rulebook

Detectives, welcome to Antares, the most high-tech investigation agency in the world!
While working for Antares, you will operate under the jurisdiction of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, so consider yourselves servants of the public justice system.
During our first year of operation, we will be examined closely by the public, themedia, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Our agency was formed to solve the mostunusual cases, using the latest achievements in computer science, forensics andpsychology, and now you get to do your part. There is no room for error, no roomfor doubt — only for your professionalism, your ethics, and your particular sets ofcomplementary skills, skills that you will soon put to good use. Don’t let anything
stop you from solving the case!
By the way, lunch breaks are at 12:30 PM.
— Partial transcript of an introductory speech to new recruits by Richard
Delaware, creator of Antares

11

GAME CONCEPTS▶ ▶ sample mind map
Melody▸▸WELCOME, INVESTIGATORS& SonsInc. + Russ

home at
10 pm?

Missing discs.
Matching key.

Detective is a cooperative game of deduction. Each of you plays an investigatorwith a unique ability and skill set. You must gather information, collect clues,
and follow leads in order to solve a case, which is represented by a deck ofcards. At the end of the game, you will answer questions to gain victory points.
You will win or lose the game based on the number of victory points earned.

Grandfather’s?
I don’t buy it!

em has to

One of th

Roof

Cellarles,David Fow

32

Where werethe Simmons?

Detective is a cooperative game. All players share the Skill tokens, Stresstokens (), and Authority tokens () in a common Token pool and use aTime marker to track the passing of time when resolving all Actions. We use
the word “you” to represent the entire team. You are going to examine allclues together, as a team.

Check fors!

entrance

3 bodies
2 sections only!

▶Metaplot▶
Detective is a campaign game. The five cases in the box are connected by
one overall narrative thread. While playing, you might find clues that seem
unconnected to the current case. Sometimes they are dead ends; sometimes
they are clues you will need to solve upcoming cases. Don’t be discouraged
if you don’t understand the significance of a clue when you first encounterit. Maybe that information will be crucial one day soon...

Melinda Fowles, 27

Ritchie @ PD
We owe him!!!

Call the architects.
Something’s wrong!

▶Teamwork▶

lie!!!

Seen:
8 am - 4 pm
8 am - 12 am
10 am - 11 am
11 am - 5 pm?

Who is this guy?

▶Solving▶
cases without a full deck
Each case has many paths to completion. Due to time constraints, you will
never see the whole deck or discover all of the clues. In fact, the average
number of cards drawn in each case is about twenty!
After finishing the game, don’t be disappointed that you didn’t go throughthe entire deck. This is a game of deduction. Ultimately, what matters mostis how you piece it all together, not how many clues you discover.

▶One▶ case, one deck
Each case is comprised of a dedicated deck of 36 cards: 1 cover card and35 “lead” cards. Do not browse through this deck or shuffle it! Draw theappropriate cards from it only when instructed to do so. Read only the front
side unless instructed otherwise. Once you draw a lead card, you can refer to
it at any time during the campaign.

▶There▶
is no “You Won” card
Detective is not a “choose your own adventure” game. There is no final
paragraph that says you won and sums up the entire story; no single cardthat makes everything click. All of the information is scattered among manydifferent cards. You must connect the dots to build up theories and findanswers to your final questions.

▶Cast▶
a wide net
At the start of each case, you will find a few lead cards and clues to get you
started. Consider following each of these leads before deciding to investigate
further down any particular path. Following a few leads based on a variety ofclues to build a wider picture of what’s going on is often MUCH better thanfocusing on only one lead.

Remember - no single card will win you the game. The answers for the Final
Report must be deduced from the clues you have gathered during the game.
You won’t get far if you merely cycle through the deck, trying to draw one
card after another, hoping that one last card in the chain will win you thegame. It will not.

▶Notes▶
With five interconnected cases in the base game, taking good notes will be
crucial. If you start a later case without remembering vital names and clues
from earlier cases, you will have a hard time piecing everything together.
Do not hesitate to write down important names. Connect them with lines toshow their relation to one another as well as to evidence, dates, places andevents. In addition, we recommend creating a mind map to organize yourthoughts.

#playtestingtip
Detective is a game night experience and solving a case can take morethan three hours. Since you will most likely play each case only once,
don’t ruin the experience by playing in a rush, in a bad mood, or under
any other circumstances that will not help you fully enjoy the game. Finda good quiet place, maybe put some music on in the background, relax,
and become a detective!

22

COMPONENTS
▶Game
▶
board

The game board depicts all of the major Locations
the investigators will visit during the game. It also
features a Day track and a Time track to mark thepassing of time, which is important because eachcase has a precise time limit in which it must be
solved.

▶5▶ CHARACTER Tiles▶Antares▶
Database▶Casebook▶

The casebook includes game introductions andspecial rules for each of the five cases in the
campaign. Do not open the casebook before
starting the game. Play all of the cases in orderand don’t read the next case until you havefinished the current one.

▶5▶ case decks

The Antares National Investigation Agency maintains
a database of its resources at ANTARESDATABASE.
COM. On this website you’ll find witness reports,
interrogation transcripts, additional materials
dedicated to each case, and personal files of the
primary characters you’ll meet in the game.

▶wooden▶
markers

1 Time marker, 1 Investigation Team (IT) marker,
1 Day marker▶CHARACTER▶
tokensWith investigators on the front and consultants on
the back sides.

▶5▶ SPECIAL tokens

Don’t read or even open the next case deck until
you have finished the current one.

▶1▶ intro sheet/Antares Guide
Used for various purposes (e.g. as an additional IT,
Time or Day marker, as a spare, or to mark importantlead cards). Unless instructed otherwise, you can
use them as you see fit - be creative!

15 Authority, 10 Stress, 5 Used Ability tokens▶skill▶
tokens▶this▶
rulebook
3 Research, 3 Technology, 3 Perception,
3 Questioning, and 5 Wild Skill tokens

33

CASE SET-UP▸▸TO SET UP FOR EACH CASE:
7.

Place the Investigation Team marker (or IT marker) on the Headquarters
Location.

Create a Token pool of all Skill tokens provided by investigators andconsultants.

8.

3.

Place the Time marker on the 8:00 AM space of the Time track.

Log into the Antares website at antaresdatabase.com, then choose yourcampaign and the case.

4.

Place the Day marker on the day 1 space of the Day track.

9.

Take the case deck and place it next to the board.

5.

Give each player the investigator tile of their choice. Place your investigator
tile face up and collect the Skill token depicted on the tile in its bottom
right-hand corner (5a).

1.

Place the board on the table within reach of all players.

2.

6.

10. Open the casebook and read the introduction to the case, special rules,
and set-up changes.
11. Make plenty of space for your notes and/or a mind map. Use a whiteboard
or a bulletin board if you have one.

Turn any unused investigator tiles to their Consultant side and collectthe Skill tokens depicted on those tiles (6a).

12. Make sure you have an Internet browser in reach to search for caserelated information.

9
10

11

1

4
2

8
3

12
5a

7

6a

3 Players example:

5

44

6

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW▸▸SUMMARY▶Daily▶
activity
During a Day, there are NO individual player turns or phases. You act as one
team and perform actions together. You should discuss as a team the next
steps you would like to take. Note that you may have to move the IT marker
on the game board, move the Time marker on the Time track, and so on,
depending on your choices.

You have a limited number of days, i.e. game rounds, in which to learn asmuch as possible about a case and achieve the stated goal. Once you runout of days, navigate to that case’s “Final Report” on the Antares website
and attempt to answer questions related to it. Your answers will determine
your final score.

To take actions during a day, you can:▸▸Follow a lead,▸▸Dig Deeper,▸▸Browse the Antares Database,▸▸Browse the Internet,▶Days▶
and hours▸▸Write a report,

Each day is divided into eight working hours (8:00AM - 4:00PM) to spend
on various actions. You can spend additional hours each day by working
Overtime. Be careful, though! Working Overtime causes stress, and stress in
Detective can end your investigation prematurely!

▸▸Use an investigator’s ability,▸▸Spend authority tokens to perform an action specified on a card, or▸▸Perform another action defined by the case introduction or a specificcard.
Each action will indicate whether or not you must advance the Time marker
to perform it.
Example: You decide to draw and read a lead card, so you move the Timemarker as instructed. That lead card gives you access to two new lead cards inthe “Further Leads” section. You decide to draw and read one of the new leadcards, advancing the Time tracker again. There is an option to check something
in the Antares Database, which you do (at no cost on the Time tracker). You
now draw another lead card, but this lead is in a different Location, so you
must first move the IT marker and advance the Time tracker by one hour, then
you can read the card. You adjust the Time marker the appropriate number of
spaces indicated on that card. Next, you decide to write a report, then check
another lead card, etc…

Time tracker
Day tracker▶Day’s▶
end
When the Time marker reaches 4:00 PM, you may decide to work Overtime or
End the Day; if you End the Day, then you must:▸▸Move the Day marker to the next day on the Day tracker,▸▸Reset the Time tracker to 8:00 AM,▸▸Move the IT marker back to Headquarters,▸▸Sort notes and discuss what you have learned that day,▸▸Write down all possible leads to keep track of what is available to you.

#playtestingtip
From our experience, taking a five-minute break after each day to stretch
your legs, make some tea or coffee, or eat cookies helps to reset yourbrain for the next Day. This short break helps a lot with processing all of
the clues and keeping your team focused.

55

THREE BASIC RULES▸▸RULE 1: CLUES
During a game, you follow clues to solve a case. Each case has three basic types of clues: Leads, the Antares Database, and General Knowledge.

▶#▶ Lead cards
Lead cards represent crime scenes, witnesses,
found evidence, and other information
obtained during the investigation. Each leadin the game is represented by a single cardand is identified by a # followed by a number(example: #103). You may only look at thefront side when first gaining a new card. You
may later be able to look at the back “B” side
- but only when instructed to do so.

▶@▶ Antares Database
This is an example of the back side of a leadcard. It can also contain various instructions
and a Further Leads section.

On the Antares Database (antaresdatabase.com), you can find information
stored by the police, the FBI, the military, and federal intelligence agencies.
When you encounter the “@” character, you need to choose the right sectionin the menu, then input the correct name or number. Read the Antares
Database Guide for more details!

headquarters
2hThis is an example of the front side of alead card. Here you will find clues andinstructions that you must follow.

Each lead card includes its hour value andthe Location where it can be obtained.
Each case consists of exactly 35 lead cards.
This is an example of a Dig Deeper
section. It allows you to spenda Skill token to read the back side.

This is an example of a Further Leads
section. It allows you to follow newleads.

▶note▶
Before Following a Lead, i.e., drawing and reading a lead card, you will know
the card number and its Location, but not its hour value, which depends on
many factors. You can only estimate how long a lead is going to take you
based on the card Location:
HEADQUARTERS — Time-consuming tasks of obtaining information and doing
extensive research are greatly sped up by the Antares system. These leads
usually take one to two hours to complete. Interrogations may take longer.
RICHMOND PD & COURTHOUSE — Going through the archives is usually atime-consuming process. These leads usually take two to three hours tocomplete.

▶▶

General Knowledge

Detective is set in modern times and you, as the protagonists of the game,have access to all data that can be found on the Internet. You can use Google
Maps, Wikipedia, or any other source of data you may need. We call thismechanism “Breaking the Fourth Wall.” General Knowledge is identified with
theicon. When you see this icon, you can browse the given topic on theInternet to learn more about it. If there is a certain phrase underlined before
the wifi icon, you should run it through the search engine of your choice to
see what comes up. Read “Browse the Internet” for more details!

THE LAB — Cutting edge technology and information specialists greatly
increase your efficiency, but nevertheless examining evidence can take up
to four hours.
FIELDWORK — These leads are robust and can take you to many different
places, but getting around town means that each lead card will take you atleast two hours. Unless you’re in a hurry.

66

THREE BASIC RULES▸▸RULE 2: TIME▸▸RULE 3: LOCATIONSSolving a crime takes time. In Detective, the progression of time is represented
by the Time marker advancing on the Time track and by the Day marker
advancing on the Day track. Investigators have a precise time limit in which
to solve each case, and each lead card has its hour value.

The Detective game board has five Locations. Headquarters is youroffice and the center of the whole investigation. The Richmond Police
Department is a place where you can access files and evidence from oldcases. In the Lab, you can examine evidence found at the crime scene. In
the Courthouse, you can gain access to the archives and documents fromold trials; you also have a few helpful consultants who work there and cangive you important advice. Fieldwork represents all other locations in thecity — its restaurants, parking lots, witnesses’ houses — and other places,
possibly all over the world.

▸▸When you draw a lead card, you must move the Time marker a numberof spaces on the Time track as indicated by the card.
Example: To resolve this card, you need to move
the Time marker by 3 hours on the Time track.

When you want to Follow a Lead card and you are not already in theappropriate Location, you must:▶Ending▶
the Day▸▸Move the IT marker to the appropriate Location on the board, and▸▸Move the Time marker one space forward, to represent the travel time.

When the Time marker reaches 4:00 PM, work hours have ended. Unless you
decide to go into Overtime, the Time token should now be moved to 8:00 AM
and the Day marker moved to the next Day. Remove all Used Ability tokens() from the investigator tiles. If you have finished the final day of yourinvestigation, you have to finish the case by making a Final Report in the
Antares Database; then read the epilogue based on your report.

You can End your Day at any hour, thus starting the next one, until you runout of Days.

▶Overtime▶
& Stress
You may choose to use the Overtime spaces on the Time track to continue
working after 4:00 PM. In Overtime, continue to move the Time marker on theTime track to 5:00 PM and so on. You may use as many Overtime hours as you
want, then (after advancing the Time track as needed to finish your actions)decide to End your Day.

Example: Resolving lead card #105 requires investigators to go to theRichmond Police Department. Since investigators are currently at The Lab,you must first get there! You move the IT marker to the Richmond PD andadvance the Time marker by one hour.

Sometimes you will be forced to take Overtime because the hour value of alead card makes you move your Time marker past 4:00 PM. Working Overtime
has its costs:(Stress token) to the Token pool for each hour you work after▸▸Add 1
4:00 PM.
▸▸If you collect Stress tokens equal to or greater than your Stresslimit (indicated in the case introduction), your investigation ends
immediately, and you must go to the Antares Database to complete
your final report.

▶Important:▶
▸▸At the beginning of each day, place the IT marker on the
Headquarters Location.

77▸▸Some lead cards do not depict a location, which means that you
can follow them from any location, without moving your IT marker.

ACTIONSIN ANY ORDER, YOU MAY TAKE ANY OF THESE AVAILABLE ACTIONS AS A TEAM:▸▸Follow a Lead▸▸Browse the Antares Database▸▸Use an ability▸▸Dig Deeper▸▸Browse the Internet▸▸Write a report▶available▶
actions▸▸FOLLOW A LEAD

▶lead▶
card’s anatomy▶▶

card number (1)At the beginning of a case, the “Further Leads” section in the casebook will
present a list of lead cards. You can Follow Leads in any order you wish, andyou can ignore any that you don’t wish to follow. However, once you draw alead card, you MUST resolve it; you may NOT check the hour value and Skill
required to Dig Deeper and then decide not to resolve the card.

fieldwork2h
You step into the dark, cold room. You immediately
notice that someone was here recently. The room
is tidy, but there are small specks of dirt on the
ground.

When you decide to Follow a particular Lead, you must:

After a few minutes of thorough searching, you finda small, crumpled receipt under the table. Whoever
cleaned this place up, must have missed it. You
carefully straighten it out.

1. Search the deck for the lead card with the appropriate number.

▶ ▶ location (2)▶ ▶ hour value (3)▶ ▶ lead card’s
text to beread (4)Bag of cookies - £14
221B Baker Street, London

2. Check the lead card’s location and move the IT marker and Time marker
if necessary. (See “Rule 3: Locations”)

There is also an old computer on the desk. You may
be able to analyse its contents.

3. Check the lead card’s hour value and advance the Time marker anappropriate number of spaces. (See “Rule 2: Time”)
4. Read the card aloud and present its contents to all players. Make sure
you keep the back side hidden (unless you are instructed otherwise).

Trace the source of the transmission▶ ▶ an instruction (5)▶ ▶ dig deeper (7)Examine the receipt and the specks of dirt #236 - The Lab▶ ▶ further leads (8)▸▸Read FILE@200

5. Follow all of the lead card’s direct instructions. (See “Instructions”)
6. When you encounter a Signature, you must input it into the Antares
Database, in the Signatures section. (See: Matching Evidence under“Other Rules”)
7. Decide whether or not to “Dig Deeper” if possible. (See Dig Deeper
action)8. Note any Further Leads. (See “Further Leads”)▶instructions▶

9. Place the card aside because it is now resolved. More specifically:or you didn’t Dig Deeper, place▸▸If the card doesn’t have this symbol:
the card on the right side of the game board to remember that you do
not have access to the back side of these lead cards.

This symbol means “turn the card over and read its back side,”
either after following some additional instructions (see Dig Deeper
action) or for free.

, Digging Deeper or other▸▸If you saw the backside of the card due to
instructions, place it on the left side of the game board, which is where
you can keep track of all cards that have both sides available to you.

The “R E A D ” keyword indicates that you must immediately read the specified
card or Antares Database entry. If you are instructed to read more than one
clue, you may read them in any order.
The “C H O O S E ” keyword means that you have to decide which action to takefrom the options presented, mostly by following different leads or reading
different clues. Once you make your choice, you cannot consult the otheroptions; you must resolve the rest of the lead or follow any instructions
given in the Antares Database entry.

▶further▶
leads“A D D A P LOT C A R D ” - Plot cards are a special type of cards that represent
leads in future cases.

The “F U RT H E R L E A D S” section on the lead card lists other lead cards
you may decide to follow at any time later in the game. You must finish
resolving the current card before following a new lead.

You may encounter some additional, simple instructions that do not require
further explanation.

▶Spending▶
authority tokens▸▸Some clues and instructions you encounter may require you todiscard a certain number of- Authority tokens.

8
8

ACTIONS▸▸DIG DEEPER▶ ▶ card resolution example
First, you draw the appropriatecard. Look through the deckfor it without reading anything
but the numbers at the top of
the cards. In this example, you
are looking for card #336. You
update your Location.

Lead cards are double-sided. The Dig Deeper action allows you to reveal
additional information by reading the back side of the lead card. To Dig
Deeper, you must spend the token depicted in the Dig Deeper section of thecard. After you do so, flip the card over, read it, note Further Leads, etc.

look for more details

If you were in any other Location
than Richmond PD you would
have to move your IT marker
there and advance the Timemarker by one hour.

Example: You Follow a Lead - a suspect questioning. The front side of the cardpresents the suspects’ testimony. It is not very convincing; you are certain,that he is hiding something. However his alibi checks out. The Dig Deeper
section gives you the option of pressing the suspect further. Are you satisfied
with what you’ve learned, or do you want to Dig Deeper?

Then, you update the Time
track. Look at the hour valueof the card. In this example,
the hour value is equal to twohours, so you move your Timemarker two spaces forward on
the Time track.

fieldwork2h
He is right where you expected him
to be: In his body shop. You step in,
identify yourself, and ask him about his
whereabouts on the day of the murder.

“Not so fast,” you reply. “Tell me about
his girlfriend. What’s her name? Can you
prove she was here? What time did she
leave?”

He squints a little and starts to talk.

The guy scratches his head for a while.
You take a careful look at him. Finally
he responds “Well, I believe her nameis Jennifer O’Connor. (MSL) I can’t provethat she was here, but I think she shouldhave my business card in her car. (LSL)
She left at five if I remember correctly.
(HSL)”“Look, I didn’t do it. Had a delivery thatday. That’s my side job. You can checkthat - call my supervisor. Besides, I
barely even knew the victim! All I know
is that his girlfriend was going to visit
him that day, but her car broke down
and she ended up here. That’s all I
know, seriously. Now, can I please getback to my job?”

After you reach the precinct, it becomes clear why
no one was answering the phone: Halloween. They
decided to hold some kind of event for Halloween, afake heist or something. In addition, lock-up seems to
be overflowing with perps dressed like zombies andvampires. It’s pandemonium.
Nevertheless, you find officer Murtaugh and ask
him about the case. After rummaging through someold files, he finally procures an old, cobweb-strewn
notebook and offers it to you with an outstretched
hand.
“Here. Take it. Put it to good use. I’m too old forthis shit anyway.”
You acknowledge this with a nod and proceed to
examine the notes.

▸Read▸
FILE@336▸Add▸
1

to the Token Pool.

analyze the evidence

Then you must read thecontent of the card. Note, youhave to immediately follow
Check the financial statement of a fundraiser #300 - Headquarters
any instructions that are in the
text. In this example, the first
instruction allows you to open the FILE in the Antares Database. Input the
file’s number and read its content. It mentions evidence and a fundraiser
connected to your case.

You nod. “That will be all for now, thankyou.”
He is full of shit, that’s for sure. If thisJennifer left at five, she wouldn’t have had
enough time to reach the victim’s placefrom here. It’s time to look her up.
Read NAME@JenniferOConnor

press him further

Follow any instructions you may encounter there. The second instruction
is to add one Authority token to your Token pool. Do it now. Remember, thatyou can resolve any given card only once, so you will never get a second
opportunity to gain this benefit.

When you have the opportunity to Dig Deeper, you must decide whether tospend the appropriate token or not. You have a limited number of tokens
to spend during a case, so choose carefully. You can choose whether to Dig
Deeper or not to Dig Deeper until you move on to Follow another Lead.

There is a Dig Deeper section on the card. You can spend one Perception Skill
token to analyze the evidence mentioned in the file. You have to decide now,
if you are going to Dig Deeper or not. If you do, read the back side, follow any
instructions there and go to the next step. If you don’t, go to the next step.
Note any further leads to keep track of what is available to you.

In the rare case when you follow more than one lead card simultaneously,e.g., because of the Read keyword, you can choose to Dig Deeper after
reading all of the lead cards you just followed.

In this example, there is only one Further Lead: to research the fundraiser
mentioned in the file. The card is now resolved. Put it on the right or the left
side of the board, depending on whether you have access only to the front
side of the card, or both sides of the card. In other words, if you Dig Deeper
you will put the card to the left and if you haven’t you will put it on the right.

#playtestingtip
Digging Deeper is like following your gut instinct. You don’t have to Dig
Deeper on every lead. Sometimes this will lead to nothing interesting,sometimes you will confirm what you already deduced, and sometimes
you’ll learn new information!

richmond pd

Discuss what you have learned and what your next step is going to be.

99

ACTIONS▸▸BROWSE THE ANTARES DATABASE▸▸BROWSE THE INTERNET

During the game, you will be instructed to read data from the Antares
Database.

During the game, you will find underlined phrases with the icon. These may
be addresses, quotes, names, dates, or other information that you can learn
more about by browsing the Internet. None of these clues are necessary tosolve the case, and you can finish the game without browsing the Internet.
However, learning more about the given topics may help you understand theplot and some aspects of the case.

Login and type the name of a person for Personal Files or an indicatednumber for all other data.
Example 1: You learn about Rupert Owens being a suspect in the case. The cardsays ‘Read NAME@RupertOwens’ You have to login to the Antares Databasewebsite, choose Personal Files, then type in ‘Rupert Owens” in the form field.
The website will show you a file of that person with all data gathered by thepolice and from the other sources.

You are free to use any resources you can find to follow the clues marked
icon, including Wikipedia, Google, and Google Maps.
with the▸▸You cannot search the Internet for information on a topic if not
specifically instructed to do so by the icon.
▸▸Once instructed, you can browse the Internet for clues on that topic at
any time during the game, as often as you want.

Example 2: You learn about Tony Russo, Italian restaurant owner who was at thecrime scene. Card #032 says ‘Talk with Tony Russo. Read QUESTIONING@032’
You may login to Antares website, choose the QUESTIONING type, then type in
032. The website will show you a transcription of the questioning of Tony Russo.

▸▸Browsing the Internet never costs any hours.
...and if not for Karl Landsteiner
we wouldn’t have figured it out.
It seems that our victim and his
murderer are related, after all. I
don’t know if that helps you, but
we have also found small tracesof tetrahydrocannabinol
in hishair, so he definitely liked to gettoasted once in a while.

▸▸NEVER type numbers or names found during the investigation into the
Antares Database unless specifically instructed to do so by the @ icon.
▸▸Accessing the Antares Database never costs hours.
▸▸You can access the Antares Database at any time during the game, as
many times as you want.
Read Antares Database Guide for more details.

▶Questioning:▶
Stress Levels
While interrogating, questioning, or sometimes simply talking to people, you will be able toidentify the speaker’s Stress Level, as follows:▸▸LSL - Low Stress Level▸▸MSL - Medium Stress Level▸▸HSL - High Stress Level
When you are reading transcripts of previous conversations, the sophisticated Antares System
may have evaluated the speaker’s Stress Level for you, and the same nomenclature will be used.
The higher the Stress Level, the more likely the suspect or witness is lying, hiding information, orotherwise reacting emotionally to the questioning.
Example: You begin the questioning of the suspect:“Please tell me, Ms. O’Connor, where were you on March 17?”
“I was at work, as usual, (LSL) then I was driving back home and I got a flat tire. (HSL) I droveto the nearest car shop and waited there until they fixed it. (MSL)”
You could interpret her words and Stress Levels as follows: It is easy to check if she was at workand she has no reason to lie there, so that’s probably true, as Low Stress Level would suggest. It
is unlikely that she has a strong emotional reaction to the flat tire, unless it was a really stressful
situation for her. That could be a lie, as High Stress Level would suggest. Nevertheless it seems,
that she went to the car shop, but it is hard to tell if she stayed there, or why exactly she is reacting
so emotionally, as Medium Stress Level indicates. She could be hiding some information here, ormaybe she has some ties to someone working there.

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Example: You can enter Karl Landsteiner into the searchengine of your choice (or use more traditional methods,
such as an encyclopedia) and learn that he was anAustrian scientist who developed the modern systemof classification of blood groups. If there are persons ofinterest in your case and you have their blood type data, it
would be wise to research this topic a little bit. See if you
can learn something interesting about them!
Separately, you can input tetrahydrocannabinol andconfirm that the victim was a cannabis user. Maybe thatwill help you deduce some new theories!

ACTIONS▸▸USE AN ABILITY▸▸WRITE A REPORT

Each investigator has a special ability that can be used once per day. Afterusing your investigator’s ability, place 1(Used Ability token) on yourinvestigator tile as a reminder that it cannot be used again until the next day.

Once per day, you may spend one of your working hours at any location
to Write a report in order to receive an Authority token. If you do, move
the Time marker one space forward and add 1
to your Token pool. You
cannot Write a report during Overtime hours.

▶Important:▶
▸▸Investigators can use their ability at any location.
▸▸Note that Mia Roberts’ ability allows another investigator to refresh
their ability. Mia’s ability can also be used only once per day.

Example: While Following a Lead in the suspect’s neighborhood,
you had the option to Dig Deeper and spend a Questioning Skill
token from your Token pool to question some junkie that was
hanging around the suspect’s house. You have decided not to dothat, as he probably wouldn’t be a reliable source of information.
The lead was resolved and placed at the right side of the board.
However, you have just learned that your perp likes to smoke
some weed once in a while. Maybe the junkie knows something
about the dealer!
Normally you cannot Dig Deeper on an already resolved card.
Luckily, one of the players chose to play Chris Stone. Using
his ability allows you to spend one Authority token and an
appropriate Skill token (the Questioning or Wild Skill token inthis case) from your Token pool to Dig Deeper on a lead cardthat has already been resolved.
You can read the back side of the card, learn what the junkie
has to say, follow any instruction written there and afterwards
place the card on the left side of the board, as you now haveaccess to both sides.
THE COURTHOUSE

Remember to place one Used Ability token on Chris’ Investigator
Tile after using his ability.

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OTHER RULES▸▸SKILL TOKENS▸▸AUTHORITY TOKENSAt the start of a case, each investigator and consultant adds their Skill tokens
to the team’s Token pool; some characters have no tokens. Skill tokens do
not refresh at the end of the day, so this pool is a supply for the whole teamfor the entire case. There are four types of skills:

Authority tokens represent how well your team is regarded at
Antares. Investigators begin each case with a fixed number ofAuthority tokens in the Token pool (as noted in the introduction).
Investigators may spend Authority tokens from the Token pool toactivate their abilities.

R ES E A RC H represents the ability to browse through old archives
and files, and speak with librarians. It also represents yourgeneral knowledge and thoroughness during an investigation.

During the game, investigators may be able to gain more Authority tokens as
they proceed in their investigation. Being rewarded with these tokens during
the game is a good indication that the investigation is moving in the right
direction.

T EC H N O LO GY represents the ability to use modern technology
to gather information, including browsing government
databases, hacking into private systems, creating complex
search algorithms, etc.

Having Authority tokens also allows investigators to persuade superiors
and subordinates to assist them in a variety of ways; some lead cards, forexample, ask you to discard Authority tokens from the pool in order toachieve something (e.g., acquire an arrest warrant).

Q U EST I O N I N G represents the ability to talk with witnesses,
interrogate suspects, read body language, ask others for help or
favor, etc.

▶Important:▶
▸▸Investigators may spend one hour each day using the “Write areport” action to add one Authority token to the Token pool.

P E RC E PT I O N represents the ability to spot small details at thecrime scene, to find and link evidence, and to imagine the crimeand process it internally in order to find missing details. It is also
useful in lab work, where spotting the smallest details matter.

▸▸Sometimes you will need to spend Authority tokens to Follow aparticular Lead.
▸▸You can’t have more tokens in your Token pool than the ones
provided in the box. If you are instructed to add more than areavailable, simply ignore that instruction.

A W I L D S K I L L TO K E N can be used as a substitute for any of
the four types of Skill tokens.

#playtestingtip
THE LAB

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Authority tokens may be crucial in some parts of the case, so watch yoursupply of tokens carefully!

OTHER RULES▸▸MATCHING EVIDENCE▸▸SAVING THE GAME

When you encounter a signature, visit A N TA R ES DATA B A S E .CO M , click the“S I G N AT U R E ” button, then type the 12-character case-sensitive signature
into the form. The system will automatically recognize the signature typeand add a short description. You can add your own description as well, suchas what the signature is related to (e.g., fingerprints on a knife on card #108).

When you finish a case, note which cards that you gained during theinvestigation you can access from both sides, and which you can access only
from the front side. Then place all of those cards in the dedicated spot of theinsert. You can access these cards in all future cases, but only as notes - theycannot be used for any actions! All other cards from the case are no longer
available in the game.

You have access to all signatures entered in the system at any point during
the game. Signatures are divided into three categories — Dactyloscopic (SD),DNA (SDNA) and Material (SM) — and they represent examined fingerprints,blood, hair, dirt, and many other types of evidence.

You should also keep all notes you make during the game. Detective is a
campaign game, and all the cases are connected, with characters, names,
places, clues, and plots part of the big story.

The Antares Database can match evidence with various people of interest
and with one another, giving you valuable data or even enabling an arrest.

Evidence - blood of a victim, tracesof alcohol
SDNA: KPUHVS-UDVZCBEXAMPLE: If you examine the evidence in The Lab or find lab results elsewhere,
they will often include Signatures that you have to input to the Antares
Database. There you can match them with other collected evidence and learnsome new information - for example about the identity of a suspect! If yourmatch is significant for your case, you will earn additional points that will be
automatically added to your final scoring.

#playtestingtip
It’s good to spend a few minutes at the end of a case to summarize
the most important facts, names, and theories that you had during thegame. This will be very helpful when you continue the game after a few
days — or weeks! After all, approaching the next case with only a vague
memory of the previous plot, main characters, and clues is a good way
to lose the upcoming case.

▶Important:▶
▸▸Signatures never match all twelve characters.
▸▸The character ‘x’ represents an incomplete signature.
▸▸The Antares Database matches signatures to help you find matching
entries.
▸▸Inputting encountered Signatures into the Antares Database ismandatory!

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OTHER RULES▸▸INVESTIGATORS▸▸CONSULTANTS

Detective is for 1 to 5 players, each of whom must choose one investigatorthat they will play. The main features of a character are their abilities andskills. Skills are simply added to the Token pool at the start of a case. Abilities
let you gain or spend authority tokens and use them to gain new actions notprovided by the basic rules. All abilities can be used only once per day! Afterusing an ability, place aon the character tile as a reminder. Remove allfrom all character tiles when you start a new day.

Depending on the number of players, you will be assisted by 0-4 consultants.
At the beginning of the game, gather all the Skill tokens given to you by
consultants and add them to the Token pool.

The five investigator characters in the base game are:▶ ▶Jack Coleman, former cop
When investigators take the “Write a report” action, add
2instead of 1 to the Token pool. Remember that you
can Write a report only once per day!

▸▸PLOT CARDS▶ ▶Chris Stone, former private eye
Spend 1from the Token pool and the appropriate
Skill token to Dig Deeper on a lead card that has alreadybeen resolved and stored on the right side of the gameboard. Sometimes new facts will make you change yourmind about a seemingly dead lead!

Plot cards represent leads that are not related
to the particular case you are solving, but
to the main plot of the campaign. When you
discover leads related to the main plot, youwill be asked to place Plot card number XXX
into case number YYY. This information may
not add much to your present investigation,
but in relation to the whole campaign it may
make a difference!

▶ ▶Ben Harris, former FBI analyst
Spend 2from the Token pool to add 1
the Token pool.

token toWhen asked to add Plot cards to a future case,take the appropriate Plot card and, without
reading it, add it to the zip bag dedicated tothe appropriate case. (In the box, you will findzip bags for cases 2-5).

▶▶Julia Jacobson, former investigative journalist
from the Token pool to change 1 Skill token
Spend 1of any type in the pool into 1
token.

▶Important:▶

▶ ▶Mia Roberts, former psychologist
Spend 1from the Token pool to remove
from another investigator.

▸▸Don’t read a Plot card when you draw it; wait until the beginningof the appropriate case.

token▸▸Plot cards often indicate that you’re going in the wrong directionof your current case. However, they are a good indication thatyou are closer to digging up the main plot of the campaign.

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GAME END AND SCORING▸▸GAME END AND SCORING
Each case grants you a specific amount of time (e.g., three days) to complete
your investigation. The case ends at 4:00 PM (or later, if you decide to work
Overtime) on the final day. Once you stop work and End that Day, you must
log into the Antares Database and choose “Final Report” from the menu.
Once there, you will complete a virtual report explaining the entire case,divided into two sections. The first section will require you to answer themain questions related to the goal of the case; the second section will containadditional questions, related to the metaplot. You will have to collectively
discuss and decide how to answer each question.

Once you complete your report, the Antares Database will automaticallycalculate your final score, then announce whether you have won thecase. If you win, great; celebrate a job well done!
If you lose, you can play the case again or move on to the next case. To
play the case again, reset the lead deck to its original state; to play thenext case, return all unused lead cards to the box and place all the leadcards you gained during the case in the dedicated spot of the insert. In
either case, discard the Token pool and start anew as described under“Case Set-up.”

The answers to questions come from deductions that you have made during
and after the investigation. Answers to questions are not on particular cards.
Instead you must deduce them!
Each case has a predetermined point total that you must reach to win the case.

▶Important:▶

▸▸The main questions are worth the most points.

▸▸After the game ends, you cannot read lead cards that you did not draw!

▸▸Additional questions are worth the least points.

▸▸Each “I don’t know” answer is worth 0 points.

▸▸You will automatically receive additional points for each piece ofmatched evidence you’ve entered into the Antares Database (worth
more than additional questions, but less than the main questions).

▸▸Each wrong answer is worth -1 point.
▸▸It is almost impossible to score the maximum number of points foreach case (e.g. some cases may require you to use Overtime hours.)▸▸Additionally, you will be prompted to input the number of Stress tokens
you will lose 1 point.
you’ve collected. For each▶credits▶
GAME DESIGN: Ignacy Trzewiczek
GAME STORY: Przemysław Rymer, Jakub “Dragon” Łapot
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Ewa Kostorz, Rafał Szyma, Aga Jakimiec
ENGLISH TEXT EDITORS: Luke and Zara Otfinowski,
Vincent Salzillo
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Grzegorz Polewka© 2018 PORTAL GAMES Sp. z o.o.
ul. Św. Urbana 15, 44-100 Gliwice,
Poland. All rights reserved.
Reprinting and publishing of game rules, game components or illustrations
without the permission of Portal Games is prohibited.

Dear Customer, our games are assembled with the greatest
care. However, if your copy lacks anything we apologize for it.
Please, let us know: portal@portalgames.pl
Special thanks to: Merry, Marek, Damian, Zara, Aaron Downing,Łukasz Piechaczek, Eric W. Martin, Iwona, and Chevee Dodd.
We’d like to thank testers who made this game so much better:
Merry, Młody, Michał, Walec, Andy, Daria, Olga, Ewa, Aga, Mirek,
Rafał, Basia, Bernadetta, Marek, Marcin, Andrzej, Pako, Greg,
Asia, Darek, Natalia, Piotr, Adam, Olaf, Lesiu, Pusia, Uzu, Kamil,
Ania, Ala, Tomek, Paxu, Zbyszek, Grzesiek, Gloomy, Jagódka,Eryk, Piechu, Agnieszka, Angelika, Dominik, Aleksandra, Dawid,
Damian, Axel, Łasica, Szczuras, Olo, Michał and Ela, Mysza,
Marta, Magda and Marek, Tony and Brian.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in thisproduction are fictitious. No identification with actual persons(living or deceased) or products is intended or should be inferred.

RICHMOND PD

1515DESIGNER’S NOTES▸▸PLAYER ROLES▶Narrator▶
“I arrived at the lab at 9:15, found a spot to park, and rushed into the building…”

In this game, you choose a character to play, but beyond that I would suggestthat you all take on game roles and responsibilities. When playtesting, we
discovered that the following roles could lead to a very fun and engaging game:You are responsible for building a great story. You read all the cards aloud,do voices, and help create a great experience by adding some atmosphericflavor to each new lead card.

▶Notetaker
▶

▶Fact
▶
Checker“I need one more sheet of paper. No, the bigger one…”“That’s impossible. I have it here in my notes, that he was born in 1954.
He would have been six years old at this point. He’s not our guy…”

You are responsible for taking all notes, drawing the mind map, andconnecting the dots and other information. As the investigation develops
and older information starts to make more sense, the notetaker verifies andchecks the new evidence against old leads.

You are responsible for the little details scattered all over the campaign.
Blood types, dates, addresses, names, daughters, sons, uncles — this is ahuge campaign full of data. You will keep track of it all, locating dates ona timeline, knowing that someone had red hair, or pointing out that thesuspect was a tall blonde.

▶Techie▶
“Let me check that in the database…”
You are responsible for browsing the Internet when the icon shows up in
the text. You create the account in the Antares Database, log in, open the
database entries, and input the signatures you’ve gathered.

▸▸LET EVERYBODY HAVE A VOICE
As in all co-op games, one player in the group may want to take charge anddecide that their ideas should be the group’s ideas. I’d like to encourage
all detectives to participate in the game, with all players voicing their ideas
and theories. Then you can collectively decide which lead to follow. Thisis a game about discussion and debate, not to mention finding the mostprobable solution to the crime. If one player dominates the group, not only
will they be acting against the spirit of the game, they may also lead theteam in the wrong direction, forcing the group to arrest the wrong suspect
and lose. Let everybody have a voice. Respect their ideas and debate alltheories. Then you can collectively decide which lead to follow.

▶Browser▶
“I think it was on card number 203, when the guy said something about thegreen car. Let me check…”
You are responsible for keeping all lead cards in order and browsing throughthem to double- and triple-check facts. You keep track of which lead cards
the team has already resolved, and which Further Leads remain available toyou. You know on which cards you Dug Deeper and on which ones you canaccess only the front side.

▶FOLLOW▶
US!
▸▸Our W E BS I T E : portalgames.pl/en/▸▸Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game W E BS I T E :detectiveboardgame.com▸▸Our FAC E B O O K profile: fb.com/portalpublishing▸▸Our YO U T U B E channel: youtube.com/user/
portalgamesmovies/▸▸Our T W I T T E R : @trzewik

ANTARES HQ:INVESTIGATORS’ ROOM

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