Introduction

The story we are about to tell is one of mystery, murder, rumors, and disgrace. It’s a convoluted tale of a detective in search of the who, how, and why of the most impossible type of crime: the locked room murder. With the victim of the crime found behind closed and locked doors, the killer’s escape from the room is as much of a mystery as their identity. While attempting to untangle the web of evidence and deceptions surrounding the case, our sleuth will uncover the twisted and troubling rot at the core of everything.

Inspired by detective novels like The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Honjin Murders, our story and the mystery it revolves around will unravel as we play the game. We’ll first learn all the relevant characters, each of whom may be a suspect. We’ll play out and describe scenes, called chapters, as we trace the events leading up to the murder, then continue writing chapters of our detective collecting clues from the crime scene and the secrets of all of the people involved, slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together in their mind. As players and authors, we won’t necessarily know how these pieces fit when we discover them, but will finally see the truth when the detective dramatically welcomes all involved to the summation exercise.

This format allows us to be dramatic with our chapters, layering in clues and tidbits and theatrics without knowing exactly how it will connect in the end. We may know that Alfred briefed his wife and son about some clandestine plot in the limo ride to the gala, but not what sort of plot he had in mind. Perhaps we’ll get a glimpse of Mr. Willard finding a threatening note that was slipped under the door of his study, but we don’t yet know who authored it.