Investigation
Type of Skill Game: Option
Number Skills Chosen per Action Round: 1
Maximum Number of Actions per Action Round: 1 per player
Skill List: Varies
When trying to play games laced with social and political complexities, and especially games with actual detective work and investigations, the disconnect between a character's detailed in-game knowledge and its player's knowledge can make it difficult for the party to proceed. The Investigation skill game helps to solve this problem by presenting players with tools to learn about, involve themselves with, and define the setting in which their characters operate. Unlike most skill games, which resolve over the course of a single [Encounter] and are fought out between multiple interested parties, Investigation serves as the backdrop for an entire [Quest] and provides the players with opportunity for discovery rather than a particular contest to win. It is intended to structure a story arc rather than serve as a symmetrical way for good guys and bad guys to strike at one another.
Investigation works well for all sorts of plots but is designed particularly with mysteries in mind: the players want to find something or someone; and they are willing to put an entirely unreasonable amount of effort into doing so. They advance the plot of this effort via Investigation. Each [Action round] in an Investigation encompasses an entire [Scene], during which players accumulate tokens. Victory in an [Encounter] during the skill game, whether the [Encounter] is a combat, a social encounter, or even another skill game, is typically worth a single token. GMs may also choose to award a single token per [Scene] for good roleplaying. Additionally, each [Scene], the GM should offer the party a special skill check at a critical moment — a chance to win a single extra token. Each character should make this check, and the party uses the highest result, as in any other skill game.
Once the party has tokens to spend, they may purchase up to a single action per player at the end of each [Scene], following the rules for Option games. The party can also save tokens if it wishes. A party typically accumulates three to five tokens per [Scene]. Actions in Investigation allow players to advance the plot in desired directions and are divided into Advantages, which represent tools or contacts, and Opportunities, which allow them to make discoveries and pursue clues and events.
The Advantages and Opportunities presented below are suggestions and guidelines. GMs are encouraged to create additional choices that are relevant to their campaign and to carefully moderate what Advantages and Opportunities are available at any given time. Adding choices or taking them away can help to control the pace and tone of a [Quest] while still affording the players agency in the narrative. Greater access to Opportunities allows players to directly assert control over the plot, while a broader set of Advantages gives access to extra tactical and logistical resources. In either case, you can gradually increase the players' access to Advantages and Opportunities over the course of the skill game, creating a sense of achievement and, ideally, reflecting the players' actual in-game accomplishments.
At the same time, the Investigation skill game should never be the only way to complete a [Quest] or solve a mystery. For many parties, the Investigation game offers a clean, straightforward method of problem solving. For others, it offers options like safe-houses and help from law enforcement, or even the occasional escape route instead of plot advancement. Either way, it offers a chance to explore a genre that might otherwise not fit with their normal playstyle.
Investigation Action Set
Opportunities
Small Lead (1 token)
The party stumbles onto an obvious clue or avenue of inquiry that is interesting and directly relevant to the plot, a small but significant step forward in the pursuit of the truth/bomb/genie/deathray at the narrative’s heart. The Small Lead action helps preserve a game’s momentum, and should always be available.