---
key: mechanic/detective--family-03
type: mechanic
id: detective--family-03
lang: en
title: Evidence collection and provenance
summary: >-
  The player preserves a finding with its location, time and collection method
  so its significance can be checked later.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-03/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-03.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-03.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Detective games
  - Finding and examining evidence
sourceIds:
  - source-c071af1c88e59913
sources:
  - id: source-c071af1c88e59913
    title: The Case of the Golden Idol
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: detective
    id: family-03
    title: Detective games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-03'
    categoryIds:
      - evidence
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Evidence collection and provenance
    description: >-
      The player preserves a finding with its location, time and collection
      method so its significance can be checked later.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/adventure-golden-idol-07.webp
      width: 1357
      height: 763
      game: The Case of the Golden Idol
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1677770/ss_649570093b41419b15482dd6667b0a74c4a8cfb2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1786374001
      credit: Color Gray Games / Playstack
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
        Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: Names and actions complete an explanation of the incident
      alt: Names and actions complete an explanation of the incident
      markers:
        - x: 27
          'y': 46
          label: A testable account of events
        - x: 78
          'y': 49
          label: People who must be identified
    tips:
      - Preserve discovery context alongside the evidence.
    examples:
      - title: The Case of the Golden Idol
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/'
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
---
# Evidence collection and provenance

id: detective--family-03
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/detective--family-03
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-03/

The player preserves a finding with its location, time and collection method so its significance can be checked later.

## At a glance

![Names and actions complete an explanation of the incident](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-golden-idol-07.webp)

[The Case of the Golden Idol](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. A testable account of events
2. People who must be identified

- Preserve discovery context alongside the evidence.

- [The Case of the Golden Idol](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/)

## How it works

The player preserves a finding with its location, time and collection method so its significance can be checked later.

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-03-branch-1"></a>

- Discovery context: record where, when and beside what an object was found. <a id="family-03-variant-1"></a>
- State preservation: photograph a scene before moving an object when movement alters available information. <a id="family-03-variant-2"></a>
- Provenance check: reconstruct who supplied evidence and whether substitution was possible within the case rules. <a id="family-03-variant-3"></a>

## Design example

Two identical keys enter the notebook with different discovery locations. Swapping those records changes the conclusion.

## Context and limits

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.

## Connected materials


## Sources and 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.

- [The Case of the Golden Idol](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/) (id: source-c071af1c88e59913)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors