Do I have to print anything?
No. Every case works 2 ways. Print tonight's file and spread the evidence across your table, which is how most people do it, or keep everything on a screen and work the case from the sofa. Both versions are complete. And you never print the whole collection: you print the one case you are playing, which runs about 34 pages, or none at all.
How many people can play?
From 1 to 6. Solo is genuinely good: it is you against the file, with nobody to talk you out of a bad theory. Playing with 2 is the best version, and the one most people play. With a group you split the documents and argue, which is where it gets loud. Nobody plays a character and nobody waits for a turn.
Is it actually solvable, or is there a trick?
Every case can be solved from what is in the file. No hidden information, no twist that comes from nowhere, no ciphers. The clues are all there in plain view, surrounded by a lot of things that are not clues. That is the whole difficulty, and it is the honest kind.
How long does one case take?
60 to 90 minutes for most people, longer if you argue, and people argue. The collection is well over 12 hours of investigation in total. You can stop halfway, close the file and pick it up a week later without losing the thread.
Can I replay a case?
Once you know who did it, the mystery is gone. But a solved case is the best thing you can hand to somebody else. Most detectives pass their files on to a friend and then watch them fall into exactly the same trap. That is also why 7 cases matter: you are buying 7 first nights, not one.
I have never done this before. Will I be lost?
The collection comes with The Detective's Handbook, which teaches you how to work a file: reading a statement for the lie inside it, building a timeline, testing a motive. Start with File 001, which is the gentlest. By File 006 you will not need the handbook.
Are these real murders?
No. Every case is written from scratch and built the way a real investigation is built. Nobody in these files has ever existed, which means you can accuse whoever you like without hurting anybody, and it means every case has an answer waiting at the end instead of a shrug.
Can I get this cheaper somewhere else?
You can find single printable mysteries for under $10, and bundles advertising 30 cases for about what this costs. They are not the same thing, and we would rather say why than pretend they do not exist. A file here is 34 pages of written investigation with 6 full interrogation transcripts, an autopsy, a photographed scene and a solution built backwards from the evidence. A 12-page case cannot hold that, and a 30-case bundle is not writing that 30 times. 7 cases at $5.57 each is the trade we chose.
How do I get it after I pay?
Minutes after checkout, straight to your inbox. Nothing is shipped, nothing arrives by post, nothing gets lost on the way. There is no app, no account to create and no subscription of any kind. Buy it after dinner and the file will be open on your table before the evening is over.
What if it is not for me?
You have 7 days. Write to us and we refund you, with no questions and nothing to prove. The full terms are on the refund policy page.
There are 7 files, and 1 of them is going to be open on your table tonight.
File 001Unsolved
