A CASE, A PENCIL AND YOUR OWN THEORY
Playing a detective game alone
A good solo case gives you everything the investigator can know. You can sit with a suspicious detail, change your mind and follow the evidence without waiting for anyone else.
Choose a case file with a separate solution
For solo play, look for a game that keeps its instructions and evidence apart from the answer. You should be able to begin without reading the ending or having someone else hide clues. Every Morrow Quay digital game keeps hints and solutions behind reveal controls. The print PDF gives an investigation-only page range, followed by clearly separated hints and answers.
Give each claim a place in your notes
Draw three columns: what a person says, what a document records, and what you can reasonably conclude. A witness placing someone in a room is a claim. A dated entry is a record. Neither becomes an explanation until you compare it with the other evidence.
Keep one question open at a time
Write down the specific finding the case asks for. When you notice a possible contradiction, note the pages involved and follow that thread. You can return to motives once you know which accounts the records support.
Use a hint when it improves the evening
There is no clock and no penalty for help. Open one hint, return to the evidence and see what changes. If you stop for the night, leave a short note of your current theory so you can pick up where you left off.
Pick your investigation
- The Second Carbon: a fictional murder with alibis, records and a disputed payment.
- The Bellweather Seat: a theatre theft, seating deductions and conflicting accounts. No death in the story.
- The Orchard Lot: a forged survey, dates and document comparisons. No death in the story.
The games are in English for adult readers. Play the offline digital game or print the investigation-only range from the companion PDF. Each case has one fixed story and explained ending.