the world right now. Indeed, he could be anyone. No time for reminiscing though - the Detective is close and your very shadow lies in wait to accuse you at every turn. You are Mr. JaCk iN New YorK!
Mister Jack in New York is a very clever game for 2 players, combining the mystery and deduction aspect of Clue with the abstract token movements of Chess. A brilliant combination! The game features 8 cartoonish illustrations of interesting people from the period (only one of whom was ever an actual suspect in the case.) For example, there’s Capt. Edward Smith who sailed the Titanic, Alfred Beal who developed the city’s subway, and Monk Eastman who was a notorious gangster. Which of them was responsible for the murders? Only one of the players knows the answer and it is her role as Mr. Jack to conceal the identity from the Detective, played by the other player.
The game unfolds over a period of 8 rounds, but will end earlier if Mr. Jack is captured or if she escapes. This limit on the game duration is a hallmark of the so called ‘euro game’ genre. In Mr. Jack, players can expect to devote 20-30 minutes to their 19th century adventure. Many other euro games employ a depleting resource mechanic (such as running out of chips) to trigger game end, but simply limiting the number of rounds in the game is another popular option for game designers. If Mr. Jack makes it to the end of the eighth round uncaptured, he wins! Notice I said un-captured. The Detective’s role in this game is two fold. First, she must discover the identity of Mr. Jack. Second, she must move the other suspect tokens to capture Mr. Jack.
It’s not as daunting as it sounds. As the second installment of the Mr. Jack franchise, Mister Jack in New York gives equal power to both players, unlike its predecessor which saw the Detective winning only 30% of the time. In New York, both players have an equal chance to win the game and must depend on their wits to succeed. The game offers so much strategic depth that it can be played over and over again without growing tiresome. I must offer a word of caution, however: It’s what I would call serious fun. Do you know what I mean? It’s a fun game, but requires a certain amount of effort and concentration to really enjoy. For that reason, I can’t recommend it for everyone.
Mr. Jack is definitely for me though, and I rate the game quite highly on all fronts. The illustrations are terrific, and the game mechanics integrate superbly with the mystery theme. I’d encourage everyone to at least give it a try. However, if you’re interested in a game that would host a greater number of players then please see my previous articles on the Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride in earlier editions of my blog. Until next time, happy gaming everybody!
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