The Investigation

In this phase of the game, we’ll take turns writing chapters to narrate the detective’s investigation of the murder. Place the Investigation tableau at the top of the journal. Shuffle the deck and place it on its spot.

Place the sleuth on a question next to the suspect that found the victim. We will resume turn order to write more chapters where we update clues based on what the investigation reveals. The investigation ends when once again a full house is in the tableau, revealing the suspect occupied by the killer as the culprit.

Steps of a Turn

1. Draw a card and add it to the tableau. If you now have a full house, move to the Summation phase of the game. Otherwise, move the killer following the same rules as before. Add peril and resolve any relevant plots following those rules. Remember, if you need to add a second peril to the suspect, a plot is enacted. Be sure to incorporate any plots into the chapter you write.

2. Then, move the Sleuth to a new question in the journal. If the suspect Sleuth is now adjacent to has a peril token, you may remove it.

3. Write a chapter where the detective investigates the link between the suspect and clue they’re adjacent to, taking into account the color of the drawn card. Red cards lead us to a chapter about the rot, while black cards lead us to a chapter about the murder. Remember to include at least as many suspects in your chapter as the rank of the drawn card.

4. Once the clue is updated, the next player takes a turn.

Designer Note

Keep in mind that we as players don’t need to know how specifically these chapters lead the sleuth to the culprit. It’s enough to make a connection between the suspect and clue and flesh out some narrative details. We know that our brilliant detective is synthesizing the meaning of each clue in their mind and will reveal all to us during the summation.