Bureau of Investigation: Investigations in Arkham & Elsewhere Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Investigating in Lovecraft's Universe
• Object of the Game
• Contents
  • Maps
  • The Newspapers
  • Massachusetts Directory
  • Case Booklets
• Game Setup
• Number of Leads
• Game Overview
• End of the Game
• Acknowledgment
• Credits

Investigating in Lovecraft's Universe

While Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is based on logic and inductive reasoning to solve tangible cases, specific to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Bureau of Investigation unfolds in a universe inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. However, in most of these texts, the narrator is overwhelmed by the account they testify to, often not understanding it when they do not doubt its reality.

The cases in this set have strange and paranormal elements to them originating in or drawing heavily on Lovecraft's tales. However, it is not necessary to have read them to solve the cases.

Lovecraft's works deal with a "scientific" horror. Science-fiction does not come in the form of ghosts, but rather as extra-terrestrial entities, travels through time and space, other dimensions, and mysterious creatures. Men are powerless and anecdotal beings, lost in the infinity of a universe that confuses them.

Regardless, the cases in the Bureau of Investigation can be solved with simple logic, even if they involve elements that are not. However, unlike the cases in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, where all is explained in the end, it will happen that some elements, which are beyond human comprehension, remain obscure. This is a deliberate choice.

The rules of the original game have been revised and adapted to transcribe this peculiar ambiance. Please, read them carefully.

Object of the Game

You play as agents from the BOI trained in modern investigative methods, and this status gives you a great deal of freedom. This set presents five tricky cases that you will have to solve.

For each investigation, you will have at your disposal various components, each of which will be described at the beginning of the case. Armed with these components and your imagination, you will walk the streets of Arkham or Boston – or somewhere more exotic – looking for hints that will enable you to put an end to inexpressible threats.

Soldiers of the shadows engaged in a struggle whose stakes you will never fully comprehend, it will be your responsibility to save the free world, and sometimes, humanity itself… at the risk of falling into madness.

Contents

Maps

This set contains several maps of actual cities and others of Lovecraft's creation:

• 1 map of Boston;
• 1 map of Arkham;

It also contains one house plan and one map that will have to be annotated during the investigations whose titles they bear:

• 1 plan (The House of the Sorcerer)
• 1 map of the jungle (The Gunboat).

The maps are simplified versions of the cities. In your investigations, you will use these maps to explore, find leads, and verify alibies. For practical purposes, these cities are divided into districts: North West (NW), West Central (WC), South West (SW), East Central (EC), and South East (SE), which are delineated by red lines. Each district is divided into numbers matching the addresses of people to be questioned. The Elsewhere "ELS" section contains all addresses existing outside the maps.

These divisions are also used in the sections of the booklets and the Directory. For example, Miskatonic University is at 21 WC (the abbreviated form), or 21 College Street WC (the expanded form which includes the name of the street).

As the addresses are applied to house blocks, the occupant of a given address may change from one investigation to another. A character can, for example, be located at 5 WC - which is also the address of the Fairmont Copley Plaza, a large hotel in Boston - without living in that hotel.

The Newspapers

During some investigations, you will have at your disposal, the newspaper of the day in which you will sometimes find ads or articles setting you on new leads. Newspaper issues that do not match the date of the investigation are of no use. Do not waste your time reading newspapers published before the date of your current investigation.

Massachusetts Directory

This Directory is a listing of most of the characters you will encounter during your investigations. Please, note that it is not limited to just one city. When you meet a character's name and wish to follow this lead, turn to the Residents section. The character's name is followed by the address you must go to in the Case Booklet. For example, Professor Armitage is listed under: "Armitage, Henry, Prof.," with a location at 22 WC, which is his residence. If you wish to visit him at his place of residence during your investigation, you should read lead 22 WC of the current case. Even though the address system we use is fictional, it remains nonetheless based on the map division system.

Some addresses are specific to a city: even if the investigation occurs in Boston, visiting Miskatonic University will require that the players go to Arkham, at 21 WC.

In addition to the alphabetical list, the directory also includes entries sorted by category.

Case Booklets

These booklets contain the cases you will have to solve. In most instances, the cases are structured as follows:

Introduction: Text providing the title and date of the case, and any other relevant details (generally during an interview with J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the BOI). The introduction also provides the number of leads available to you during the investigation.

Setup: A list of the game components (map(s), directory, newspaper, etc.) that are available to you, as well as the Special Rules that take precedence over the standard Rules.

Leads: The presentation of the leads (in the form of Entries), which you may follow during your investigation. There are two types of leads: The Interviews and The Investigations.

If you follow the leads and draw the appropriate conclusions, you will know enough to neutralize the threat.

As mentioned, the leads are divided into two main chapters:

• The Interviews during which you question individuals directly.
• The Investigations during which you search locations, set up surveillance, or tail your suspects.

Each lead corresponds to a geographic area (cf. Maps and Directory). Within each of these main chapters, the leads are sorted by district and, within each district, the leads are sorted in ascending order. The illustrations which accompany the text are purely decorative.

Intervention: As soon as you think you have solved the case or when you run out of leads, you must choose three locations where you will intervene to neutralize the threat. Once you have chosen three locations, refer to the printed upside-down text at the end of the booklet, read the corresponding paragraphs, and get your final score. This section also contains the solution to the case.

Game Setup

The players decide among themselves which case they will investigate. For practical reasons, we suggest you investigate the cases in the following order: The Face, The Expedition, The House of the Sorcerer, The Spartacus Case, and The Gunboat. Each of these is an independent investigative experience, and players can choose an investigation based on its level of difficulty.

• If the investigation requires a map or plan, then place it in the center of the table.
• If the directory is required, place it within easy reach of all players.
• If a newspaper is supplied, place it, too, within easy reach of all players.

Important: Newspapers are only of use when their date matches that of the investigation.

The players are encouraged to take notes during the investigation. They may delegate that task to a member of the group. A player is chosen as the lead investigator. That player takes the booklet, reads the case's introduction aloud, and so the game begins!

Players who wish to further divide responsibility may choose to assign reading to another player.

Number of Leads

All the investigations start with an introductory text. Most of the time, a section, in bold type, provides a duration that corresponds to the number of leads available to the players. For example: "You have 15 minutes", "I want a report within 15 days". Regardless of the unit of time used to express this duration, it is only the number that matters. This number indicates the number of available leads. In both examples above, there are 15 leads.

However, if there is no bold type passage, then the number of leads is unlimited.

During certain investigations, it is possible to acquire additional leads, or increase the maximum number of leads by visiting specific locations. Leads gained this way, like those described above, will be presented in bold type.

Game Overview

Players cooperate to resolve the case.

The game is divided into two main parts: the inquiry and the intervention. During the inquiry, the players try to identify the threat or solve a problem through interviews or investigations. Each of these actions is worth one lead. When the players believe they have identified the threat, they can intervene by choosing three locations in which to strike to neutralize said threat. If the players run out of leads, they must intervene.

The game unfolds over a series of turns.

1. The lead investigator chooses a lead from the current investigation and states whether you wish to conduct an interview or an investigation (for example, they can announce: "I want to interview Randolph Carter", or "I want to investigate Randolph Carter").

2. The other players can share their opinions about the case and discuss which lead to follow next, but in ultimately, the current lead investigator always has the final say.

3. They then check if the lead exists in the Interviews or Investigation sections of the booklet, according to the decision they made.

4. If the lead does not exist in the booklet (i.e.; there is no paragraph corresponding to the address the player wished to visit in the current inquiry), the player simply chooses another lead.

5. When they have found their lead, the player reads the entry out loud, and subtracts one lead from the number of leads available to the players.

It is recommended that you note the leads you follow so that you can reread them later.

Rereading such an entry is free and does not cost you a lead.

On their turn, a player can only read one lead.

The Investigation or Interview entries bearing the same address can be visited in either order. You can also visit one without visiting the other. However, you cannot visit both in a single turn. Each of these entries costs 1 lead. Newspapers, map(s), already visited leads, directory: On their turn, all players have free and unlimited access to the investigation components.

Their turn is now over.

To preserve the mystery and excitement of solving the puzzle, avoid looking at other leads on the page you are reading!

They then pass the booklet to the player sitting on their left, who becomes the new lead investigator and chooses in turn a lead of their own. The players continue this way until they believe they know the solution, or they have run out leads.

End of the Game

When the players have determined the solution to the case or when they have run out of leads, they will intervene in an attempt to neutralize the threat. Once the players have decided on the three locations where they wish to intervene, they must read the printed upside-down text at the end of the booklet.

For each chosen location, there are two possible scenarios:

• The entry does not exist: The agents intervened at the wrong location. The players do not score any points.
• The entry exists: The players score between 0 to 7 victory points.

Once the three entries have been read, the players tally their points to determine their score:

• 7 points: the mission is a resounding success and the agents are given the congratulations they deserve.
• 4 to 6 points: The mission is a success and the threat is no more.
• 0 to 3 points: The mission failed.

You are welcome to revisit an inquiry at a later date in hopes of obtaining a higher score.

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my special thanks to Cyril Demaegd who forced me to accept this endeavor; Vincent Lelavechef, Marion Jourdan, and Alexandre "Génisse" Amira for helping me see this project through; Croc for forcing me to finish it; and Amandine Privat as well as all the other testers who have helped me improve it.

A game based on the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective system designed by Suzanne Goldberg and Gary Grady.

Credits

• Scenarios: Grégory Privat
• Layout: SPACE Cowboys
• Proofreading and corrections: Adam Marostica / SPACE Cowboys
• Cover artwork: Bernard Bittler (the bottom part) and René Aigner (the badge)
• Inside artwork (except The Spartacus Case): René Aigner
• The Spartacus Case - Artwork: Bernard Bittler
• Lovecraft's portrait: Bernard Bittler
• City maps: Bernard Bittler
• Jungle map: Grégory Privat
• The House of the Sorcerer plan: SPACE Cowboys

Bureau of Investigation is published by SPACE Cowboys – Asmodee Group – 47 rue de l'Est, 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT - France. © 2021 SPACE Cowboys. All rights reserved.

All the latest news about the Bureau of Investigation and SPACE Cowboys are available at @SpaceCowboysFR, space_cowboys_officiel, and SpaceCowboys1.

If, despite all care possible in the manufacture of this game, a component is missing or damaged, please contact the customer service of our distributor Asmodee at the following address: https://fr.asmodee.com/fr/support/. Your request will be addressed in a timely fashion.