Case #27

The Elevator Pitch

Case #27 is social deduction game, meaning that the people around you will be participating in the game--although they will not know they are involved.

In Case #27, you are a private detective, hired to solve a murder which the police have given up on. You must question your friends, relatives, acquaintances, or even strangers about their whereabouts at the time of the murder, as well as dredge up some information about their lives, in order to determine who the murderer is. Have casual conversations with them, ask innocent questions, but don't let them know that they are murder suspects!

Number of Players

One. However, this solitaire game requires the player to speak with at least five other people.

Expected Play Time

Anywhere between 30 minutes and several days, depending on how often you speak with people.

The Longer Pitch

To play, print out the Case #27 PocketMod and put it in your pocket, along with a pen or pencil. Go about your day, having casual conversations with those around you. When someone asks you "How are you doing?" or a derivative thereof, that triggers the start of the game. That person is designated as the murder victim. You must now find out where they died, how they died, who killed them, and why.

As you go about your day, other conversations you have and other people you encounter will give you further clues. Piece together the evidence to bring the guilty party to justice!

Record your evidence on the PocketMod. Once you have solved the case, post your results online to reveal the murderer!

The Explanation

This is an idea I've had for a long time. I wanted to encourage gamers who are naturally shy or reserved (ahem... like myself) to have conversations with those around them. I thought it would be fun to have a game where the player's conversations with others and the things happening around them would trigger events or give the player tools to solve problems in the game.

Detective stories largely involve the protagonist going around having conversations with people in order to gather clues. That's easily translated into a game that can fit into one's pocket or purse!

I came up with different "triggers" that will give the player pieces of evidence. For example, the first suspect you encounter will be the first person to say some derivative of "Hello" to you once the game has begun. This will force the player to carry on a conversation with that person to find out such things as: where they were during the time of the murder, how they knew the victim, and whether they possessed the murder weapon.

Try to innocently ask people questions without giving away the game!

—description from the designer