Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Why (board game)
"Why" is a board game from the late 1950s created by the Milton Bradley Company and released to capitalise on the popularity of the television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
There were three different releases of the game — the original 1958 release, 1961 and 1967 — which differ only in the box art and title:
- 1958 - Alfred Hitchcock Presents: WHY
- 1961 - WHY: Presented by Alfred Hitchcock
- 1967 - Alfred Hitchcock: WHY Mystery Game
Description
"Why" can be played by two to four players aged 12 to adult. The four game-piece characters are each humorous allusions to detectives of popular media fiction: Sergeant Monday (Sergeant Friday), Dick Crazy (Dick Tracy), Charlie Clam (Charlie Chan), and Shylock Bones (Sherlock Holmes). The six "ghosts" in the game are each based on actual historical figures: Daniel Boone, Pocahontas, Napoleon, Nero, Cleopatra and Henry the Eighth. The weapons in the game are a rope, a gun, poison, and an ax. The motive cards include the "Jealousy," "Lover's Quarrel," "Self Defense," and can be used only in conjunction with Alfred Hitchcock "It's A Mystery To Me" card.
The object of the game is to capture one ghost, one weapon, and one motive card. There are four cards for each ghost and weapon. An alternative way to win is capturing the six Alfred Hitchcock cards and the "It's A Mystery To Me" card. Each player is dealt seven cards and start out in the Living Room. The remaining cards are dealt evenly into the six rooms. A player can only have up to seven cards in his or her hand at one time. A player is able to obtain more cards from the lawn, from another player, or from another room.
To acquire cards from the lawn, a player must first make it to the Living Room by rolling a 7, 11, doubles, or the player's normal roll. Then they have to prove they have that type of card by showing it and then flipping over the card they want. If they are correct, they take the card. If they are incorrect, they must put down the card they thought it was and take the wrong card. For one player to take from another, they must be on the same space as each other or in the same room. A player challenges another player's card by first proving that they have one of its set. If they do have the card, they must give it to the player or they can give them a "No Clue" card and this card is removed from the game. If they do not have the card, they are then able to challenge that player for a card with the same rules applying. The player's turn ends after this. To get a card from a room, they must first make it to the room by rolling a 7, 11, doubles, or through the regular roll. Then they pick up the top card and discard the same card or another card if applicable into the lawn.
Links
Image Gallery
Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...
