The detective’s guide
How to play Detective Tales
You get the complete file of a case. Nobody guides you, nobody highlights what matters: you read, you cross-check, then you accuse. Here is everything to know before you open your first file.
In short
Six steps from the file to the truth
01
Open a case
The first case is free and opens without a code. For the others, enter the access code you receive after ordering.
02
Read the mission letter
The briefing sets the scene: the victim, the place, the night of the crime and the question you must answer.
03
Study the evidence
Police reports, statements, phone records, photos, plans… Every document is a piece of the puzzle. Read them all.
04
Take notes, rebuild the night
In the notebook, write down who is lying and about what, and fill in the timeline: who was where, and when.
05
File your accusation
Answer the questions: who, how, why, and a few details that prove you really understood.
06
Discover the truth
The full solution appears with your score and detective rank. Every answer was hidden in the file.
The game screen
Five tabs, one case file
Everything happens in your browser, on a phone or a computer. The game is organised in five tabs.
Briefing
The mission letter and the rules of the case. Always start here.
Evidence
Every document in the file, grouped by kind. Open them in any order, as often as you like.
Suspects
The people involved, with their photo, role and what is known about them. The culprit is among them.
Notebook
Your notes and a time grid to fill in. Everything is saved automatically on your device.
Accuse
The final form. One accusation per case on a device: do not rush it.
The puzzles
Some evidence has to be earned
Depending on the case, some evidence is locked. To open it you find the answer in the other documents, never by guessing.
Padlocks and safes
A code to find: a date, a number, one of the victim’s habits.
Locked phone
The unlock code is hidden somewhere in the file.
Coded messages
A cipher wheel to decode a note: find the right shift.
Torn letter
Put the pieces back in order to read what was written.
Blotter and mirror
Reversed writing on a blotter: slide the mirror over it to read it.
Punched card
Place and turn a grille over a text to reveal a hidden message.
Premium
Cases in chapters
Premium cases are played in several chapters. The first is open; to open the next, answer the commissioner’s question correctly. The accusation opens once every chapter is unlocked.
Score and rank
Every accusation question is worth points; some are bonuses for the sharpest readers. Your total gives you a rank, from constable to master detective. Then the solution walks you through the whole case, document by document.
Detective tips
How good investigators think
- 01
A statement is what someone says. A record, a receipt or a log is what happened. Compare the two.
- 02
Fill in the timeline hour by hour: lies show up when two people cannot be in the same place.
- 03
Everyone lies a little, often for innocent reasons. Look for the lie that protects the crime.
- 04
A detail that seems useless (a time, a stain, an invoice) is never there by chance.
- 05
Before you accuse, check that your culprit is contradicted by at least two independent documents.
- 06
Write your suspicions in the notebook, but also write down what clears each person.
Playing as a group
One screen, up to 6 detectives
One purchase covers the whole group. Plug the computer into the TV or gather around one screen, and split the roles:
The reader
Reads the evidence aloud for everyone.
The clerk
Keeps the notebook and the timeline.
The sceptic
Doubts every alibi and asks for proof.
The commissioner
Settles the arguments and fills in the final accusation.