1313 Dead End Drive

1313 Dead End Drive is a murder-themed board game from Parker Brothers.[1] Released in 2002, it was the sequel to 1993 game 13 Dead End Drive.

The story behind the game revolves around the death of Aunt Agatha, a wealthy old woman and heiress to a "kitty-litter empire." Sixteen of her closest companions have gathered at her estate for the reading of her will, and to collect their inheritance, they must escape Aunt Agatha's trap-filled mansion before midnight.

Gameplay

At the start of gameplay, players are passed out "Heir Cards" which correspond to the pawns that are placed on the board. There are a total of sixteen characters, so it is almost always the case that players control more than one character. Players are required to keep the roles of their Character Cards secret from their opponents. Additionally there are thirty-two "Playing Cards," which allow players to do special things during their turn such as spring traps or instantly move pawns to other rooms. There is also one "Clock Strikes Midnight" card that is placed at the bottom of the Playing Cards, and if this card is drawn by any player, the game ends.

During each turn, players roll two dice and move two pawns which correspond to each dice roll. Players are allowed to move any pawn on the board, regardless if they hold its corresponding Heir Card or not, so that they can move it closer to or further away from a trap space or the door. A pawn can be moved onto a Trap space by exact roll only, and when a pawn is moved onto a Trap space, the player must draw a card from the Playing Cards stack. To spring a trap, a player must have a corresponding trap card in their possession. Springing traps is not mandatory, however. There are also Secret Passage spaces that players can use to quickly travel around the mansion.

Also during the game, players must pay attention to Aunt Agatha's will, which changes with the death of each character. The will contains the portrait of each character and is organized in a chain-like fashion. Every character begins with a single money bag token, except for Spritzy, who begins with four, and Sedgewick, who begins with two. When a character is "knocked off", their money tokens go to the next character in line of the will. When the last surviving character of the will is knocked off, their money tokens go to the "Pet Pals Retirement Home", and no one receives the money. If a character escapes the mansion, their money bag tokens are removed from the will and their space on the will is skipped over if a character preceding them on the will is knocked off.

Ways to Win

The winner of the game is determined by the amount of money bag tokens each player has at the end of the game. Whoever has the most money bag tokens when every player is out of the mansion (either by death or by escape) is the winner of the game. If the bottom of the Playing Cards stack is reached and the "Clock Strikes Midnight" card is drawn, gameplay ends instantly and players must count the moneybags currently in their possession to determine the winner.

Traps

1313 Dead End Drive has five different booby traps that can be sprung throughout the mansion.

Any player can move any pawn onto a Trap Space, but it must be by exact roll. To spring the trap to knock off the pawn, a player must use a corresponding Trap Card, which can be drawn from the Playing Cards stack. When a trap is sprung on a character, their pawn and Heir Card are placed on the table to signify that they are no longer in play. Additionally, any money bags that are on their space in the will or moved to the next heir in line.

Characters

Aunt Agatha: A "filthy-rich heiress to a kitty-litter empire" whose estate the heirs are competing for.

The Heirs (In the order that they appear on the will):

Playing Cards

There are five different kinds of Playing Cards:

Players can play as many Trap cards as they wish on a single turn; additionally or instead, they can play one of any other card. Playing Cards must be played after a player rolls their two dice.

Special Spaces and Rules

13 Dead End Drive

13 Dead End Drive is the predecessor to 1313 Dead End Drive. Many of the aspects of the first game were passed on to the second, but there are several alterations: in 13 Dead End Drive, Aunt Agatha's Will is replaced by a "Portrait", which hangs over the fireplace and displays the portrait of any of the twelve (instead of sixteen) heirs. If an heir escapes while they are displayed in the portrait, they win the game. Instead of the "Clock Strikes Midnight" card, there are thirteen "Detective Cards" scattered throughout the Trap card pile. When a Detective card is drawn, a Detective pawn, which is waiting outside of the mansion, moves one space closer to the mansion. The game can end instantly if the thirteenth Detective card is drawn and the Detective pawn reaches the front door. Additionally, the Boar's Head trap is replaced by a Chandelier, and the Safe trap is replaced by a Bookshelf. Also, one of the characters from the original game, Hickory, the gardener, does not appear in this one.

References

  1. Wallace, Amy; Howison, Del; Bradley, Scott (2009), The Book of Lists: Horror, HarperCollins, p. 334, ISBN 0061982377.
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