Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game FAQ
100 questions players ask · Updated Nov 11, 2026 · Full rulebook
Components
- In what order should the cards in each case deck be arranged?
- What are the special tokens for, and can one work as an extra investigation marker?
- How are case cards numbered, and how many lead cards does each case have?
- Is there a limit on how many Stress tokens you can collect in a case?
- What does the 'żA' symbol in Antares database text mean?
- Where are the Files kept, and when do you open them?
Case set-up
- Is the Case 6 bonus case linked to the campaign, and when should it be played?
- Does each case have its own day limit?
- Does a case's starting time apply every day, or only the first day?
- Does Natural Causes need player cards?
- When does the pursuit start in Case 5, at 2 AM or 2 PM?
- How are the numbered cards in the Case 5 introduction divided among players?
Gameplay overview
- Is the final report deadline in the Case 6 introduction two days or three days?
- Is there a real-time or turn limit on investigating before the final report?
- Can you travel with your last hour and start the next day at that location?
- In Case 3, what happens when the time marker reaches the extra 4 PM marker?
- With several investigators, do all players take the same action together?
Three Basic Rules
- If your Stress reaches the limit while following a lead, do you still resolve that lead?
- What happens when following a lead pushes the Time marker past 4 PM?
- Do Stress tokens reset each day, or do they last the whole case?
- How much travel time does moving between locations cost when following leads?
- Does moving between Fieldwork leads cost travel time?
- If the Time marker is on 1, can you read another clue card at a different Location for free?
- Is lead #410 in Case 4 a Headquarters lead or a Fieldwork lead?
- What is the stress limit in Case 5, and are the first three Stress tokens ignored?
Following leads
- Can you follow leads left over from a previous case in the current case?
- In Case 2, are there fingerprints to collect besides the blood sample?
- How do you get the suspect's DNA sample in Case 2?
- Is there only one way to collect the evidence needed to solve Case 2?
- In Case 3, does the truck's street number match a card number literally, including three-digit streets starting with 3?
- Do you pay any cost to flip a lead card that has an arrow but no cost icons?
- Can you draw any lead card from the case deck whenever you like?
- If a card sends you to a lead with printed time, must you spend that time?
- Can you check the locations of chosen leads and reorder them to save travel time?
- Can you go back and follow a lead you skipped earlier in the case?
- How do you handle Further Leads listed in the Antares Database?
- What is the difference between a Read instruction and Further Leads on a lead card?
Dig Deeper
- Are the star tokens the same as the skill tokens used to Dig Deeper?
- Can you Dig Deeper on a lead after you have moved on to another lead?
- Can any investigator Dig Deeper on a lead that has already been resolved?
- Can Chris Stone's ability be used to Dig Deeper from anywhere?
- Can Chris Stone dig deeper on a lead card from a previous, closed case?
- Do you note the leads on both sides of a card when you dig deeper?
- Can you Dig Deeper on a lead while working overtime past the time limit?
- After a Read instruction gives you new leads, when can you Dig Deeper on the cards?
Antares Database and the Internet
- Can you click a name in an Antares entry to open it, or must you type it in?
- Can you use the Antares Database from any location, or only at Headquarters?
- Does searching the Antares Database or the Internet cost time?
- Can you type a name into the Antares Database if a card does not tell you to?
- Can you open a database file linked from another file, such as an @ entry or a listed relative, without a separate lead?
- Can you re-read a file or card you already accessed later in the case?
- Can you search the Internet when a clue asks you to find something?
- How do you read the LSL, MSL and HSL stress markers in interrogation transcripts?
Investigators, abilities and reports
- Can you change investigators between cases, or swap one in the middle of a case?
- How many Skill tokens does each investigator bring to a case?
- With the pre-order, do you use six investigator tiles or set one aside?
- Do Authority and Skill tokens carry over from one case to the next?
- Can all six investigators be part of the team in one case?
- Can you write a report more than once in a day?
- Does a daily report need to be filed in the Antares Database?
- Can Mia Roberts' ability let Jack Coleman write a second report in the same day?
Matching evidence
- How is the signature match percentage calculated in the Antares Database?
- Can a signature ever match all twelve characters in the Antares Database?
- Do matches appear on their own when you enter evidence, or must you press Match?
- Do you get final report points for evidence that does not match anything in the database?
Plot cards
Saving the game
- Can you split a case across several play sessions, and how do you save?
- After saving and resuming a case, can you read cards you did not reveal earlier?
- Which cards and leads carry over from a finished case into the next case?
- Can you follow leads from previous cases when they are listed as Further Leads?
- Can you follow a lead from a previous case that you skipped earlier?
Final report and scoring
- How many victory points is each final report question and matching evidence worth?
- How does a wrong answer or a We don't know answer affect the final report score?
- Can you still win a case with zero evidence points if your final report answers are correct?
- Do the additional (side) final report questions count toward the score?
- How much does each Stress token reduce the final score?
- Should you answer a final report question you are not sure of, or pick We don't know?
- How do you tell whether you won or lost a case?
- What does the final report show after you fail a case?
- Are all final report questions multiple choice?
Losing and replaying a case
- If you fail a case, do you have to replay it, or can you move on?
- Can you replay a lost case without replaying the earlier cases?
- How do you reset and replay a single case in the Antares Database?
- When you reset a lost case to replay it, do the plot cards you found, or moved into other cases, go back to their original deck?
- After losing a case and replaying it, can you use knowledge from the first attempt?
- Can a case be replayed, or is each case played only once?
General
- Can you play Detective solo?
- Do you have to destroy or use up any components after playing Detective?
- Can the case cards be read aloud so everyone hears them?
- Can a detective leave or join the squad between sessions or mid-case?
- Can you reset the game and play it again?
- Can a player who has only played Case 3 join a group that starts at Case 1?
Detective: L.A. CrimesExpansion
- In L.A. Crimes Case 3, do the red squares on the time track cost Stress?
- Can Detective: L.A. Crimes be played without the base game?
- How do you enter the SM evidence code printed on an L.A. Crimes card into the Antares Database?
- Where do you enter the bonus case code printed in the L.A. Crimes rulebook?
- How do you finish the case and reach the final report in the L.A. Crimes Antares database?