Overview

Letters from Whitechapel is a hidden-movement deduction game set in 1888 London. One player is Jack the Ripper, secretly moving through the streets of Whitechapel to commit murders and return to a hidden hideout. The other players are police detectives who must deduce Jack’s location and movements through clue-gathering and patrol coordination. The game plays over 4 nights; Jack wins by completing all murders and escaping, while the detectives win by catching him.

Components

• 1 game board (Whitechapel district map)
• 6 reference sheets
• 4 Jack’s Letter sheets (Dear Boss, Saucy Jacky, From Hell, Goulston Street)
• 5 Head of the Investigation tiles
• 5 Special Movement tokens (3 Coach, 2 Alley)
• 7 black wooden Police Patrol tokens (5 coloured, 2 false)
• 8 white wooden Woman tokens (5 red-marked, 3 unmarked)
• 1 red Time of the Crime token
• 5 white Wretched pawns
• 5 coloured Policeman pawns
• 2 black Jack pawns
• 1 Jack the Ripper screen
• 1 pad of move track sheets
• 3 blue False Clue markers
• 19 yellow Clue markers
• 5 red Crime Scene markers

Setup

1. Place the board. Jack sits behind the screen with a move track sheet.
2. Jack secretly chooses a hideout (one numbered circle on the board) and records it.
3. Place Woman tokens on designated Wretched spaces.
4. Place Policeman pawns at their starting patrol positions.
5. The detective players divide the 5 policemen among themselves.

Turn Structure

The game plays over 4 nights, each with 2 parts:

Part 1: The Hunt

1. Wretched move: Jack controls the Woman tokens, moving them one space along connections.
2. Patrol placement: Detectives place Police Patrol tokens (face-down) at intersections.
3. Jack chooses victim: Jack selects which Wretched (red-marked woman) to murder by placing the Time of Crime token.
4. Crime scene: A Crime Scene marker is placed. The murdered woman is removed.
5. Ready to hunt: Jack’s starting position for escape is the crime scene location.

Part 2: The Chase

Jack and detectives alternate turns:

Jack’s Turn:

• Jack secretly moves to an adjacent numbered circle, recording his movement on the track sheet.
• Instead of normal movement, Jack may use a Special Movement token (limited uses per night):
  • Coach (3 total): Move 2 spaces instead of 1.
  • Alley (2 total): Move through an alley shortcut.

Detectives’ Turn: Each detective may perform one of two actions:

1. Move: Move their policeman up to 2 spaces along connections.
2. Search for Clues: Name a numbered circle adjacent to the policeman. Jack must answer truthfully whether he has passed through (or is currently on) that circle during this night. If yes, place a yellow Clue marker. If no, nothing.
3. Arrest Attempt: If a policeman is adjacent to a numbered circle and a detective suspects Jack is there, they may attempt an arrest. Jack must reveal whether he is on that circle. If correct, Jack is caught and detectives win.

Actions

Jack’s Special Actions

• Coach: Move 2 numbered circles in one turn (must be connected). 3 uses per night.
• Alley: Use alley connections (shortcuts). 2 uses per night.
• Letters: Jack may play Letter cards for special effects once per game each.

Detective Actions

• Move: Up to 2 connections per turn.
• Search for Clues: Ask about one adjacent numbered circle.
• Arrest: Attempt to catch Jack at a specific numbered circle.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Jack wins by successfully returning to his hideout on all 4 nights after committing each murder.
• Detectives win by successfully arresting Jack (correctly naming his current location) on any night.
• If Jack cannot reach his hideout (completely surrounded), detectives win.
• Jack also loses if he is forced to reveal his position and a policeman is adjacent.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Jack’s hideout is chosen at the start of the game and does NOT change between nights.
• False Clue markers: Jack has 3 per game. When asked about a circle he has passed through, he may place a blue False Clue instead of yellow, indicating “no” falsely. Limited to 3 total uses.
• Jack must move every turn – he cannot stay in place.
• Policemen cannot enter the same space as each other.
• The number of nights and murders corresponds to the historical Jack the Ripper timeline.
• Head of the Investigation: One detective is designated head and makes final decisions on disagreements.
• Multiple detectives can coordinate their search patterns to triangulate Jack’s position.

Player Reference

Night Summary:

1. Move Wretched tokens
2. Place police patrol tokens
3. Jack commits murder
4. Chase: alternate Jack moves and detective actions
5. Night ends when Jack reaches hideout or is caught

Jack’s Special Tokens (per night):

Token	Uses	Effect
Coach	3	Move 2 spaces instead of 1
Alley	2	Use alley shortcut connections

Detective Action Options (choose 1 per policeman per turn):

1. Move (up to 2 spaces)
2. Search for Clues (ask about 1 adjacent circle)
3. Attempt Arrest (name specific circle)

Game End Conditions:

Condition	Winner
Jack reaches hideout all 4 nights	Jack
Detectives correctly arrest Jack	Detectives
Jack is trapped with no legal moves	Detectives