HOW TO PLAY
How to play an online detective game
First time with a game where you run the investigation yourself? A practical guide: what to prepare, how to work with the files and what to do when you get stuck.
An online detective game differs from ordinary video games in that nobody leads you by the hand. You get files, tools and questions, and you do the rest. This guide shows how to get started, using Ostatni Odczyt, a crime case for 1-6 players, as the example.
What to prepare before you start
- A device with a bigger screen. The game runs in a browser on a computer, tablet and phone, but sheets and maps are easiest to view on a bigger screen.
- An account. You sign in with Google or with a link sent by e-mail. The account saves your progress, so you can start on one device and finish on another.
- Paper and a pen. Your own notes (times, names, distances) help a lot when you have to line up statements with a camera log.
- Two evenings. The whole case takes 5-7 hours. Spread over two sessions it is more pleasant and gives things time to sink in.
How a session goes
The files come in envelopes, in the order in which knowledge grew: reports, statements, photographs with their backs, maps, device logs. Every envelope ends with a control question. A good answer opens the next one. After the fifth envelope you fill in the solution card (who, how and why), and the sixth tells you how it really was.
The key rule: it is not about hitting the answer, it is about knowing. Before you enter an answer, try to point to the place in the files that confirms it.
The tools: when to reach for which
- 1:1 sheets and ruler: when the files show a trace, a distance or a dimension. Measure it yourself, the accuracy is half a millimetre.
- Light table: when you suspect that two sheets hide something. Lay one over the other and look for what does not match.
- Time converter: clocks, cameras and phones record time each in their own way. Bring them to one time before you draw conclusions.
- Cipher wheel: when something is written so that not everybody can read it.
Playing in a group
One account is enough for the whole team. There are two proven set-ups:
- one screen: everyone looks at the same thing, someone reads aloud, someone takes notes. Simple and sociable,
- several devices: everyone signed in to the same account works on their own screen. Good when you want to browse different documents at once.
Agree who leads the reading and who takes notes, and swap after an act. For ideas on organising an evening for a bigger group, see how to host a detective night.
When you get stuck
There are three hints for every envelope, mirrored so that nobody reads them by accident. A rule of thumb: before you reach for a hint, go back to the control question and read it again word by word. The third hint practically gives the answer, so leave it for last.
The most common beginner mistakes
- Hurry. The answer is usually in the files, you just have to read more carefully.
- Guessing instead of proving. If you do not know where it is written, you do not know the answer yet.
- One person knows everything. Split the reading, but read the key facts aloud.
- Skipping notes. In an hour you will not remember which camera showed 22:14.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install anything?
No. The game runs in a browser, and on a phone you can add it to the home screen like an app.
Can I stop and come back?
Yes. Progress saves itself on the account, so you start exactly where you finished.
What if I have no internet?
You need the internet to buy and for the first load. Parts you have opened keep working offline.
Ready? See available games or read about the online detective game.
