Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper (1998)

About this game

This game attaches an interesting theme to a fairly standard Rummy framework. Playing Victims, Suspects, Scenes, and Evidence-melds, players try to build a case against various suspects for the famous Jack the Ripper serial murders. Whichever suit has the most cards played in it when a player goes out is the guilty party, but if all the Victim cards come out before the end of the game, the Ripper might escape, giving the player who produced that card a significant point allowance. This is #1 in the Mystery Rummy series.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 1.7/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.