The Crime Club: Pepys

Monday, May 8, 2023

Photo Crime: The Crime Club Party Game

Pepys, the same company that created The Crime Club Card Game also put out The Crime Club Party Game called Photo Crime. The game came out about 1950, and there were a few variations of the box over the years, with the purple box having four different "crimes" to be solved than the green box. The later red and white box contains two crimes from the green box and two from the purple (no new crimes).

The game comes with 12 photo cards, which is made up of four photo scenes in sets of three. Therefore, up to 12 people can play four rounds in each game. The photos include a mystery scenario that can be solved by carefully looking at the photos and reading the witness report. The first person to get the answer in each round scores a point. At the end of four rounds, the highest score wins!

The Photo Crime Scenarios

Included in The Crime Club Party Game are four mystery set-ups that you must solve by reading the short story and carefully examining the photo to see what the solution is. Here are the Photo Crime sheets that are in a particular "green" box version of the game. As shown in the photo of another green box above, the four scenarios in that version are different!

Four Crime Scenes from a "light green" box:

A different variation of crime scene photos from a "darker green" box:

All of these screens came from different green boxes, and because I do not have any examples from the purple box it is hard to determine the total number of photos scenes created overall. Currently, there looks to be eight, but the purple box "could" contain another set of four different photos.

NOTE: My apologies for the partially obscured photo #4 from the second set; I don't have a good scan of that one.

Instructions

Photocrime

Party Game for 2 to 12 Players

Description: 12 cards are provided, giving 4 "crimes" to be solved. Each "crime" is repeated on 3 cards.

HOW TO PLAY: Give one card to each player. Tell the players they are given 5 minutes to study the information given on their cards, in conjunction with the picture of Inspector Cameron's interview with the Witness. The object is to discover why Inspector Cameron came to his conclusion that the Witness was lying.

When the 5 minutes are "up" the M.C. calls upon any players who think they have solved the problem to come forward one at a time and tell him their answers, taking care that other players do not overhear them. Those with correct answers (see Solutions below) are the winners of that round.

Players then exchange cards so that each a new "crime" and play the second round. Since the 12 cards are made of 3 each of 4 different pictures, the game can be played 4 times by 12 players and each time every player will have a different crime to solve.

Last Edition

The most recent version of the game maintains the four crime scenes format, carefully selecting the best from the earlier editions to ensure the best gameplay experience. Upon examining a photo of the contents from an eBay listing, it appears that the scenario labeled as #3 in the first set of cards (above) is now numbered as #1 in the later edition. Furthermore, the game includes scenario #2 from the later box, indicating that the creators have done their best to mix up the elements without having to create new "crimes."

While it would have been exciting to have all eight crimes included in the final set, the decision to curate a selection of scenes ensures that players can still enjoy a captivating and diverse gameplay experience, even if they had played one of the versions before.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Peter Cheyney and The Crime Club Card Game

Peter Cheyney authored the Crime Club card game, which was first published by Pepys (Castell Brothers Limited) in 1935. Peter Cheyney was a top author of British detective and mystery books in the 1930s and 40s, and to have him get personally involved in the creation of a card game for The Crime Club was quite a coup.

The set comes in a wonderful gold-lined box, featuring a sharp padded lid. The top of the box is embossed in gold, and a special card for Peter Cheyney is glued to the bottom of the box.

1935 (left) and 1939 editions of The Crime Club Card Game

The card game was released with two color varieties: the 1935 first edition features a padded dark purple box, with card backs of purple. The second edition, around 1939, had a dark green box with green-backed cards, so there wouldn't be any confusion.

The game contains 50 cards, mostly made of characters from Peter Cheyney's books (such as Lemmy Caution), however there are exceptions, such as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. The cards are made up of 6 suits with 8 cards in each suit. There are 3 detective suits, and 3 crook suits. Each suit features characters, objects, and locations. There are also two jokers included in the set, as well as the instruction booklet and 4 value reminder slips. The back of each card features the masked Crime Club gunman on a geometric pattern. The card illustrations of Cheyney's Lemmy Caution and Carlotta are reissues of the classic architypes taken from John Pisani’s book cover artwork for the Collins editions of “This Man is Dangerous” and “Poison Ivy”.

The Detectives

Lemmy Caution, assisted by Carlotta
Hercule Poirot, assisted by Superintendent Battle
Inspector Macdonald, assisted by Peter Vernon

The Detectives and their Assistants

The Crooks

Mr. Colbeck, assisted by Dr. Harlow
Mr. Woodspring, assisted by Mr. Glapthorne
Mr. Evans, assisted by Janet Murch

The Crooks and their Assistants

How To Play The Crime Club Card Game

Setup: Gather the 50 cards included in the game, which are divided into 6 suits, with 8 cards in each suit. Each suit features characters, objects, and locations. Additionally, there are two jokers.

Deal: Shuffle the cards thoroughly and deal a predetermined number of cards to each player, depending on the number of players participating. The goal is to collect and make up a good hand.

First Part of the Game: In this phase, players focus on building the best hand. They strategically select and play cards from their hand, aiming to create combinations that will be advantageous in the second part of the game.

Second Part of the Game: Once all players have built their hands, the objective shifts to taking as few tricks as possible. A trick is won by playing the highest-ranking card of the suit led. However, players can strategically play lower-ranking cards to avoid winning tricks that may carry negative points.

Winning Strategy: As the game progresses, players will learn which combinations and card plays lead to the best hands and winning strategies. It is through experience and observation that players refine their approach and aim to score the fewest points by the end of the game.

Number of Players: The Crime Club card game requires at least two players and can accommodate up to six players using a single pack of cards. For more than six players, it is recommended to use two packs of cards.

Enjoy the game as you navigate the world of characters, objects, and locations from famous crime novels, and strive to outwit your opponents by collecting the best hands and taking the fewest tricks possible!