The Locked Room Murder

When a full house is revealed during the Lead-Up, the moment we’ve all been waiting for finally occurs. One of these suspects is found murdered in a locked room. We’ll collaborate on a special chapter where we will add some clues based on the cards in the tableau, and decide the time, place, and other key facts of the crime.

Conducting the Murder

1. Do not move the killer like you normally would. The Suspect currently being visited by the killer is murdered. Place a DEAD token on them. Check which suspect the killer would have moved to based on the drawn card. This suspect will be the one to find the crime scene in the coming chapter.

2. Each of the card ranks from 1-5 will add a clue based on the number of that card that was drawn and the crime scene clues table in the case file. Go through each card rank, starting with A and proceeding to 2, then 3, 4, 5. For each, determine which clue gets added based on how many of that card rank are in the tableau. Add each clue to the journal once everyone has a shared understanding of it.

3. Then, it’s time to figure out where and when the victim is found. Consider how the victim might be found alone, and why the chosen character will be the first one to find them. Consider what leads the witness to find the victim, who else is there with them, and what they do immediately in the aftermath.

4. Once we have a shared understanding of the murder, we will tidy up the narrative of its discovery. Ensure everyone is on the same page with these details, and then move on to the Investigation phase, which adds a few new rules for the journal.

Designer Note

Remember–this is the Locked Room Murder Mystery Game! Your victim should be found in a locked room, which is detective novel shorthand for an impossible situation. It may be a true locked room, or it could be somewhere you can’t immediately conceive how the killer would escape from, unseen and unheard.