Letters from Whitechapel

To set up 'Letters from Whitechapel', place the Jack the Ripper token on the 'Night 1' space and the time token on 'Time 1'. If Jack the Ripper is played by a remote player, the host player will turn all white tokens face up, shuffle them, and then hold them up to the camera one by one for Jack to choose their placement. Similarly, for the black tokens, the host will turn them face up, shuffle, and hold them up for Jack to choose their placement. Police officer tokens are placed on their designated starting locations. The head investigator token is placed on the corresponding side for the remote player, matching the host's setup. For remote players, it's recommended to print the Jack the Ripper sheet and the map from BoardGameGeek for better visibility and tracking.

The objective for Jack the Ripper is to successfully commit five murders and escape to his hideout without being caught by the police officers. The police officers, on the other hand, aim to arrest Jack the Ripper before he can complete his murderous spree and escape. This is a game of cat and mouse, where Jack tries to evade detection while the police try to deduce his movements and whereabouts.

Each turn begins with Jack the Ripper announcing his movement. Jack can move one or two spaces, or use a special carriage move. If Jack is a remote player, they will inform the host of their chosen move, and the host will update the board. After Jack's move, the police officers take their turns. Each police officer can move up to two spaces. For remote play, police officers must be descriptive about their movements, specifying the numbers or intersections they are moving between, rather than just pointing. This ensures clarity and accuracy for the host player updating the physical board.

'Letters from Whitechapel' is a cooperative game, meaning there is no individual scoring. The game is won or lost as a team. Jack the Ripper wins if he successfully completes his objective, and the police officers win if they successfully apprehend Jack. The focus is on teamwork, deduction, and strategic movement rather than accumulating points.

The game concludes in one of two ways: Jack the Ripper wins if he successfully commits five murders and escapes to his hideout without being arrested. The police officers win if they manage to arrest Jack the Ripper at any point during the game, either by landing on his current location or by deducing his hideout. The game can last up to five nights, with each night presenting new challenges and opportunities for both sides.