Mystery Date Rules

Mystery Date is a board game originally designed by Milton Bradley. The first version of the game hit shelves in 1965, and the game was re-issued in 1970, 1999 and 2005. The 1999 version involves different game play and an electronic phone, which players use to receive clues from their mystery prom date. The 2005 version is a remake of the classic Mystery Date and does not include the electronic phone. There is also a High School Musical version of the game.

Classic Mystery Date: 2005 version is meant for two to four players, ages seven and up. The object is to be the first girl to get ready for one of four mystery dates and find her matching date behind the door. The game board, the mystery door, five mystery dates, 48 clothing cards, four pawns with stands and die are included with the game.

The first time you play, you must assemble the Mystery Door. There are nine pieces that make up the door. There is the door front, the door back, two pieces for the doorknob and five mystery date cards. You stack the mystery date cards in order one through five, with one on the top and five on the bottom. The round doorknob piece goes through the hole in the door and attaches to the fastener. The mystery date cards slide over the hinges on the door back piece so one is facing up. The door pieces connect to the hinges and the door fits into a designated space on the game board. You will also need to insert each of the pawn pieces into a plastic base piece.

The different types of dates are the Bicycle Picnic, the Prom Date, the Snowboarding Date, and the Beach Date. There is also a Nerd card wearing a pocket protector and glasses. The Nerd is to be avoided.

Each player rolls the die. The highest roll goes first with play continuing to the left. On your turn, you roll the die and move your peg clockwise around the board. You must follow any instructions on the space you landed on. If you land on a Take space, you follow the instructions on the space to take a card from the draw pile, the discard pile, or another player. If you land on the Swap space and are instructed to swap cards with another player, both players must select a card from their own hands and trade with one another.

If you land on an Open the Door space and have the correct cards to complete an outfit, that means you are ready for a date and may open the door to see if your matching date has arrived. If you do not have three matching outfit cards, you do nothing and your turn is over. To open the door, you must show your three-card outfit to your opponents. If it is not a match, you must close the door, turn the knob, and play continues. If you open the door to reveal the Nerd, you must discard the three matching outfit cards you have and choose three new cards from the Draw pile. Play continues. If the date behind the door is a match, you have won.