Crooked Relations is a solo journalling and photo game about investigating a crime. It is very location specific in that play engages with the environment (and sometimes people) around you. Ultimately the point is to create a story about what happened in this place, so the place where you play matters immensely. This game is intended to be played over a holiday or vacation, when a house (or hotel, or vacation rental) is irregularly full of family of friends, or when you have a desire to explore a specific location. Your letter will help you establish your connection to the people in the house. They may all be family, gathered for a reunion, or artists at a retreat. Possibly even strangers, your only connect this place at this time. Once you have established your connection and some rough outline of the crime that occurred, you will collect evidence and undercover secrets in order to form your hypothesis. You will do this by taking photographs and notes and responding to the prompts. The prompts will be events that may naturally occur around you, or the pulling and flipping of dice, as detailed below.
A note on bleed: This game deals with space, friends, family, occasional violence or harm and other potentially unpleasant subjects, be careful with your feelings! Because the game is specifically played in response to your environment and around the people in it, it is recommended to make some clear lines between when you are actively playing and when you are not. We call this “On the case”. This boundary is a suggestion, but as with all rules, if they don’t serve your goals, don’t use them! However, for the course of this document, it will be assumed that the rules are only in play when you are “on the case"
First, read The Letter. It will outline the crime that you are investigating and some details about the people involved.
Next, List your suspects. Everyone present is a suspect. If more people appear during your period of playing, add them to your list of suspects.Take a quick note about their relation to you or the crime.
Then, copy the details of your letter into the Preliminary Notes section for reference later.
Crooked Relations is played by taking photos and notes to build your case up piece by piece. When you enter a room, if there are people present, consult the chart to interpret. If the room is empty, pull a coin at random from your pocket, and use its side to help interpret your findings. All of the tools below are here to help inspire the story you are writing.
If a single person is present, you have discovered their alibi. If you have their consent, take a photo of them or a part of them and write down the details.
If more than one person is present, you’ve discovered a secret between them. If you have their consent, take a photo of them and write down the details.
If no one is present, pull a coin from your pocket and use its denomination and face to tell what kind of of important information in present in the room. If the coin is heads, you’ve found a piece of truthful evidence. If the coin face is tails, you’ve found a red herring, something planted in order to throw you off the true trail. Take a picture of your findings and jot down some notes.
Nickel: Correspondence - recordings, letter, emails
Dime: Objects - weapons, notebooks, ticket stubs, keepsakes
Quarter: History - motives, connections, educational records
Dollar: Organics - DNA, fingerprints, blood
Once you find evidence that you believe to be conclusive, finish the notes you are taking and then summarize all your findings in your Final Report. Take a final photo to signify the case has been wrapped.
Hello,
I know you have most likely not heard my name before. I’ve kept my distance, remained an unknown to you, and for that I am sorry. It is a tragedy to learn of family only after their passing, but it has been necessary. For a long time a sinister force has walked amongst our family, biding it’s time. I have remained estranged in order to remain safe from this force, but if you are reading this, I have failed.
I write this from my study, paranoia and instinct both tell me it will be my final resting place. You must find my killer.
Our annual family holidays approaches soon, and knowing the vultures with whomst we share blood, will be held, as it always is, at my estate. You are being proviuded a rare opportunity to see every possible suspect, in close proximity, at the site of the crime. Someone present is responsible. I’ve given my attorney instructions to release my belongings (including my expansive fortune) only to the kin whomst presents unshakeable proof as to the events surrounding my death.
Please, find the evidence and submit it to my attorney. If you do, the hold on your inheritance will be released and, more importantly, the rest of you will be safe. Stay safe and be vigilant.
Your uncle, if only breifly,
Mads [the handwriting here is too blurred by water stains to remain legible]
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Lovingly,
3ARL
An object of great importance has been stolen from me and I need your help in getting it back (and just as importantly, tracking down who took it!). I can't be sure out communications won't be intercepted, but I trust you know the object of which I speak. It was given to me by a very dear (and very famous) old friend, in secret. If knowledge of the objects existence and provenance were to become known, I fear my dear friend might be ruined. You and you alone can understand how wretched I feel about this turn of events. I am especially remorseful that I cannot be there with you to help, but I must tend to other matters. You should have the house to yourself for the next while, the object must be there. While the theif is undeniably villainous, I do not take them for a fool, and doubt they would risk carrying the object on their person.
Think of everyone who would have access to our house, trust no one. I'm not sure what the crooks intention is, be it blackmail or scandal, but I am sure the answers are all within your reach.
Lovingly,
3ARL