I Commit

Published April 10, 2018 • Updated August 14, 2024

“I Commit” crime club card game invented by Laurence Meynell, Pepys Games, 1948.

I Commit crime club card game, invented by popular novelist Laurence Meynell, was first published by Pepys in 1948. The marvellous illustrations depict a selection of criminal characters, their motives, opportunities and clues, as well as a number of police constables and inspectors. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards by committing a crime, such as smash and grab or bank hold up, or by assisting the police to make an arrest. See the Rules►

I Commit crime club card game invented by Laurence Meynell, Pepys Games, 1948

Above: “I Commit” crime club card game invented by Laurence Meynell, Pepys Games, 1st edition 1948. 53 cards + rules booklet in box. In view of the big success of the “Adventures of PC49” radio series (which must have been soon after the first edition) Pepys issued a second edition with a slightly odd policeman identified as PC49 on his collar.

In 2011 Lagoon Games issued a reproduction which they called “Accused” presented in a tin box, also introducing a white border around all the cards.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many. His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service. Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.