The Rot

The Rot

The rot is how we refer to the lies and secrets that surround the murder case. It’s shorthand for the social conditions that allow a murder to happen among this group of suspects in the first place. The rot turned our gathering of people into a journal full of suspects, and thus is the reason that any one of the suspects in the journal could conceivably be the culprit. Uncovering the rot is the key to solving any locked room murder mystery.

The card drawn when writing chapters in the Investigation phase determines whether the chapter you write relates to the rot or the murder itself. Red cards lead to chapters that relate to the rot. These chapters reveal some secret that our suspects would much rather sweep under the rug, and get us closer to knowing why this murder was committed and why it seems like every suspect has something to hide. When writing a chapter with a red card, explore the interpersonal relationships and reveal the dark secrets of the involved suspects without worrying if these secrets actually caused the murder.

Black cards lead to chapters relating to the puzzle of the murder itself. These chapters lead us closer to understanding how the murder actually took place. When writing a chapter with a black card, focus on the hard evidence, the clues about the crime, and the specific way suspects talk about the murder and the victim.

Designer Note

There will naturally be overlap between these two types of chapters; some combinations of clue and suspect will heavily lean towards one or the other. It’s totally fine if your chapter addresses both the how and the why! Just make sure to involve the side of the mystery indicated by the card’s suit in some part of your chapter, even if it ends up skewing the other way.

Also, make sure you’re considering which type of chapter you’re writing when moving the Sleuth. If you can’t think of a way to work the rot into a linkage between a suspect and clue, try moving the sleuth to a different question for that turn.