Solve a cold case at your kitchen table
Printable detective games for 1 to 6 players. You get the whole case file: police reports, witness statements, logbooks, newspapers and photos, in three sealed envelopes. Nobody tells you which pages matter.
group1 to 6 players
scheduleAbout 2 hours
printPrint at home, B&W fine
mail3 sealed envelopes
CASE NO. 2
The next file is being written
Email me
How it works
Three envelopes, three questions
STEP 1folder_open
Open the file
Print the case: reports, statements, logs, newspapers, photos. Read the detective's memo first.
STEP 2fact_check
Answer on the case page
Agree on an answer to the first question and type it on the case page, from any phone.
STEP 3mail
Open the next envelope
Right answer: open the next sealed envelope, with new evidence and a new question. Three envelopes, then the whole story and your score.
Our promises
Fair, solvable, never a lucky guess
search
Everything is in the file
No internet searches, no outside knowledge. Every clue is in the words on the page; photos set the scene but never hide the answer.
mail
Three sealed envelopes
Each stage ends with one question. Get it right and the next envelope opens with new evidence, so you always know what you're working on.
forum
Hints when you want them
The case page has three hints for every question, each a little stronger. Take one when you're stuck instead of losing the evening.
fact_check
Checked page by page
Every name, age, date and weekday is checked against every other page, so a contradiction is a clue, never a typo.
Questions
Before you open a file
How many people can play? expand_more
One to six. The cases are made for two people at a kitchen table, and work just as well solo or with a few friends sharing the pages.
How long does a case take? expand_more
About 90 minutes to two hours, at your own pace. You can stop between envelopes and pick it up another night.
Do I have to print it? expand_more
Printing is best: you'll want to spread the documents out side by side. Black and white is fine, Letter or A4. You can also play from a tablet or laptop.
Do we need the internet? expand_more
Only to check your answers and get hints on the case page, from any phone. No signal? The answers are printed upside down at the back of the Final File.
How hard is it? expand_more
Every case shows a difficulty from 1 to 5. Level 1 is a great first case; level 5 is for seasoned detectives. Hints on the case page get anyone unstuck.
Is it scary? expand_more
No gore and nothing graphic. It's a real murder case, so expect a death, a cover-up and some 1980s teenage drinking. PG-13.
Can I give it as a gift? expand_more
Yes. The download includes a printable gift card to put in an envelope and a label for a manila folder, so the printed case looks like the real thing.