Coffee Detective

  “Good evening, everyone, my name is Agent Lilah Conway, and I’m here in Maple Valley, Vermont to speak with you about the murder of Chip Pedansky. As you all know by now, young Chip was on his way to his job at the paper plant when his motorcycle was driven off the road and into an industrial strength wood chipper. We at the FBI have reason to believe this was not an accident…”

Such is one possible beginning for an entirely improvised investigation that will take your game table through a evening of wild accusations, shocking twists, absurd alibis, and genre-savvy confrontations, presented through the lens of a coffee-loving investigator visiting a tiny town where anything can happen. 

COFFEE DETECTIVE is a zero prep, rules-light, highly improvisatory game of small-town mystery and murder. It is an homage to genre fiction in the vein of shows like TWIN PEAKS, the X-FILES, and NORTHERN EXPOSURE with an emphasis on low-stakes collaborative play and safety mechanics. Players will need nothing but their wits, wiles, and a willingness to leap into a world designed by the group as you go along. Take turns inciting scenes and eavesdropping on suspicious happenings in order to determine an ending where anyone could be the killer. Play is driven by interpersonal interaction, lightly guided collaborative worldbuilding, and a set of PLOT TWIST cards that change up the game every time while staying true to the nature of the genre and the quirky absurdity of the locals. Also included are tips and suggestions on improvisatory roleplay, creating worlds and characters from scratch, and how to adapt COFFEE DETECTIVE for nonviolent scenarios or employ safety mechanics, ensuring a fun evening for anyone at your table!

Game includes full manual, printable sheet of PLOT TWIST cards, and printable example character sheet [not necessary for gameplay].