Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Which Box to Start With

In short

Start Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective with The Baker Street Irregulars and its introductory cases, or The Thames Murders & Other Cases for the 1982 originals. Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures adds a four-case campaign; Carlton House & Queen's Park is rated Expert. Each standalone Space Cowboys box holds 10 cases for 1 to 8 players, ages 14+.

Lead — In Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, a location you choose to visit by finding its address in the London Directory and reading the matching paragraph in the case booklet; each lead beyond the number Holmes needed costs 5 points.

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The four boxes at a glance

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective first came out from Sleuth Publications in 1982 and won the 1985 Spiel des Jahres. Today’s English edition is published by Space Cowboys and distributed in the US by Asmodee. It comes as four standalone boxes. Each box has its own map of London, London Directory, newspapers and ten case booklets, so you can start with any of them. The ten cases in The Thames Murders were fully revised and retranslated from the earlier Ystari French edition.

Box	Cases	What sets it apart	Publisher difficulty	Best for
The Baker Street Irregulars	10 new cases by David Neale	Includes introductory cases; a system tracks your progress in each investigation	Not stated	First-time groups
The Thames Murders & Other Cases	The 10 original 1982 cases	The classic set, revised and retranslated	Expert	Purists and solo players
Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures	4 linked cases + 6 classic West End cases	A short campaign and a Whitechapel map	Not stated	Groups that like a story arc
Carlton House & Queen’s Park	Carlton House cases + a three-day Queen’s Park investigation	3 extra maps, an envelope of 12 clues	Expert	Experienced players

All four are listed for 1 to 8 players aged 14 and up, with about 90 minutes per case. Board game databases such as Dice Tower’s give a wider 60 to 120 minutes, which matches what a first case usually takes while the group learns the directory.

How a case works, and why it matters for your choice

Each case booklet opens with a short introduction to the case. From there, the group decides where to go. You look up a name in the London Directory, find the address on the map, and read the paragraph for that address in the booklet. Each visit is a lead. Only one lead is read per turn, and when the table disagrees, the current lead investigator has the final word. The newspaper for the day of the case, and earlier issues, can be read freely; later issues stay closed.

When you think you can explain what happened, you stop and answer two sets of questions: one on the case itself, one on side events worth extra points. Then you read Holmes’s solution. His score is always 100 points. You add up the points for your correct answers, then subtract 5 points for each lead you followed beyond Holmes’s count, or add 5 for each lead fewer. In the rulebook’s own example, Holmes needs 6 leads; a group that took 8 and earned 95 points from its answers ends on 85. Even a group that answers every question can finish below him.

That scoring is the main thing to understand before buying. The game rewards discussion before each visit more than speed, and it is hard on groups that want to read every paragraph. For techniques that keep your lead count down, see how to think like a detective.

Which box to start with

For a new group: The Baker Street Irregulars

The Baker Street Irregulars is the most welcoming entry point. Its ten cases were written by David Neale, described by the publisher as a British Sherlock Holmes expert, and Dice Tower’s listing notes they include introductory cases for new players. You play the Irregulars, the young street helpers from the Holmes stories, and the box adds a system that tracks your progress through each investigation. It reached US stores through Asmodee USA on July 31, 2020.

For the original experience: The Thames Murders & Other Cases

The Thames Murders & Other Cases holds the ten cases from the 1982 original, revised for this edition. Space Cowboys rates it Expert. It is the box most players mean when they say “Consulting Detective”, and a good first purchase for a solo player or a pair who already enjoy reading-heavy games.

For a campaign: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

This box splits into two parts. Four cases form one complete story set in Whitechapel, with its own district map, and six West End Adventures are classic cases reworked for the current range. The six West End cases can be played in any order; the four linked cases should be played in sequence. The campaign follows the historical Whitechapel case, so the subject is darker than the rest of the series. Read the case introductions first if you play with teenagers, or start with the West End cases.

For experienced players: Carlton House & Queen’s Park

Carlton House & Queen’s Park is set around two new locations: the Carlton House mansion and its grounds, and Queen’s Park, whose investigation runs over three in-game days and revisits The Queen’s Park Affair, a 1984 expansion of the original game. The box adds three extra maps and an envelope of 12 clue cards. Space Cowboys rates it Expert, and the box description calls some of its cases the longest and most demanding in the series. Keep it for after your first box.

Solo or group play

Every box works solo. The rules let a single player answer the questions and compare the score with Holmes’s 100, and a solo player loses no time to debate. Many players treat it as a reading puzzle for a quiet evening.

In a group, the game becomes a discussion. Two to four players is the comfortable range: everyone can see the map and the newspaper, and each person can argue for a lead. With six to eight players, appoint one reader for each paragraph and one note-keeper, and rotate the lead investigator role so everyone gets to choose a destination. The box listing says up to 8 players; in practice, a large table spends more time listening than deciding.

Mistakes to avoid when buying

Books with the same name. Amazon also lists Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective volumes from Airship 27. These are short-story collections, not game boxes. The game boxes name Space Cowboys and carry a box subtitle.
Foreign-language editions. The series also exists in French, Polish, Italian and other editions. Check that the box is the English edition before ordering.
The Cthulhu spin-off. Bureau of Investigation uses the Consulting Detective rules in a Cthulhu Mythos setting. It is a separate game outside the Holmes series, with a horror theme.

Where to go next

Once you have a box, our guide to what a deduction game is shows how Consulting Detective compares with Clue and MicroMacro: Crime City. If you want a different detective game for your next game night, compare the best detective board games, or browse the Detective and Deduction Games topic.

Key facts

The Thames Murders & Other Cases contains a map of London, 10 case booklets, 10 newspapers, a London Directory and a rulebook, for 1 to 8 players aged 14+, about 90 minutes per case, rated Expert by the publisher.Space Cowboys, The Thames Murders & Other Cases, 2026
Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures holds 10 case booklets: four cases that form one complete story and six classic West End cases reworked for the current range, with two maps, London and Whitechapel.Space Cowboys, Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures, 2026
Carlton House & Queen's Park contains 10 case booklets, a London map plus 3 additional maps and an envelope of 12 clues; the publisher rates it Expert and says the Queen's Park cases run over three days of investigation.Space Cowboys, Carlton House & Queen's Park, 2026
The Baker Street Irregulars, ten new cases written by Sherlock Holmes specialist David Neale for one to eight players aged 14 and up, was released to US stores by Asmodee USA on July 31, 2020.ICv2, 2020
In every box, Holmes's score is always 100 points; players subtract 5 points for each lead followed beyond Holmes's count and add 5 for each lead fewer.Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective rulebook, RulesPal, 2026

FAQ

Which Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective box should I play first?

The Baker Street Irregulars is the gentlest start, since its ten cases include introductory ones for new players. The Thames Murders & Other Cases is the classic choice if you want the ten original 1982 cases. Carlton House & Queen's Park is better kept for later, as the publisher rates it Expert.

Do you need to play the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective boxes in order?

No. Each Space Cowboys box is standalone with its own map, newspapers and directory. Inside a box, play linked cases in order: the four Jack the Ripper cases form one story, and the Queen's Park investigation runs over three days.

Can you play Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective solo?

Yes. Every box is listed for 1 to 8 players, and the rules let a solo player compare their score with Holmes's 100 points. Groups of two to four tend to discuss leads more easily than larger tables, where only one person can read a paragraph at a time.

Can you replay Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective cases?

Not really. Once you know the solution, a case is spent. With ten cases per box, one box covers ten game nights, and nothing is written on or destroyed, so a finished box can be passed on to another group.

How long does a Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective case take?

Space Cowboys lists about 90 minutes per case, and the Dice Tower database gives 60 to 120 minutes. Long cases in Carlton House & Queen's Park can run past that, so leave room for a second session.