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How to Play



The Short Version

(basic run down of the game for those who are impatient or those who prefer trial and error to helpful diagrams and reading)


The Detectives must work together to find Mr. X, and Mr. X must try to stay away from the detectives. They are equipped with a limited supply of transportation cards (red = subway, yellow = taxi, green = bus) to move around. Mr. X has virtually unlimited transporation cards, along with two other special cards. With the black ticket, he can travel via subway, taxi, bus, OR waterway. With the 2x ticket, he can move twice in one turn. While the detectives know the mode of transport that Mr. X opts to take, they only know his location on the few times that is is revealed. To move, click a location, then a card. To play the role of Mr. X, join a game that needs a Mr. X or create a game of your own. Good luck!

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The Longer Version

(sufficient for most needs)


Instructions:

The infamous Mr.X has escaped yet again and is winding his way through the city of London. He is sneaky, he is sly, and the only way to catch him is…to catch him. In order to recover the great diamond of Ruby, Scotland Yard must track down the thief.


Players:

One player will be Mr.X. His goal is simply to evade the detectives. Though he is but one man against many, he has virtually unlimited transportation.

The rest are…(drum roll please) detectives. As a detective, your goal is not to beat out everyone else, but rather to work with your teammates to corner the villain. Detectives are equipped with a limited supply of transportation cards (red=subway, yellow=taxi, green=bus) to move around.


How to play:

Players will make their ways through the city using available transportation. Each detective has 8 bus rides, 10 taxi rides, and 4 tube rides. Mr.X begins with less of each, but he gains every card that the detectives use. Mr.X is also armed with two special cards. The black ticket enables him to travel via subway, taxi, bus, or waterway (along the river, represented by a dashed black line). If he elects to use the black ticket, his mode of transportation will not be revealed. Furthermore, the 2x ticket enables him to move two times in one turn. While detectives always know the mode of transportation that Mr.X uses (unless he disguises himself and uses the black ticket), they only know his location on the few times that it is revealed. The game can end in two ways: either the players win and find Mr.X, or the players run out of cards and Mr.X escapes.


How to Use the Program:

  • How to move: When it is your turn, click the location on the map that you wish to travel to. Then click your choice of transportation. NOTE: in order to travel on a particular mode of transportation, you must be at the appropriate stop. That is, unless you are at a bus stop (colored green), you cannot travel via bus, even if the bus route runs through that particular location.
  • Player History: In the upper left hand corner, you will see all of the players, their names, and how many cards they have. If it is someone’s turn, his name will appear highlighted in blue. Your player will have a dark border around his name.
  • Mr.X History: Located in the lower left hand corner. Every time Mr.X moves, his choice of transportation will appear here. Note that boxes outlined in thick blue borders indicate turns on which Mr.X reveals himself.
  • Chat Box: Located on left hand side. This is for players to discuss their strategy.
  • 2x Card: If clicked, will allow Mr.X to move two times in a row. The player can choose to use this card any time before his first move is over. If he decides not to use the card, he simply must click it again.



Basic Strategy:

  • The tube carries you the farthest. At the start of the game, it’s a good idea for detectives to travel to the nearest subway stop. This way, when Mr.X finally reveals himself, detectives can get to him most quickly.
  • Taxis only take you one stop, but oftentimes are necessary to win the game. Save a few for the end.
  • Use process of elimination. Once Mr. X reveals himself, you can narrow his possible locations down.




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The Really Long Version

(Story Included)

(Pay attention to the colored stuff for game directions. Black is directed towards Mr. X, orange towards the detectives, and purple for both.)


BOOM! *cough darned explosion cough* Out of the charcoal remains of the Chuck. E. Cheese, a dark shadowy figure could be seen running into the distance under the wispy grey cover of smoke. *cough I hate smoke cough* Less than thirty seconds later, the vicious whir of sirens creeps onto the scene. A more than sullen smiley waddles over to the police chief. *cough and smoking too cough* Through the well of tears clogging up his face, it's a surprise he's sane enough to make out a few clear words. "The Golden Cheese was stolen!" *cough these are not subliminal messages cough*

For smiley faces around the world, the Golden Cheese is a most valuable item. It has been around since the battle of Moat Ecahn, not to mention that it is worth more than even the most expensive human food, the truffle (the fungi, not the chocolate), though its delectability is arguable for no one has actually tasted the Golden Cheese, although the smiley with the super long tongue sticking out managed to get a close lick several years ago until the manager saw him and nearly hacked it off (the tongue, that is) with a mallet from the Whack-a-Mole game. But I digress... The Golden Cheese is not only the icon of the smileys freedom to express themselves freely, but it also is said to have legendary powers, which can temporarily be passed to those who eat it. If you ask me, its only power is its ability to prevent from further molding, but some smileys (not to be too stereotypical, but you know, they're usually the ones with the crazy eyes and spinning heads going on) believe the stories. Back to this one.

"The dirty little pilferer... he was dressed like one of those gangsta smileys, you know, the ones with the mask, with holes for eyes and an X across his mouth." Mr. X, we'll call him. As Mr. X, your goal is to avoid capture. Don't let the detectives find you. As a detective, you must try to find Mr. X. The police are on it. Join a game that says "Mr. X needed" or create your own game if you want to be on the run. For those on the side of the law, join a game that says "# Detectives Needed".

Now Mr. X, he is a smiley. As a smiley, he has no legs. He can roll from place to place, but only for a very very short distance. This means that his only means of movement are through limited modes of transportation: taxi, bus, subway, or waterway. The detective smileys also travel along these modes of transportation, except the waterway. You see, the waterway is trafficked and essentially controlled by drug dealers. They don't like the police very much, and surely won't take the detectives across the waterway. And unfortunately, with the low budget and such in recent times, detectives only have a limited number of transportation cards. Mr. X on the other hand, with the $$ he surely stole from another source, has fairly unrestricted movement along the taxi, bus, or subway. He also has a secret stash - two "2x" cards (move twice in one turn) and one black ticket for every detective in the game, which allows him to move via any of the modes of transport with the added bonus of stealth (the mode of transport is revealed only as a black ticket).

To move, simply click on a location, then on a mode of transport. To use the 2x card, click on it before you click the mode of transport, and continue your turn. You have the option of withdrawing use of the 2x card if you decide you don't want to move a second time. Keep in mind that you can only move from one stop to another - unfortunately, smileys are not agile enough to hop onto or off of moving vehicles without getting squished. A location is colored with the stops it contains. Just because a line runs through a location does NOT mean it stops there.

Please work together to find Mr. X! Each of you has been given a high-tech smiley tracker to keep track of all the detectives' locations, recent Mr. X sightings, and inside information about Mr. X's most recent mode of transport. You can even talk to each other via the chatbox And you were smart enough to hack into the detectives' smiley tracker, so you too know of all their whereabouts and plans (in the chatbox). The bold boxes around Mr. X's used modes of transportation indicate that Mr. X will be spotted on those turns (there ARE psychic smileys you know). And an orange border on the left indicates use of the 2x card on that turn. In the player history panel in the top left, you are outlined in a darker color. When it is someone's turn, the smiley's panel will be highlighted in purple. Note: if a player leaves the game, unless he's Mr. X, someone must take over for the player for the game to resume.

Run the detectives around enough and they'll eventually give up. But in the meantime, don't let them catch you! Find Mr. X before you run out of cards... otherwise he escapes with the Golden Cheese! Let's see how this story ends... Go play.

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Note: Lily Hines is entirely responsible for any shades of purple found on this page or in the game. =)