Однажды в Чикаго (Once upon a time in Chicago)
Однажды в Чикаго (Once upon a time in Chicago) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Time Track
Located at the top of the Chicago map. The track shows the seven days of the week. Each day has four divisions, corresponding to different times of day. At the start of the game, place the time marker on the start of Monday (7:00–11:00).
Place the Time Crunch marker (Фишка «Цейтнот») according to the instructions in the introduction of the current Case.
Each time you refer to the mission book (meeting someone or visiting some establishment), you must mark it: move the time marker forward one division on the time track.
If the time marker lands on the space with the Time Crunch marker, the game is over and you must move on to the control questions.
Directory of Chicago Residents and Organizations
The directory contains the addresses of most residents of the city, as well as the addresses of various organizations, establishments, and shops. In it you can look up anyone's address in order to determine their location on the city map, or to talk with that character using the mission book.
Mission Books (Case No. …)
This is the most important element of the game: the books contain descriptions of all game events — meetings with various characters and visits to locations on the map.
ATTENTION: we strongly recommend writing down all important facts that become known to you. On the more difficult levels of the game you cannot simply go back and re-read an article. To do so, you will have to spend an action again by moving the time marker.
Map of Chicago
The city is divided into four districts: Downtown (C), Northside (N), Southside (S), and Westside (W). Each district has its own house numbering, so any address always consists of a district and a house number within it — for example, W26.
Clues
Clues are kept in envelopes and contain valuable information about the case. A clue and its envelope share a number. A clue may be taken out of its envelope only after receiving the corresponding instruction in the mission book: "Take clue No. …"
Newspapers
Newspaper articles may also contain useful data. Read a newspaper carefully once you receive the instruction "Take newspaper No. …" in the mission book. You may, however, read newspapers even before the investigation begins.
Negative Tokens
Your excessive activity may provoke a negative reaction from the city's residents, which is bad for your investigation, for your newspaper's reputation, and for journalism as a whole. In this case you receive Negative tokens, which worsen your result when counting victory points.
Unused tokens may be placed on the map, marking locations you plan to visit or serving as a reminder of key points in the investigation.
Experts
Chicago is rife with corruption, so residents may be insincere with you, but you can always be sure of the experts. By visiting the experts you can obtain important hints. However, we recommend approaching the experts only after you have collected several clues during the investigation. On the difficult level of the game, the experts are unavailable. The names and addresses of the experts are listed on the last page of the Rulebook.
How to Play
Read the introduction, the first page of the mission book: it gives you the basic information needed to begin the investigation.
When you learn the name of a character (or the name of a place) you want to visit in order to obtain needed information, try to find their address in the directory. If the address is missing, the lead is a false one. If the address is there, move the time marker one division forward and try to find the article with that address in the mission book (do NOT read articles with other numbers in the book). If there is no such article in the book, your assumption was wrong: try another option. Once you find the article with the matching number, read it, and, having received new information, continue the investigation.
Sometimes you will have to determine the location of an object of interest using the city map: for example, if you want to question witnesses living next to the scene of an incident. In this case, use the map to find the address you are interested in, move the time marker one division forward, and try to find the article with that address in the mission book.
Your goal is to gather information on the case assigned to you and to build the fullest version of events that you can.
Ending the Game
When the time marker reaches the division where the Time Crunch marker is located, you take the last action and the game ends. You may also end the game earlier if you conclude that the case has been solved. In either case, go to the last page of the mission book to answer the questions about the investigation. Try to answer all questions unambiguously. Then you may open the envelope with the answers to the questions for this case. For each correct answer you receive victory points.
Scoring
The divisions remaining before the Time Crunch marker are worth one point each (but no more than 5 points). Each Negative token you received during the game subtracts one point. Once you have finished counting points, turn over the card and find out how good your result is.
Attention! The envelope with the answers shows the number of the Case. Be careful not to accidentally see the answers to a mission you have not yet played by opening the wrong envelope!
Difficulty Levels
The game should first and foremost be enjoyable, so we suggest choosing a level of difficulty for each mission that is comfortable for you:
| Level | Description | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Intern (RELAX) | You are not very confident in your detective abilities, or you simply want to enjoy a leisurely game. | Do not use the time track (time marker) or Negative tokens. |
| Reporter (BASIC) | You consider yourself a fairly experienced and attentive player. | When you return to an article in the mission book, you must move the time marker each time. |
| Investigative Journalist (HARD) | You are confident in your skills as an investigative reporter and tend to treat the game as a sport — working for the result. | When you return to an article in the mission book, you must move the time marker each time. If the address you need is not in the mission book, you receive a Negative token. You cannot consult the Experts. |
Tips for Players from Hugo Deliwanger, Head of the Crime Desk
Begin playing with the training mission "The Old Professor's Request". It will help you understand the basics of the game. Once you understand how the game is structured, playing the main missions will be more interesting. We recommend playing the missions in order, although this is not required.
Begin with a small group of 2–3 people, or even alone. If some of the players are already familiar with the game, you can invite more participants to the next mission.
If several people are playing, one of them reads the contents of the articles aloud to the other players while the rest take notes. Choose as the reader the person who can and enjoys reading aloud. Some participants may take in information by ear poorly: let them look over the article after you have read it aloud.
Before starting the game, carefully study the section on organizations and institutions in the address directory. In the text of the missions you may come across hints pointing to various places in the city.
Do not forget to use the map. Look at where the event took place, walk past the neighboring houses: perhaps someone living there saw something. Pay attention to objects located nearby: you may notice some inconsistencies in the testimony. If there is information about the movements of a certain character, it is worth trying to retrace their route.
Analyze all the information you receive, and do not rely merely on surnames and names of places — try to work out where a given person or object came from. You will not always find a direct answer; correct conclusions must be reached by comparing known facts.
If you are playing for the first time, the mission time has run out and you do not know how to answer the control questions, simply keep playing, moving the marker to the end of the week.
Do not try to play more than one mission in a single sitting: when you are already tired and start getting confused, the game is less fun. Stretch out the pleasure!
If you have already completed a mission yourself, you can play it again with friends, helping them and offering hints at difficult moments. You may discover some fragments of the story that you did not notice the first time.
If you hit a dead end, in any mission you may ask advice from me or from the other experts (there is no such option on HARD mode). The experts can be found at the following addresses:
- Hugo Deliwanger (C3), head of the crime desk of the Chicago Tribune. He has a phenomenal memory — he remembers every criminal incident in Chicago and practically lives in the newsroom.
- Alfonso Castelani (C21), one of Chicago's best lawyers. Naturally he is connected with gangsters, but he loves to "walk the knife's edge," so sometimes he may give you a clue or two… He has a very specific sense of humour.
- Edward Diggs (N37), an inspector of the Special Police Division. He is extremely reluctant to share information, but when he does share, it is usually priceless.