One look at the cover of Deadline and you will immediately get a feel for the game. Set in New York City almost 100 years ago, the cover immediately evokes feelings of the old film-noir style that sucks you in with their excellent cinematography and engaging dialogue. OK sure, looks aren’t everything, does the game play in Deadline hold up? Well it wouldn’t be our newest Game of the Week if it didn’t!

Deadline

Published by WizKids Games (Mage Knight, Dice Masters), Deadline puts players in the shoes (gumshoes?) of investigators in a 1930’s New York City. There are cases to be solved, whiskey to drink, and shady characters to investigate.

The goal of the game is to figure out who committed a crime (usually a murder), you are private investigators after all. Players will start out with a couple of clue cards and a hand of lead cards. Each lead card has a variety of symbols on them and players must work together to play cards into a pattern to match the symbols on the clue card. Once they do, they can flip over the clue card and read the text. This will usually unlock a new piece of the mystery and sometimes provide new clues to follow up on.

Despite my quick (and poor) explanation of the game play, Deadline is pretty easy to pick up and loads of fun. It combines a solid hand management mechanics with a healthy dose of investigation. The way I usually describe Deadline to people is if Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective had a baby with The Grizzled. What popped out was something fantastic that I keep bringing out to the table.

If you are a fan of mysteries, puzzle solving, or even just fun, then check out Deadline. It’s easy to learn (despite my hack job of a quick explanation above), plays well at all players counts, and is accessible enough to be played even with your non-gaming friends. Deadline is absolutely worth a look.

2-4 PLAYERS • AGES 14+ • 45 MINUTES • $20