
2019 · Bluffing
Detective: City of Angels
Step into 1940s Los Angeles as homicide detectives and one opposing manipulator in a game of murder, interrogation, and competing agendas. Detectives gather leads, interview suspects, collect evidence, and pursue hot leads across detailed casebooks, while the deceptive player controls suspect responses using an adaptive card system to bluff, misdirect, or lie. Players may challenge answers at risk of giving the manipulator leverage, and revelations, new suspects, and branching paths emerge as investigations progress. Includes a cooperative sleuth mode for fully collaborative play and scenarios crafted to unfold differently based on player choices.
- Players
- 1–5 best 3
- Playing time
- 30–150 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 2.4 / 5
About the game
- Design
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Detective: Bullets over Hollywood2019
Detective: Smoke and Mirrors2020
Detective: Saints & Sinners2023
Detective: City of Angels – Cloak & Daggered2021
Detective: City of Angels – Secret Cabal Promo Cards2018
Detective: City of Angels – Gen Con 2019 Promo Cards2019
Detective: Heists & Heartbreak2026
Enquêtes à Los Angeles: Nouveaux Crimes2022Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 118
- Plays logged
- 103
- Players
- 1h 24m
- Average play
- 53
- In collections
- 18
- On wishlists
- 1
- Pre-ordered
8.4/10
from 14 Ludoya reviews
Javo8.0 Un gran juego de detectives. En realidad de nota le pondría un 7 pero le pongo un 8 por todo el curro que hay detrás (guiones, historias, etc..) Por lo demás, considero que está sobreproducido, hay otros juegos del mismo estilo con menos producción e igual de satisfactorios. En cuanto a solo funciona muy bien y cumple. En otros modos, como tahúr, es fantástico y divertido ir engañando a los investigadores o jugando con ellos al despiste, especialmente si ya has jugado previamente. No obstante, a 3-4 jugadores, bajo mi punto de vista, se hace pesado y lento si eres investigador. Tienes que esperar a que llegue tu turno te puede hacer desconectar bastante de la partida por lo que es importante remarcar que usen las habilidades de sobornar y otras con frecuencia para tener toda la información. En algunos grupos funcionará mejor el competitivo y en otros el cooperativo por este motivo.
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Who controls the Chisel and what do my detective pieces do on setup?
One player is the Chisel (sets the case) and the others are detectives; the rulebook explains separate setups and components for the Chisel and detectives and how to place suspect standees and components during setup (Rulebook pp. 3, 6–7).
How do I search a location or a suspect—do I need to be on the exact space?
You must be at the location to search it; searching a suspect requires you to have that suspect standee in your area or to question them as described in the Search rules (Rulebook pp. 8–9).
What exactly happens when I take evidence or archive a search card?
When you take evidence you remove the corresponding token/card and record it on your Investigation Sheet; archived search cards are set aside so they can no longer be found, as detailed in the search and evidence rules (Rulebook pp. 9–11).
How do questioning, Chisel responses, and the challenge mechanic work?
Detectives ask about Case cards and the Chisel replies with Response cards (truthful, misleading, or evasive); after a reply you may challenge the Chisel to reveal whether their response was honest, following the step-by-step question/challenge resolution procedure (Rulebook pp. 12–13).
What are bribes and how are they resolved?
Bribes are spent to influence snitches or to buy information and are resolved by exchanging bribe markers and following the Bribe resolution steps during questioning or when taking bribe actions (Rulebook pp. 10, 11, 13).
When can I attempt to solve the case and what happens if I'm wrong on the final guess?
A detective may attempt a solve when they have enough leverage and meet the solving conditions; a correct guess wins and an incorrect final guess has the penalties and epilogue reveal procedure described under solving and final-guess rules (Rulebook pp. 14–15).
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.