Pocket Detective
Pocket Detective Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Read This Before Proceeding
Card A1 (later printing: A0), front:
READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING!
This deck of cards will guide you through your investigation.
This is important! Reveal and flip cards only when instructed to do so by other already revealed cards.
Flip this card.
Taking Turns
Card A1r (later printing: A0r), reverse:
Players take turns. When it's your turn, select a lead — open or flip the corresponding card and place it in front of you. Other players may offer their advice, but the decision is yours. When you have followed every lead from a card, put the next card directly over it to hide it.
Some cards have Time (clock) and Tension (angry face) icons in their top left corners. Time and Tension are deducted from your victory score (clock -1, angry face -10).
When you think you know what happened, visit DA's office G1 to present your view on the crime. Proving this will come later.
Reveal A2.
Setup
Card A2 (first printing), front — the Captain's memo:
"Morning, detectives! A murder was comitted today on the University grounds. DA is anxious to hear our version of the events as soon as possible. We can't let the press get ahead of the official investigation the way it happened before."
Add the following cards to the play area without flipping them: A3, A4, A5, A6, A7. Put the decks (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) above them face down.
Flip this card.
Starting Layout
Card A2 (later printing), front — layout diagram:
Starting layout:
- Decks — the face-down decks B, C, D, E, F and G, placed in a row across the top of the play area.
- Revealed cards — cards A3, A4, A5, A6 and A7, laid out in a row below the decks.
When everything is in place, flip this card.
Recommended Layout During Play
Card A2r, reverse — layout diagram:
Recommended layout during play:
- The decks B, C, D, E, F and G stay in a row across the top of the play area.
- Cards with unfollowed leads — kept in a column at the left, where the leads you have not yet used stay visible.
- Cards with used leads and clues — kept in a row alongside them; a card whose every lead you have followed is covered by the next card placed directly over it.
Time and Tension
Card A7, front:
Be careful: (clock) & (angry face) stated on the leads are estimates and may be different from the real consequences.
This card contains some explanation of just how valuable Time is in this game.
Flip this card to read it.
Card A7r, reverse — The value of Time:
It takes at least 10 (clock) to obtain enough information to charge the correct suspect. The best results are obtainable for no more than 5 (clock) extra (15 (clock) total).
Uncovering all relevant imformation will take 50 (clock); in this case your score will be below average even discounting the Tension (angry face), which is produced by some actions.
(clock) & (angry face) stated on the leads are estimates and may be different from the real consequences.
Ending the Investigation
When you think you know what happened, visit the DA's office — lead G1 — to present your view on the crime. There you must be ready to answer the questions about the crime; the evidence will be required later.
Card A8 (translated from the Russian-language printing of the same card):
DO NOT FLIP this card until you have gone through the whole case and answered the DA's questions!
Card Symbols
- (clock) Time — printed in the top left corner of a card. Each Time icon deducts 1 point from your victory score.
- (angry face) Tension — printed in the top left corner of a card. Each Tension icon deducts 10 points from your victory score. Tension is produced by some actions.
- A lead — an underlined card reference (for example Fingerprints report — C1) printed on a card. Following a lead means opening or flipping the card it names.
- Time and Tension values shown on a lead are estimates and may be different from the real consequences of following it.