Scotland Yard Deluxe
Ravensburger's current Scotland Yard, with bobbies, ticket boards and beginners' rules
- Set-up
- About 5 min
- Reading
- Little
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Families with children from 8: the beginners' rulebook gives a shorter game with taxis and buses only
Think twice if You already own Funskool's standard Scotland Yard and are happy with it: the chase across London is the same
How we rate it
Learning curve. Each move is simple: pay a ticket and go one stop. The challenge is keeping track of where Mr X might be. The beginners' version makes it easier still. It sits with Ticket to Ride and Codenames on our scale.
Luck & skill. There are no dice. Start cards are random and the detectives sometimes have to guess, but planning and teamwork decide most games.
Interaction. The detectives plan every move together, and Mr X is reacting to all of them every round.
Set-up. The first time, press out the tickets, start cards and pieces, which takes a while. After that it is about 5 minutes: board out, a ticket board and tickets for each detective, the visor and travel log for Mr X, bobbies if you are 2 to 4 players, and start cards drawn for everyone.
Reading. Station numbers and English place names on the map; Mr X writes numbers in the travel log. Nothing else needs reading once the rules are learned.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Scotland Yard Deluxe right for you?
Great if
- Families with children from 8: the beginners' rulebook gives a shorter game with taxis and buses only
- Pairs and couples, because the rules include a two-player game in which the detective runs two characters and two bobbies
- Groups of 4 to 6 cousins or friends, with everyone except Mr X on one team, arguing happily over every move
- Families who know the old Scotland Yard and want Ravensburger's newer rules, ticket boards and Mr X's visor
Skip it if
- You already own Funskool's standard Scotland Yard and are happy with it: the chase across London is the same
- You want a quick game: the full game runs up to 22 rounds, about 45 minutes to an hour
- Nobody in your group wants to play Mr X alone against everyone else
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
Spiel des Jahres, 1983 (Winner)
How Scotland Yard Deluxe plays
Set-up: decide who plays Mr X; the rules suggest giving the role to an experienced player. Mr X puts on the visor, which hides where they are looking, and takes the travel log, a pencil (not included), a ticket board, 5 black tickets and 2 double-move tickets. Each detective picks a colour and plays either the classic piece or a character piece, with a ticket board holding 11 taxi, 8 bus and 4 Underground tickets; the other tickets form a supply next to the board. With 2 to 4 players, spare pieces wearing the rings become bobbies. Detectives and bobbies draw start cards from the 'D' pile and go on those stations, while Mr X secretly draws an 'X' card and keeps his piece off the board.
- Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
- Reading and language: The tickets carry colours and symbols, not words, and Mr X writes only station numbers in the travel log. The map's stations are numbered and its London place names are in English. Ravensburger's rules for this edition are in English; once one person has read them, the planning at the table can happen in Hindi, Tamil or any mix of languages.
how to play SCOTLAND YARD (gameplay and rules) | SPIELREGELN TV x Ravensburger · SPIELREGELN TV · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Hide
Mr X secretly writes his next station in the travel log and covers it with the ticket he used. The detectives see only whether he went by taxi, bus or Underground.
- 2Chase
Each detective pays a ticket and moves one stop along a route of that colour; bobbies move free. Plan it together, since the detectives win or lose as a team.
- 3Surface
On the circled turns of the travel log, starting with the third, Mr X must show his piece on the board for a moment.
- 4Win
A detective or bobby landing on Mr X's station wins it for the detectives. Mr X wins if he is still free after round 22.
The full explanation: how a game of Scotland Yard Deluxe goes
A round: Mr X always moves first, in secret. He writes his new station in the next space of the travel log and covers it with a ticket from the supply, so the detectives can see whether he took a taxi, a bus or the Underground, but not where he went. A black ticket hides even that and lets him use the ferry on the Thames, and a double-move ticket gives him two moves in a row. Then the detectives talk it over and move in any order: each pays a ticket back to the supply and travels one stop along a line of that colour. Bobbies move the same way but need no tickets.
Surfacing and winning: on the circled turns of the travel log, starting with the third, eighth and thirteenth, Mr X must put his piece on the board for a moment, and that is when the detectives close in. They win as soon as a detective or bobby is on the same station as Mr X. Mr X wins if he is still free at the end of round 22, or if no detective can move any more.
The beginners' version, in its own rulebook, is a gentler start for Mr X and three or four detectives aged 8 and up: up to 13 rounds, no Underground, fixed starting stations, and Mr X moves in plain sight except in rounds 3, 8 and 13 or when he plays his single black ticket. Ravensburger's website also lets you print your own photo to stick on a see-through piece, so a child can play as themselves.
How it differs from our Scotland Yard page: Funskool's standard box (item 4500100) follows the 1985 rules for 3 to 6 players aged 10 and up, with 6 pawns, 125 tickets, 18 shared start cards, 2 double-move cards and a logbook, and the detectives hand their spent tickets to Mr X. It has no bobbies, visor, ticket boards, two-player rules or beginners' version. The Deluxe has 12 pieces (6 classic and 6 character pieces), 130 tickets, 29 start cards in separate piles for the detectives and Mr X, 3 double-move tickets including a spare, 12 ticket boards, the visor and the two bobby rings.
What's in the box
- 1Game board
a map of London with numbered stations linked by taxi, bus and Underground lines, and a ferry on the Thames that only Mr X can use - 12Playing pieces
6 classic pieces (Mr X's is see-through) and 6 character pieces; you can print your own photo for a see-through piece from Ravensburger's website - 29Start cards
in two piles, 'D' for the detectives and 'X' for Mr X - 130Tickets
57 taxi, 45 bus, 23 Underground and 5 black tickets for Mr X - 3Double-move tickets
2 for Mr X plus 1 spare - 12Ticket boards
10 for the detectives and 2 for Mr X, to keep everyone's tickets in view - 1Travel log
with paper for Mr X's secret moves and two inserts for the beginners' game; bring a pencil - 1Visor
for Mr X, to hide where they are looking - 2Bobby rings
slip onto spare pieces to turn them into bobbies - 1Rules
the full game plus a beginners' version for ages 8 and up
Box: 37.5 × 27 cm, 1.42 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
From the contents printed on the back of Funskool's box (Funskool's own photo) and on Funskool's product page; the split of tickets, boards and pieces is from Ravensburger's English rules for the same edition. Funskool's standard Scotland Yard (item 4500100) has different parts: 6 pawns, 125 tickets, 18 start cards, 2 double-move cards and a logbook and pad, with no visor, ticket boards or bobby rings.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Scotland Yard has been a family favourite since it won Germany's Spiel des Jahres in 1983, and reviewers of Ravensburger's newer editions, which brought in the bobbies and Mr X's visor, still call it simple to learn and hard to master. A UK parent blogger who tried that edition with her sons found the rules easier than she feared and called it the family's new favourite. The catches have not changed: playing Mr X alone against everyone is stressful, and rules questions, such as when Mr X must show himself or what happens to a detective with no usable tickets, come up often on forums. This Funskool box is Ravensburger's current edition, so those reviews largely apply.
What people love
- One against all: Mr X works alone while the detectives plan and argue together
- Simple to learn but hard to master, especially as Mr X
- Bobbies give smaller groups a full team of chasers
- Good components, down to a visor that stops Mr X giving away where he is looking
Common complaints
- Playing Mr X puts a lot of pressure on one player
- Rules questions about reveal turns and stuck detectives come up often
- A full game takes close to an hour
Based on 6 reviews and discussions
- Review Catching Mister X: A Review of Scotland Yard (Chris James, May 2014) · Casual Game Revolution
- Review Scotland Yard by Ravensburger (Michelle, June 2014) · Playdays and Runways
- Players Does Mr. X reveal his location on every turn of the travel log that is circled? (January 2020) · Board & Card Games Stack Exchange
- Players What happens to a detective in Scotland Yard who cannot move any further? (November 2020) · Board & Card Games Stack Exchange
- Award Scotland Yard, Spiel des Jahres 1983 · Spiel des Jahres
- Reference Scotland Yard, product page (Ravensburger UK, item 27514) · Ravensburger
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Ravensburger's current Scotland Yard, with bobbies, ticket boards and beginners' rules | A different fit Funskool's standard box: the classic 1985 rules for 3 to 6 from age 10, with 6 pawns and piles of tickets | A different fit Another family deduction classic for 2 to 6 from age 8: work out who did it, where and with what | A different fit A cooperative chase-and-deduce game for younger detectives, from 5 |
| Players | 2–6 | 3–6 | 2–6 | 2–4 |
| Best with | 4-6 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 2-4 |
| Play time | 30–60 min | 45–60 min | 45–60 min | 20 min |
| Age | 8+ | 10+ | 8+ | 5+ |
| Rules | Medium | Medium | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Available | Available | Available | Imported |
| On this page | Explore Scotland Yard | Explore Cluedo | Explore Outfoxed! |
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Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Scotland Yard Junior – Funskool's simpler version of the chase for younger children.
Questions people ask about Scotland Yard Deluxe
What is the difference between Scotland Yard and Scotland Yard Deluxe?
The chase is the same: Mr X hides, and the detectives track him by the tickets he uses. Funskool's standard box follows the 1985 rules for 3 to 6 players aged 10 and up, with 6 pawns and 125 tickets. The Deluxe is Ravensburger's current edition for 2 to 6 aged 8 and up, adding bobbies, ticket boards, a visor for Mr X, character pieces, 130 tickets and a beginners' rulebook.
Can two people play Scotland Yard Deluxe?
Yes. The rules have a two-player game: one person is Mr X, and the other plays two detective characters plus two bobbies, police helpers that move without tickets. Funskool's standard Scotland Yard box has no official two-player rules.
What are the bobbies in Scotland Yard?
Bobbies are extra police pieces: you slip one of the two rings onto a spare playing piece. The detectives move them together, along the same routes but without paying tickets. You use two bobbies with 2 or 3 players, one with 4, and none with 5 or 6.
Is there an easier version of Scotland Yard for children?
This box has a separate beginners' rulebook for children from 8: up to 13 rounds, no Underground, fixed starting stations, and Mr X moving in plain sight except in rounds 3, 8 and 13. For younger children, Funskool also sells Scotland Yard Junior.
Is Funskool's Scotland Yard Deluxe original and made in India?
Yes. The back of the box, in Funskool's own photo, credits Ravensburger Verlag as the licensor, says 'Made in India' and names Funskool's factory in Goa, and Funskool's product page gives India as the country of origin. Its contents match Ravensburger's own current edition.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Projekt Team III, Michael Schacht
- Publisher
- Ravensburger (this edition made in India under licence by Funskool)
- In India
- Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai, which makes this edition in India under licence from Ravensburger
- First published
- 1983
- Players
- 2–6
- Barcode
- 8901383450029
- Language
- Little reading – The tickets carry colours and symbols, not words, and Mr X writes only station numbers in the travel log. The map's stations are numbered and its London place names are in English. Ravensburger's rules for this edition are in English; once one person has read them, the planning at the table can happen in Hindi, Tamil or any mix of languages.
- Box size and weight
- 37.5 × 27 cm, 1.42 kg
- Awards
- Spiel des Jahres, 1983 (Winner)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Funskool - Scotland Yard Deluxe product page (item 4500200)
- Funskool - Ravensburger games (Scotland Yard Deluxe, Scotland Yard, Scotland Yard Junior)
- Ravensburger UK - Scotland Yard product page (item 27514)
- Ravensburger - Scotland Yard rules, English (PDF, item 27514, 2023)
- Ravensburger - Scotland Yard beginners' version, English (PDF, item 27514, 2023)
- Spiel des Jahres - Scotland Yard (winner 1983)
- Casual Game Revolution - Catching Mister X: A Review of Scotland Yard (Chris James, May 2014)
- Toycra - Funskool Scotland Yard Deluxe Game (SKU 4500200)