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The sixteenth President of the United States has been shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, and Abraham Lincoln’s near lifeless body is carried to the Peterson Boarding House across the street. Secretary-of-War Stanton springs into action. Well-known actor, John Wilkes Booth, has been identified as the culprit and earns his place as the most reviled villain in US history. Meanwhile, blocks away, Secretary-of-State Seward and his family have been savagely attacked by Booth’s accomplice, Lewis Powell. Soon other accomplices are identified, and the pursuit of Booth and his cronies begins in earnest.
In The Pursuit of John Wilkes Booth, players control Detectives searching for the assassin. Historically, Union authorities did not know where Booth might head since it would be reasonable to expect that Booth might go to Canada, the less-populated West, or to a Northern or Southern port with an eventual goal of reaching Europe, Mexico, or South America. As Detectives in the game, players must process Leads for Clues and uncover Booth’s Trail as he attempts his escape. Players may call on Stanton to aid them in their task. Detectives must eventually complete a successful Search and Raid on Booth’s exact location and win the game by killing or capturing him.
—description from the publisher
- innovative hidden movement solitaire concept
- strong thematic handling and map feel
- hidden movement, clue gathering, historical mystery
- Washington, D.C., pursuit of John Wilkes Booth
- solitaire hidden-movement with deduction
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven clue discovery — cards yield clues to narrow the trail
- Deduction — cards yield clues to narrow the trail
- Hidden Movement — tracking movement with unseen pieces and clues
- solitaire play — single-player puzzle-like pursuit
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
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References (from this video)
- So cool
- Hidden movement game, but it's also a solitaire game
- Does it really well
- Very, very fun game
- Very unusual game
- Manhunt for John Wilkes Booth
- Washington, D.C.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- clue gathering — Players use clues to deduce Booth's movements and location.
- Cooperative play (optional) — While primarily single-player, it can be played with a higher player count as a co-op.
- Hidden Movement — The core mechanic involves the government trying to track John Wilkes Booth's hidden path.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
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