Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Game

• double-sided six-piece map board (large scale map of New York City on one side, the fictional town of Bromlee Station on the reverse)[2]
• 4-page Basic rulebook[3]
• 8-page Advanced rulebook[3]
• Turn record chart[2]
• 32-page book containing five mysteries and the solutions[2]
• six detective cards and matching plastic tokens. Each detective has different expertises and different contacts around the city.[2]
• Detective's Guide to New York, which includes background on various neighbourhoods, as well as where players can go to use their detective's expertise.[2]
• Guide to Bromlee Station gives background information about the fictional town, nearby Bromlee Mansion, and John Hancock College[2]

Players randomly draw a detective card and take the matching token. The players choose which mystery to solve, and turn the board to the appropriate map.[3]

Players can either move to an adjacent area and then receive a clue; or move two areas but receive no clue. If a character can receive a clue and has a contact in that area, the player receives a more detailed clue.[2]

In the Basic game, when a player receives a clue, the player then reads the clue to all players.[2]

In the Advanced game, the player reads the clue silently rather than sharing it with other players. Also, each player is able to "squelch" up to three areas, which other players then cannot access unless their character has the appropriate expertise, or has a known contact in that area.[2]

If a player feels that they know the solution, they announce their proposed conclusion, then silently read the printed solution to themselves. (The solutions are printed in reverse typeface, necessitating the use of a mirror to read them.)[2] If the player's solution is exactly right, that player wins the game. If the player is wrong, they are eliminated from the game. The game continues until either a player reaches the correct conclusion, or all players have been eliminated.[1]