Where Did You Go?! – Five Board Games With Hidden Movement
Whether it’s to solve a mystery, hunt a killer, or avoid mechanical monstrosities, hidden movement board games have a certain flair you just can’t get anywhere else.
Whitehall Mystery
Whitehall Mystery is an asymmetrical mystery game where one player is Jack the Ripper, and the remaining players are Scotland Yard. Jack is skulking about town, trying to do what he does best.
At the same time, the other investigators are balancing risk versus reward and piecing together clues to track Jack before the night is through. With only about an hour playtime, Whitehall Mystery keeps the excitement going without dragging out the tension too long.
City of the Great Machine
What if an AI steampunk machine controlled an entire city then went completely haywire in its attempt to perfect humanity? Would you be able to survive long enough to stop this mechanical monstrosity? Or better yet, what if you were this mechanical monstrosity. Humans are, after all, pretty terrible. Maybe they do need to be fixed.
A lot of hidden movement board games feature one person hiding from multiple others. Not so here. The human players must sneak around to different parts of the city under the watchful gaze of the Machine. They will incite riots, sow discontent, and attempt to bring about revolution. Who will win?!
Hunt for the Ring
Your boss is one tough cookie. He really wants you to find this short king and nab this ring he’s got. You don’t know what all this business is about, but if there’s one thing you do know, it’s that you don’t want to upset Sauron. You better just do what he says.
Meanwhile, this old guy you know is having you take this cross country road trip with your best buds to throw out your uncle’s favorite jewelry. What would have been a chill trip is being ruined by these spooky dudes on gross horses seem to want it really badly. Best to just stay out of sight until you can get to where you’re going.
Last Friday
Last Friday’s inspirations are pretty apparent. But, thanks to the narrative campaign, there are multiple ways to play. In some chapters, the players are being hunted by the killer, while in others, they turn the tables and are ready to retaliate.
Play as a single one shot or through the full campaign. But, this is a killer thriller, and any player that dies won’t be coming back in the sequel. Each of the game’s four chapters takes about half an hour, so you can play through the full story in a single night of terror!
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a classic hidden movement board game. It’s been around for years and won a bunch of awards. Of the games on this list, it’s the most family friendly, in terms of theme and mechanics. It’s even been touted as a good game for teaching kids as young as 8 about getting into more complex board games.
In the Sherlock Holmes edition, Holmes is hunting down Professor Moriarty. Players can take the roles of Sherlock Holmes, his brother Mycroft, and his companions, Dr. Watson, Inspector Lestrade, and Irene Adler. Moriarty can be spotted in his hot air balloon, track him down before he escapes!
BoLS might make a few bucks on anything you buy from these links. But, be honest, you don’t enjoy randomly browsing online stores. So let us do the annoying part for you. Help us help you.
