13 Dead End Drive
Encyclopedia
13 Dead End Drive is a murder-themed board game from Milton Bradley
. Released in 1993, it was followed in 2002 by a sequel, 1313 Dead End Drive
.
The story behind the game indicates the death of a wealthy old woman triggers feuding over her will. The players utilize traps located on the game board, which represents a mansion, to kill characters controlled by other players in order to claim the estate for themselves.
During each turn, a player would roll two dice and move two pawns, one pawn for each die. It is legal for players to move a pawn that is not theirs in order to bring it closer to or onto a Trap Space. If a pawn is moved onto a trap space by exact roll only, the player must have the corresponding trap card in his or her possession in order to spring the trap. Springing traps is not mandatory, however. After that, play would move on to the next player.
During the game, a Portrait Card is displayed in the picture frame above the fireplace. That character is now the current favorite to inherit the fortune. At that moment, for all intents and purposes, that character is now marked for death and must try to escape the mansion before he or she is either knocked off or the portrait changes (see "Special Spaces and Rules" below).
Also, during the game, a Detective is waiting outside, slowly advancing toward the front door. His arrival signifies the reading of the will and the announcement of the winner. The Detective can only move one space at a time, and only when a Detective Card (hidden inside the Trap Card pile) is drawn. There are 13 steps to the front door. If the Detective makes it to the front door before all other characters have been eliminated, the game is over.
When a player moves a pawn onto a Trap Space, they must draw a card from the Trap Card pile (if they don't already have the matching trap card in their possession). If they draw the matching Trap Card, they can either play it immediately, or hold the card for future use. If, however, they draw a Detective card, the Detective is moved one space forward and another card is drawn.
Once a trap is sprung, that pawn and the matching Character Card are laid down on the "Discard" pile on the board (the couch). If, during the course of play, a Portrait Card comes up for a character that has been knocked off, that card is immediately taken down and placed on the "Discard" pile, revealing a new Portrait.
The players take the roles of the twelve suspects who compete for the will. They are:
Changing the portrait is not a required action for rolling doubles.
being replaced by a large boar
head, the bookcase being replaced by a safe
that releases a big steel
piggy bank
that slams into the heir's face and instead of falling into the fire you're spun into it. The game can be suddenly over if the card: "Clock Strikes Midnight" is drawn from the deck.
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley , an American game pioneer, was credited by many with launching the board game industry in North America with Milton Bradley Company....
. Released in 1993, it was followed in 2002 by a sequel, 1313 Dead End Drive
1313 Dead End Drive
1313 Dead End Drive is a murder-themed board game from Parker Brothers. Released in 2002, it was the sequel to 1993 game 13 Dead End Drive....
.
The story behind the game indicates the death of a wealthy old woman triggers feuding over her will. The players utilize traps located on the game board, which represents a mansion, to kill characters controlled by other players in order to claim the estate for themselves.
Gameplay
At the start of gameplay, players are passed out "Character cards" which correspond to matching pawns on the board. Since there are 12 characters, it is often the case that players control more than one character. However, which player controls which character is not revealed. Along with the character cards, there are also Portrait Cards, which determine who the current favorite for the inheritance is, and Trap Cards, which are used to spring traps and knock off other players.During each turn, a player would roll two dice and move two pawns, one pawn for each die. It is legal for players to move a pawn that is not theirs in order to bring it closer to or onto a Trap Space. If a pawn is moved onto a trap space by exact roll only, the player must have the corresponding trap card in his or her possession in order to spring the trap. Springing traps is not mandatory, however. After that, play would move on to the next player.
During the game, a Portrait Card is displayed in the picture frame above the fireplace. That character is now the current favorite to inherit the fortune. At that moment, for all intents and purposes, that character is now marked for death and must try to escape the mansion before he or she is either knocked off or the portrait changes (see "Special Spaces and Rules" below).
Also, during the game, a Detective is waiting outside, slowly advancing toward the front door. His arrival signifies the reading of the will and the announcement of the winner. The Detective can only move one space at a time, and only when a Detective Card (hidden inside the Trap Card pile) is drawn. There are 13 steps to the front door. If the Detective makes it to the front door before all other characters have been eliminated, the game is over.
Ways to Win
There are three ways to win 13 Dead End Drive:- Be the last character alive.
- Escape the Mansion while your character's picture is displayed in the Picture Frame.
- Have your character's picture displayed in the Picture Frame when the Detective reaches the front door.
Traps
13 Dead End Drive has five different booby traps that are used to dispose of other characters, all the while seeming like an accident. They are:- Chandelier: If a pawn is moved onto the space directly underneath the chandelier, a player can play this Trap Card and flip a switch that drops the chandelier onto the pawn, eliminating it from play.
- Bookcase: If a pawn is moved onto this Trap Space, the player can move that pawn up onto the top of the ladder, resting on top of the bookcase, and flip a switch that will send the pawn flying back onto the board and eliminating it from play.
- Stairs: If a pawn is moved onto this Trap Space, a player can move it up onto the top of the stairs and flip a switch that will violently toss the pawn back down the stairs and onto the board, resulting in its elimination.
- Statue: If a pawn is moved onto this Trap Space, a player can flip a switch that will send a statue in a full suit of armor crashing down onto the pawn.
- Fireplace: If a pawn has the misfortune of being moved onto this Trap Space, a player can flip a switch that will send the pawn flying backwards and into the figurative fire, though the box recommends it to be a Trap Door.
When a player moves a pawn onto a Trap Space, they must draw a card from the Trap Card pile (if they don't already have the matching trap card in their possession). If they draw the matching Trap Card, they can either play it immediately, or hold the card for future use. If, however, they draw a Detective card, the Detective is moved one space forward and another card is drawn.
Once a trap is sprung, that pawn and the matching Character Card are laid down on the "Discard" pile on the board (the couch). If, during the course of play, a Portrait Card comes up for a character that has been knocked off, that card is immediately taken down and placed on the "Discard" pile, revealing a new Portrait.
Characters
- Aunt Agatha: The dowager heiress whose fortune everyone is competing for
- The Detective: Gradually gets closer to the mansion with every detective card. When he enters the front door, the game is over.
The players take the roles of the twelve suspects who compete for the will. They are:
- Poopsie: the sadistic catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
- Beauregard: Agatha's loveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
r (it is revealed in 1313 Dead End Drive that his full name is Beauregard III) - Smothers: the butlerButlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
(it is revealed in 1313 Dead End Drive that he served Agatha for 30 years) - Dusty: the maidMaidA maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
- Charity: Agatha's personal physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
- Lulu: Agatha's gossipGossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
of a best friend (it is revealed in 1313 Dead End Drive that she is Agatha's sister) - Parker: the ChauffeurChauffeurA chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
- Clay: Agatha's tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
coach - Spritzy: the hair stylist
- Pierre: the inept chefChefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
- Madame Astra: Agatha's personal faux fortune-teller
- Hickory: the mansion's gardener (apparently he ends up with the money in the real ending)
Special spaces and rules
- Rolling Doubles: If a player rolls doubles that player has a choice of:
- Moving the current Portrait card to the back of the pack and revealing a new Portrait
- Moving one pawn the total number of spaces shown on the dice, or
- Moving two pawns, one pawn for each die.
Changing the portrait is not a required action for rolling doubles.
- Secret Passages: On the board are special spaces that represent "Secret Passages." Any character can enter any secret passage at any time, regardless of whether or not it is by exact roll. Moving from one secret passage to another counts as one space move for a character. Secret passages are often used to bring opponent's pawns closer to traps or to bring your own pawn closer to the door.
- Bluffing: Bluffing is permitted in "13 Dead End Drive." In terms of strategy, a player may move their own pieces towards or even onto trap spaces in an attempt to fool opponents. Even if that player has the matching trap card for the space their own character is on, they do not have to play it. Instead, they can pretend that they do not have the correct card and draw another one. If they happen to draw the right trap card, they can pretend that the card is the wrong one, and play continues as normal.
- Two-Player Gameplay: In case of a two player game, four character cards are dealt to each player, as well as two additional "Secret Cards." These cards must be kept face down throughout the entire game; their owners are not allowed to peek at them or even know which character they correspond to. Gameplay continues as normal, even if one player loses all four "known" character cards until one of the above "Win" scenarios occurs. In the case that neither player has the winning character in their "known" hand, they are permitted to look at the unknown cards. The player with the card that matches the winning character is declared the victor.
International versions
— Tante Agathes Testamente. — Kalmankuja 13. — La Course à l'Héritage. — Agathas letzter Wille. — L'erede misterioso. — Ongelukslaan 13. — La Herencia de la Tía Agata. — Faster Agathas Testamente. — Κληρονόμων 13.1313 Dead End Drive
1313 Dead End Drive is an updated version with 16 heirs in a mansion who are going to kill each other. The players can steal moneybags by killing rivals. There are slightly different booby traps such as the chandelierChandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
being replaced by a large boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
head, the bookcase being replaced by a safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
that releases a big steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
piggy bank
Piggy bank
Piggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used...
that slams into the heir's face and instead of falling into the fire you're spun into it. The game can be suddenly over if the card: "Clock Strikes Midnight" is drawn from the deck.