{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/detective--family-32","type":"mechanic","id":"detective--family-32","lang":"en","title":"Procedural cases and a larger mystery","summary":"These are ways to organize multiple investigations. Each case needs a checkable causal structure as well as new names.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-32/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-32.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-32.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Detective games","Investigation structure"],"sourceIds":["source-ce786c639336367e","source-d44fa1b4a4c747d6","source-5826b1f3d00cd60a"],"sources":[{"id":"source-ce786c639336367e","title":"Shadows of Doubt","url":"https://fireshinegames.co.uk/games/shadows-of-doubt/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-d44fa1b4a4c747d6","title":"The Case of the Golden Idol","url":"https://www.thegoldenidol.com/the-case-of-the-golden-idol/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-5826b1f3d00cd60a","title":"Shadows of Doubt","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"These are ways to organize multiple investigations. Each case needs a checkable causal structure as well as new names."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-32-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Participant variation: vary roles, locations and routines while keeping the clues consistent. <a id=\"family-32-variant-1\"></a>\n- Larger pattern: discover a connection between standalone cases through a recurring feature. <a id=\"family-32-variant-2\"></a>\n- Solvability checking: confirm that generated information distinguishes the solution from alternatives. <a id=\"family-32-variant-3\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A generator first defines an event and a participant’s route, then creates compatible traces and checks whether the solution remains inferable."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A working map of detective design: 32 families and 96 variants. The core loop is to find information, form a hypothesis, test it and explain a conclusion. Answer formats, hints and investigation structure are treated separately. Families overlap, design examples are hypothetical, and released-game examples cite primary sources without revealing case solutions."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"detective","id":"family-32","title":"Detective games","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-32","categoryIds":["structure"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Procedural cases and a larger mystery","description":"These are ways to organize multiple investigations. Each case needs a checkable causal structure as well as new names.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/narrative-shadows-doubt-01.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Shadows of Doubt","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/986130/ss_6e8b247fbef7b2be4d87b4a7ef9d6bae191e39f8.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787842717","credit":"ColePowered Games / Fireshine Games","rights":"© ColePowered Games / Fireshine Games. All rights reserved.","caption":"The board connects a receipt, people and places","alt":"The board connects a receipt, people and places","markers":[{"x":69,"y":56,"label":"The relationship between entries remains visible on the case board"}]},"tips":["Vary a case’s causal structure as well as names and locations."],"examples":[{"title":"Shadows of Doubt","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19. Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/detective"}}