Suspects: Shakespeares Tränen
Suspects: Shakespeares Tränen Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What Is It About?
In Suspects you slip together into the role of Claire Harper. This young detective keeps getting involved in tricky criminal cases. Question suspects, examine locations and find the decisive clues to solve a murder.
Game Material
- 55 cards
- 1 introduction sheet (with the investigation questionnaire)
- 1 Document A: floor plan of the school
- 1 Document B: school brochure
- 1 Document C: schedule
- 1 solution sheet
In addition you need pen and paper to record your findings and suspicions.
Setup
Take the card deck, the introduction sheet, documents A, B and C and the solution sheet out of the box.
- Place the card deck ready. Do not look at the cards in the deck yet!
- The documents go next to it. Do not look at them more closely until you are told to.
- Put the folded solution sheet aside. Important: do not look at it. Read the solution sheet only at the end of the game.
- Place the introduction sheet ready.
- Place pen and paper ready.
Objective
Together you want to solve a criminal case. To do so you must answer the questionnaire found on the introduction sheet. There is no time pressure and you do not need to run a stopwatch. Instead, the number of cards drawn records your investigation progress.
The "earlier" in your investigation you arrive at correct results, the more points you receive.
Course of Play
After you have read these instructions completely, you can begin the game.
You begin the game by reading the introduction sheet including the questionnaire. During the game you have the option to read the documents and to take cards from the deck, from a given selection, and look at them. You may encounter various symbols that point to possible actions – for example:
- Question someone. Example: Draw card 7 and read it to question the corresponding person.
- Go to a location. Example: Draw card 4 and read it to go to the stated location.
- Examine an object. Example: Draw card 12 and read it to examine the corresponding object.
- Read an examination report. Example: Draw card 9 and read it to learn more about the examination report.
Every time you see one of these symbols, you can perform the respective action. You may perform these actions in any order. For example, you can first question someone, then go to a location, then go somewhere else, then come back to question someone again, etc.
Some cards contain simple instructions, such as: "Remove card 14 from the deck." You must follow these before you continue investigating.
Connections Between Two Cards
Sometimes it is necessary to combine the information of two cards in order to develop a theory. To check whether there is a connection between two cards, place them next to each other in the same orientation (do not rotate the cards). If the stripes of the same colour on both cards fit together, this means you can draw a logical conclusion.
EXAMPLE: If card 22 is placed next to card 10, the green line between the fingerprint and Claire Harper fits together perfectly. From this you can conclude that the fingerprints on the teapot are Claire Harper's.
Unlocking Cards
Some cards are only available after other cards have been drawn. The conditions for unlocking are stated on the respective card.
During the game you will also come across cards with "half speech bubbles" bearing a number. They indicate that certain people have more to say about an object. If two cards placed next to each other form a whole speech bubble – and thus also a new two-digit number – you may draw the corresponding card.
Answering the Questionnaire
You will find the investigation questionnaire on the introduction sheet. We recommend transferring the table onto a sheet of paper.
At three points during the game you can answer the questions. If your most recently noted answer is correct, you receive points for it at the end of the game.
The score depends on the number of cards drawn at the time the answer was given. All cards that have been read count, except the STOP card. The earlier you arrive at the right answers, the more points you get:
- 5 points if you are correct after 30 cards drawn.
- 4 points if you are correct after 45 cards drawn.
- 3 points if you are correct after you have drawn all the cards.
- 0 points if your answer is wrong.
Three Discussion Phases
After the 30th card drawn, after the 45th card drawn, and after you have drawn all the cards, hold a discussion phase each time to talk about the state of the investigation and to record your answers for the questionnaire.
After each discussion phase, note your answers. Then tick the box in the table under the number of cards drawn. If further information turns up during the game, you can change your answers in the next discussion phase. If you want to do so, again tick the appropriate box in the respective row.
On page 7 of these instructions you will find a detailed scoring example.
TIP: At the beginning of the game you should appoint one of you to keep track of the number of cards drawn (e.g. with a tally list). As soon as you have drawn the 46th card, the cards no longer need to be counted. The last discussion phase takes place when you have read all the cards.
NOTE: If, directly before a discussion phase (that is, after the 30th or 45th card drawn), you are told to draw another card, you may only do so after you have discussed and noted your answers for the questionnaire.
VARIANT: If you cannot agree on the answers, you can also answer individually and compare your scores at the end of the investigation.
End of the Game and Solution
The investigation is over when you have read all the cards. As soon as you have agreed on the answers for the questionnaire, you are ready for the solution:
Take the solution sheet that you set aside at the start of the game and unfold it. Read it and add up your points. For every question:
- Is your most recently given answer correct? Then you receive the number of points corresponding to the ticked box that is furthest to the right.
- Is your most recently given answer wrong? Then you receive no points for it.
NOTE: Your answers do not have to be worded exactly as on the solution sheet. What matters is that the keywords printed in bold there (or equivalents) are named in your answer.
Scoring Example at the End of a Game
Suppose you had to answer the following questions for your case:
- Who committed the murder?
- Where did the crime take place?
- Which murder weapon was used?
The correct solution would be: "Miss Miller committed the murder in the garage with a 12 mm wrench."
The questionnaire would look as follows:
| 30 cards (5 points) | 45 cards (4 points) | All cards (3 points) | Wrong answer (0 points) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Who committed the murder? | X | 5 | |||
| 2. Where did the crime take place? | X | X | 3 | ||
| 3. Which murder weapon was used? | X | X | X | 0 |
(In the printed table the box that counts is circled in each row: row 1 under 30 cards, row 2 under All cards, row 3 under 45 cards.)
- Your answer "Miss Miller is the murderer." is correct. You noted this answer after you had drawn 30 cards. For that you receive 5 points.
- Your answer "The crime took place in the garage." is correct. After you had drawn 30 cards, your noted answer was "In the kitchen", but you changed your mind after you had drawn all the cards and then noted the correct answer. For that you receive 3 points.
- Your answer "The murder weapon is a combine harvester." is wrong. You answered after you had drawn 45 cards. Had your answer been correct, you would get 4 points. But since the answer is wrong, you receive no points for it.
Your final result: 5 + 3 + 0 = 8 points
Claire Harper's Tips
SUSPECTS calls for deduction and critical thinking. Your goal is to solve a murder and convict the guilty person – vague assumptions or your gut feeling alone will not be enough.
If your theories are not backed up by facts or tangible evidence, they are probably wrong. Do not get carried away by your imagination, but rely on facts and logic. But a single clue alone does not mean that a particular person is guilty.
Stay open-minded! Even if, for example, you suspect a person because their fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, that person is not necessarily the guilty one. And if you find a screwdriver, it is quite likely that it was used to unscrew the safe – but it need not necessarily have been so. Gather all the clues to find out the truth.
Let's go! Now read the introduction sheet including the questionnaire and begin the game.