Rules of the P.I. Game

Get ready to go on a thrilling adventure as a Private Investigator (P.I.)! In this game, you will step into the shoes of a detective and solve mysterious cases. I’ll be your guide and share the rules, so you’ll know what to expect.

Objective:

Your main goal in this game is to solve the cases by examining the evidence and making deductions. Each case will present you with a unique mystery to unravel, and it’s up to you to piece together the clues and find the truth.

Getting Started:

First, you’ll need a group of friends or fellow detectives to play with. You can form a team or compete against each other individually. Once you have your team ready, choose a case to investigate.

Gameplay:

The game will provide you with different clues, witness statements, and evidence related to the case. Your task is to analyze this information and figure out the sequence of events, motives, and the identity of the culprit.

As you progress through the case, new evidence and leads will be revealed. It’s crucial to stay attentive and consider every detail. Pay close attention to any inconsistencies or contradictions in the information provided.

Collaboration:

Collaboration is key in this game. You and your team should work together, sharing ideas, and discussing possible solutions. Different perspectives may help you see things from a different angle and reveal hidden connections.

However, don’t be afraid to think independently. Sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes can spot something that others might have missed. Trust your instincts and share your thoughts with the group.

Time Limit:

Keep in mind that each case comes with a time limit. You have a set amount of time to solve the mystery before it’s too late. Use your time wisely and stay focused. Don’t waste time on irrelevant details, but also don’t rush through the investigation.

A timer will be provided to ensure fair play and add an element of urgency to the game. Remember, time is of the essence in the world of a P.I.

Revealing the Solution:

Once the time is up, or all teams have presented their solutions, the game will reveal the correct answer. You’ll find out if you were able to crack the case and catch the culprit.

Even if you couldn’t solve the mystery, don’t be discouraged. Analyzing the solutions after the game can be a great learning experience. Understand what went wrong and identify areas of improvement for future cases.

Conclusion:

The P.I. Game is an exciting challenge that allows you to step into the thrilling world of a detective. It tests your investigative skills, teamwork, and ability to think critically. Get your team together, follow the rules, and let the adventure begin! Are you ready?

• Game Board
• 25 Investigator counters
• 15 discs
• 50 cubes
• 5 Penalty counters and 15 Points counters
• 36 Evidence cards
• 12 Suspect Case cards
• 10 Crime Case cards
• 14 Location Case cards
• Suspect tiles
• Crime tiles
• Three black discs
• One First player marker
• Rulebook

Let’s Get Started!

So, here’s what you’ll need:

• A game board
• 25 investigator counters
• 15 discs
• 50 cubes
• 5 penalty counters and 15 points counters
• 36 evidence cards
• 12 suspect case cards
• 10 crime case cards
• 14 location case cards
• suspect tiles
• crime tiles
• Three black discs
• One first player marker
• And a rulebook to guide you through the game

The Goal

The person with the highest score at the end of three games wins!

Setting Up

First things first, let’s set up the game board. Place it right in the middle of the table, where everyone can reach it.

Now, each player needs their own set of player pieces. Each set includes:

• Five investigator counters
• Ten cubes
• Three discs
• One penalty points counter
• And three points counters

Once everyone has their pieces ready, we’re all set to begin!

Okay, here’s what you need to do:

First, separate the Location, Suspect, and Crime Case cards into their own decks. Make sure each deck is shuffled well. Once that’s done, deal one Location, one Suspect, and one Crime Case card to each player.

You can take a look at these cards, but make sure to keep them a secret from the other players. The card you have in your hand is the case that the player sitting to your left needs to solve.

Next, shuffle the Suspect tiles and place one face down in each left-hand space in every location. Then, turn each tile face up. If there are any tiles that say ‘No Suspect,’ leave them where they are.

Do the same thing with the Crime tiles. Shuffle them and place one face down in each right-hand space in every location. Then, turn them face up. If there are any tiles that say ‘No Crime,’ leave them in place.

When we start a game of Evidence, the first thing we need to do is shuffle the Evidence cards. Next, we’ll draw the top nine cards and put them face up on display next to the board for everyone to see. It’s important to keep these cards visible throughout the game so that we can reference them as needed.

After setting up the cards, each player will place their Penalty counter on the ‘0’ space of the Penalty track. This track keeps track of our penalties throughout the game, so it’s important to have it in a visible spot where we can easily see it.

Lastly, we need to randomly determine who goes first. We can do this by picking a player at random or by using a First Player marker. This is an important step to ensure fairness and give everyone an equal chance to start the game.

Playing the Game

When it’s my turn, I get to be the First Player. After my turn, the next player takes their turn, going around the table in a clockwise direction.

We keep going like this until all players have solved their crimes or until there is only one player left who hasn’t solved their crime. If players solve their cases in the same number of turns, they score the same points.

On my turn, I have three options:

• I can place an Investigator.
• I can select an Evidence Card.
• I can attempt to solve my case.

Placing an Investigator

I take one of my Investigator counters and put it in any location I choose. Remember, I should place it towards the top of the location, away from the three tiles at the bottom.

So here’s how it works: the person sitting to your right decides how well you did in your investigation. If the tiles in the location match the ‘Case’ cards they have, they’ll tell you to place a disc on each of those tiles. If there are tiles in adjacent locations, they’ll tell you to place a cube on each of them. Just remember, if you already have discs or cubes in the location, they’ll take that into account and make sure you don’t get any extras. Now, if a location doesn’t have a Crime or Suspect tile, that won’t affect whether you get a cube for an adjacent tile. Got it? Good!

If you’re certain that a disc or cube corresponds to a particular tile in a spot, you can place your disc/cube on that tile. The investigator pieces can only be used once throughout the game, so you can only put down five of these markers during all three mini-games.

Here’s what happened: I put an Investigator counter in Little Italy. Then, the person sitting to my right checked the Case cards they had in their possession. They instructed me to put one disc and one cube on my Investigator counter, but they didn’t specify which tiles they corresponded to.

It’s a bit puzzling, right? I don’t know exactly what the disc and cube represent, but I have to trust that they are important clues in solving the case.

Pick an Evidence Card

Hey there! Let me show you how to investigate a specific part of your case. First, you need to choose one Evidence Card from the available options. The player sitting to your right will then determine how accurate the selected card is.

If the Evidence Card matches one of the Case Cards they hold, they will instruct you to put a disc on the corresponding tile. But here’s the catch: if the tile on the Evidence Card is right next to another tile, they will ask you to place a cube instead.

Now, if you already have a disc or cube on one of your Investigator counters and it matches the Evidence Card you just picked, the player to your right needs to let you know. This way, you can move the disc or cube from the counter to the designated tile.

• Remember, if a disc or cube needs to be placed, it has to be placed on the tile.
• If you don’t place a disc or cube, you should put the Evidence card in front of you to remember that you didn’t get any information.
• If you do place a disc or cube, you should throw away the card.

Afterwards, you should draw a card so that there are nine cards in the display again. If there are no more cards in the deck, shuffle the discard pile to create a new deck.

Example: I pick the Waterfront Evidence card, and now there’s a cube on the Waterfront tile because the location is right next to it.

If I choose the Murder evidence card on my next turn, a disc will be placed on the tile. This disc will indicate that Bubbles must be the culprit since the disc cannot be connected to the location tile in Little Italy (ruled out by the cube on the Waterfront tile).

In addition, this disc will tell me that the location I’m searching for is Downtown. Downtown is the only location adjacent to both Waterfront and Main Street.

Let’s crack the case

If you believe you have gathered enough information to solve your case, instead of placing an Investigator or taking an Evidence card, you have the option to attempt to solve your case.

Now, let’s dive into the intriguing world of detective work. I’ll give you three black discs, and it’s up to you to figure out who the culprit is, what crime they committed, and where they’re hiding. Place the discs on the corresponding tiles to make your guess.

But wait, there’s a twist! The player sitting to your right has the power to judge whether your guess is correct or not.

If you can’t crack the case, you’ll need to move your Penalty counter down on the Penalty track, resulting in a loss of two points. On the other hand, if you succeed in solving the mystery, you’ll move your Points counter to the Points track, marking your victory for the mini-game.

Keep in mind, whether you solve the case or not, the black discs should be removed from the board. However, if you do solve the mystery, you should also remove all your cubes but leave your discs on the three tiles that had black discs. This action will give other players a clue to avoid investigating those tiles.

Once you solve your crime, you’re done. The first person to solve their case puts their Points counter in the seven-point box.

After that, when someone else solves their case, they put their Points counter in the next empty box below. So, the second person to solve their case will score five points.

But, if two players solve their cases in the same round, meaning they take the same number of turns, they both put their Points counters in the same scoring box. That means there might not be a single last player.

If two or more players have the same score, the next player or players to solve their case will still score in the next box down. For example, if two players have seven points, the next person to solve their case will score five points.

Imagine this: I’m playing a game and I think I’ve cracked the case. I confidently place a black token on the Bubbles, Downtown, and Murder tile. The player to my right reveals that I’m right.

I proudly put my First Case Points counter on the seven-point box. Turns out, Blue had already solved his case, but since I did it in the same number of turns, I score the same number of points.

Watch Out for Tricky Moves

If it’s clear that someone accidentally gave me the wrong information, there’s a penalty. The person who misled me gets zero points for this round, while I get seven points.

We need to adjust our points counters accordingly. Since both of us have scored, we don’t need to do anything else for now.

The Game Comes to an End

The mini-game ends when everyone has scored points.

Hey there! It’s time for a new mini-game. We need to reset everything before we start. First, let’s collect all the tiles and cards and shuffle them up, just like we did at the beginning.

Now, we need to remove all the Investigator counters from the board. Don’t worry, we won’t be using them again. They are only good for one use in the whole game.

Everyone should take back their cubes and discs. And don’t forget to pass the first player marker to the next person in line, going clockwise.

Remember, the game will end after we finish three mini-games. So, let’s give it our all!

The player with the highest score (that’s their total points minus any penalty points) will be the winner. So, do your best and aim for those high scores!

If there’s a tie, don’t worry. The player who has kept the most Investigator pieces will take the win. And if it’s still tied, we’ll look at the fewest penalty points. Only if it’s still tied, then we can call it a draw.