1313 Dead End Drive is a fun one, particularly if you both like Clue, and your family can deal with “take that” antagonistic game mechanics. There are definitely times my family can’t play this game; if anyone is feeling emotionally fragile, then this isn’t a good choice. But for those times when everyone is able to withstand the game mechanics, it’s a fun game.
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Apparently, I lucked out finding it at our thrift store because it seems to be out of print, though available used for a high price tag. If you can’t find it for a reasonable price, look for 13 Dead End Drive, as I think it’s similar but much more readily available.
How to play 1313 Dead End Drive
Your rich Aunt Agatha has died and left her money to her various relatives and staff. Spritzy starts with 4 million, Sedgwick with 2 million, and everyone else starts with 1 million. Each player has the cards for 4-6 different heirs, but anyone can move any of the actual game pieces around. If Spritzy dies, her 4 million is moved onto the next character on the will – Sedgwick. This means that the other players are trying to kill off your characters while you’re trying to kill off theirs, and everyone is trying to make their way out of Aunt Agatha’s mansion. And did I mention that these heir cards can be stolen? So you might not even end the game controlling the same characters you started with.
You have to get out of the mansion by the time the last playing card is drawn. Whoever makes it out alive in time, with the most money, wins the game. If the last several characters are killed off, the unclaimed money goes to Pet Pals Retirement Home. One thing I do like is that even if all your characters are killed off, you keep playing – trying to kill off other characters, and hoping you’ll get a card that allows you to steal an heir card. So even if all your characters are dead, don’t despair – you can still win the game!
1313 Dead End Drive has a lot of pieces!
My least favorite part of 1313 Dead End Drive is that it is such a bear to set up. It’s a whole 3D thing, complete with traps, some of which are rather touchy. There are some small pieces, so if you have younger kids, that’s something to watch for. There is some reading on the cards, so this game might not be the best choice for non-readers. And because this game has such a physical aspect to it, it’s a rather big box that can’t be easily modified.
Setup and rules are clearly explained, with plenty of pictures and examples to make everything plain. There are two regular six-sided dice you use for moving. With each turn, you roll both dice and move one pawn per die. It can get quite frustrating trying to move characters around the board, as there are plenty of obstacles. But the characters can neither move onto obstacles nor diagonally, and you’re limited to up to 6 moves per character per turn. If you roll doubles, then you can add both dice and use them together to move one pawn.
All players sit squished onto three sides of the board
Another aspect that makes 1313 Dead End Drive weird for my family to play is that, due to how the board is set up, you can only have players on three sides of your table. We’re a family of four, which means if we’re all playing, we’re scrunched oddly. And of course, you need to keep the cards in your hand secret, as this is a highly competitive game. With my younger kids, we run into issues with them showing everyone else their cards. It’s not a deal-breaker for my family, but it does require some adjustment.
Still not sure if this is a good game for your family? Check out our play-through video on YouTube!