Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game

2018 · Deduction

Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game

Play as investigators in a modern national agency tasked with solving a linked series of crimes across five cases. Players gather and analyze evidence, interview suspects, consult documents and an online database that simulates agency resources, and build timelines and mind maps to connect clues. Gameplay mixes card- and board-based puzzle solving with cooperative deduction and optional solo play, sending players through narrative cases that reveal an overarching meta-plot as they progress.

Players
1–5 best 2
Playing time
120–180 min
Age
16+
Complexity
2.7 / 5
7.4 on Ludoyafrom $17.12Murder / MysterySolo / Solitaire GameCooperative GameNarrative Choice / Paragraph

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Full stats in Ludoya
226
Plays logged
153
Players
2h 44m
Average play
146
In collections
22
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7.4/10

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Do we take individual turns, and how many actions can we do each day?

You act as a single team with NO individual player turns; each day has eight working hours (8:00–4:00) and you perform actions together, with each action advancing the Time marker only if the action says so. You may choose to work Overtime (which adds Stress) after 4:00 PM. (p.5, p.7)

If a lead is in a different Location, do we have to move the IT marker and spend time to get there?

Yes — when a lead requires a different Location you must move the IT marker to that Location and advance the Time marker one hour to represent travel; also place the IT marker at Headquarters at the start of each day. (p.7, p.8)

Can we use the Antares Database and the Internet any time, and do they cost hours?

Accessing the Antares Database never costs hours and you may use it any time when the rules or a card instructs you to do so; you may only browse the Internet when a clue shows the web‑clue icon, and Internet searches likewise cost no hours. Also, never type names or numbers into Antares unless specifically instructed by an @ command. (p.10)

What exactly does Dig Deeper cost and can we dig into a lead after we've already resolved it?

Dig Deeper reveals a lead’s back side by immediately spending the token shown in that card’s Dig Deeper section, and you must decide to spend it before you follow another lead; normally you cannot Dig Deeper on a card after it’s resolved. An investigator ability (for example Chris Stone) can allow Dig Deeper on a resolved card by spending Authority and a Skill token. (p.9, p.11)

How do Authority tokens work — how do we get or spend them, and can we write reports during Overtime?

Authority tokens are spent for some card instructions and to activate abilities; you can gain 1 Authority by spending one working hour to Write a report once per day (move the Time marker one space) but you cannot write reports during Overtime. You also cannot hold more tokens than the physical supply provided in the box. (p.11–12)

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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.