---
key: mechanic/detective--family-31
type: mechanic
id: detective--family-31
lang: en
title: Ethical decisions and consequences
summary: >-
  After establishing facts, the player chooses an action. A hypothesis’s truth
  and a decision’s moral evaluation remain distinct.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-31/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-31.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-31.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Detective games
  - Investigation structure
sourceIds:
  - source-de967651def38651
  - source-b21a556417974437
  - source-7fcfb2fbe5cf06c7
sources:
  - id: source-de967651def38651
    title: 'Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments'
    url: >-
      https://store.steampowered.com/app/241260/Sherlock_Holmes_Crimes_and_Punishments/
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-b21a556417974437
    title: Paradise Killer
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/Paradise_Killer/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-7fcfb2fbe5cf06c7
    title: Paradise Killer
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: detective
    id: family-31
    title: Detective games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-31'
    categoryIds:
      - structure
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Ethical decisions and consequences
    description: >-
      After establishing facts, the player chooses an action. A hypothesis’s
      truth and a decision’s moral evaluation remain distinct.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/narrative-paradise-killer-02.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Paradise Killer
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1160220/ss_0ee4deeaa33b45f96ac96499c4966577b3f2dd50.1920x1080.jpg?t=1776963586
      credit: Kaizen Game Works / Fellow Traveller
      rights: © Kaizen Game Works / Fellow Traveller. All rights reserved.
      caption: Case evidence before choosing an accusation
      alt: Case evidence before choosing an accusation
      markers:
        - x: 50
          'y': 60
          label: The case file connects a suspect to relevant evidence
    tips:
      - Present moral decisions separately from checking a theory’s truth.
    examples:
      - title: Paradise Killer
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/'
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
---
# Ethical decisions and consequences

id: detective--family-31
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/detective--family-31
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-31/

After establishing facts, the player chooses an action. A hypothesis’s truth and a decision’s moral evaluation remain distinct.

## At a glance

![Case evidence before choosing an accusation](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/narrative-paradise-killer-02.webp)

[Paradise Killer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/) · © Kaizen Game Works / Fellow Traveller. All rights reserved.

1. The case file connects a suspect to relevant evidence

- Present moral decisions separately from checking a theory’s truth.

- [Paradise Killer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/)

## How it works

After establishing facts, the player chooses an action. A hypothesis’s truth and a decision’s moral evaluation remain distinct.

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-31-branch-1"></a>

- Finding and punishment: separate establishing involvement from deciding a character’s fate. <a id="family-31-variant-1"></a>
- Disclosure: choose whom to tell an established fact and what context to provide. <a id="family-31-variant-2"></a>
- Lasting consequences: show how a decision changes relationships and subsequent cases. <a id="family-31-variant-3"></a>

## Design example

The player establishes who concealed a document and decides how to report it, considering the consequences for a witness.

## 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.

- [Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments](https://store.steampowered.com/app/241260/Sherlock_Holmes_Crimes_and_Punishments/) (id: source-de967651def38651)
- [Paradise Killer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/Paradise_Killer/) (id: source-b21a556417974437)
- [Paradise Killer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/) (id: source-7fcfb2fbe5cf06c7)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors