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Game Info
Year
2020
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Expansions & Family
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Description
Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game – Season One, a.k.a. Detective: Season One, is a fully co-operative, deeply immersive board game in which 1-5 players take on the roles of investigators trying to solve a crime.
Detective: Season One is a new product in the award-winning Detective line, one with a shorter playing time that's tailored for a mystery game night with simpler family-friendly rules. The game consists of three standalone cases, and each of them can be played in around 90 minutes. Each of the cases challenges players with different settings and styles. The cases are:
• Blood, Ink, and Tears moves the action to Great Britain, where players visit an old mansion and discover family secrets from the past that lead them to clues behind the mysterious death of the family patron. Fans of Agatha Christie's novels will find themselves at home in this rather funny case!
• Solid Alibi throws players in the middle of a bloody conflict between gangs and criminals in the Italian district. Players have to not only solve the crime and discover who killed Robert Parkson, but also witness growing tension in the district and find out who to trust in the spiral of violence and mutual accusations!
• Natural Causes takes players to a university campus in the U.S. Professor Calvin Higgs is found dead in his lab at the Biology Institute of Virginia University. Players need to find out whether his death is from natural causes, or perhaps there's someone in his surroundings responsible for this horrible crime. But what could be the motive?
Detective – A Modern Crime Board Game (Portal Games) Family
(3 games)
Part of the Detective – A Modern Crime Board Game (Portal Games) family — see Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game for the combined view.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 10
This page: 10
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–10 of 10
Video 9dth54sLZC4
Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 115792 · mention_pk 328777
Click to watch at 0:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Interesting case setting in an isolated manor.
- Engaging narrative with multiple suspects and clues.
- The 'poisoned documents' legend adds a unique thematic element.
Cons
- Typos in the case files requiring corrections.
- Some players might find the complexity or time limit challenging.
Thematic elements
- A modern crime board game focused on solving a murder in an isolated manor.
- An antique mansion in Great Britain
Comparison games
- Criminal Minds
- The Simpsons
- NCIS
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- Family Guy
- Lassie
- American Dad
- Supernatural
- NCIS: Los Angeles
- Nancy Drew
- Knives Out
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Character Interaction — Players must interview various characters within the game to uncover information and motives.
- clue gathering — Players examine locations, find items, and gather information from characters to solve the mystery.
- Deduction — Players deduce the murderer and motive by analyzing clues, witness testimonies, and game information.
- Storytelling/Narrative — The game progresses through a narrative driven by case files, character interactions, and journal entries.
- time limit — Players have a limited number of hours (represented by cards) to solve the case, adding pressure to the investigation.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's literally the second longest running tv show like in general
- The manor house is completely isolated surrounded by dense forests and swamp land
- you've already managed to use the wrong cutlery at least three times and nearly spilled your wine on the snow white tablecloth
- They're like oh no you don't get it angelina will
- This is hardly the time for humor christ
- The press will have a field day with this
- I'm sure she'll sleep much better knowing that Ben is now beyond temptation of or infidelity
- The antique shotgun is missing
- it's like hey you know if you're going to go out of your way to dig this i'm just going to kill you
- The poisoned papers were not the only threat facing Ben Hampton
- She planned to convince Ben to meet her in the arbor at midnight
- Knowing that she had no more than a few months to live miss Hampton reflected that her husband would never be and could never be allowed to be happy as a widower and decided to help him depart the world before her
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aFMohcIac08
Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 115801 · mention_pk 328789
Click to watch at 0:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging narrative
- Interactive gameplay
- Interesting case progression
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Solving murder cases
- Richmond, Virginia
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Case solving — Players work through a series of cases to progress through the game's narrative.
- clue discovery — Players spend tokens to investigate clues, examine reports, and explore crime scenes.
- Deduction — Players gather information and connect evidence to solve the murder mystery.
- Interrogation — Players question witnesses and suspects to uncover the truth.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We are doing natural causes, yeah, case one.
- This mini series will contain spoilers because it's the detective game.
- We're learning about Higgs, the man, piece of shit, yeah, they all are.
- Oh boy, it's getting juicy.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video YrVthz5UUt4
Board Games UnLocked Review at 7:46
video_pk 114745 · mention_pk 327511
Click to watch at 7:46 · YouTube ↗
Pros
- One story was very similar to Knives Out.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The biggest difference is the the scene deck uh which i think are literally there just for like thematic flair
- I think that they utilize the tokens a lot more because in the other ones you kind of have a pool and you really just spent them all it was very hard to get them back
- for me personally i don't give a [ __ ] about batman like i don't like dc
- i think batman is i don't really like batman himself i think his villains are the best thing about batman
- i really hope they use some obscure ones like i've never heard of the doll maker that sounds like a really [ __ ] up sounds like a real person
- overall like the theme doesn't draw me in but the gameplay is still incredibly engaging
- it's a good line to walk
- the personal goals are like hey you can you're gonna get questions on these so keep you know keep them in mind and i really like that i think it's very nice and also makes you feel more like a character
- final verdict is really if you like the detective system you're probably gonna like this unless you really hate batman
- i'll give it an eight out of ten it's not quite the nine cause i don't like the theme as much
- it's still eight excellent
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wCabA4_K5ME
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1:11:22
video_pk 94818 · mention_pk 259379
Click to watch at 1:11:22 · YouTube ↗
Pros
- Simpler version of Detective.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Detective
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's like, falling into a warm comfortable bed. It's just all nice and cozy and you know what to expect
- I enjoy train games don't know why but I enjoy a train game
- for an old-school euro game I really enjoyed this too it didn't have a lot of flash or dazzle or anything unique it's an older game reprinted
- the person who wants to be first has to pay full price person who wants to be second it's got to pay full price then the next people have to pay half price and the last person doesn't underpass it's that half-price and zero price
- if you don't have enough money to pay your expenses you're in a world of hurt
- there's not a lot of flash to it mm-hmm solid mechanics solid concepts concepts that I enjoy
- theme doesn't draw me in but theme turns me off maybe we are sitting there looking at what's flashy too
- portability I can't argue with that that is the selling point of that console right now
- Oh okay I should not have dismissed this game strictly on theme because it's a solid no little euro game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video mUnCc-E1xY0
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 49:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93475 · mention_pk 253727
Click to watch at 49:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Shorter playtime
- Streamlined campaign
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Detective
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Shorter Scenarios — Campaigns take approximately 90 minutes to play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- If you're judging this group and you're on the sheepdog and you're digging through all that fur and you only see one eye then you've got the wrong end
- Ugly on a moose have you ever heard that
- the investigators are dogs and you're investigating like evil cats and everything like that
- this game is a brain burner
- it really is and it's very mathy
- it was surprisingly faithful to the game in how you play it
- we were debating like would it be better to put down this card and take a hit to our water if it meant getting some money back for it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 33ZRSDG6xog
The Dice Tower Discussion at 12:39
video_pk 81387 · mention_pk 333898
Click to watch at 12:39 · YouTube ↗
Pros
- Streamlined version of the original Detective
Cons
- Did not play this version
Thematic elements
- Crime
Comparison games
- Detective
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Secrets. This is a Bruno Faidutti Eric Lang game. It's kind of like a social deduction game where each It has some of these nice poker chips. You're on different things, taking things. It works well. It's not great, but I think it was a solid little game.
- Tapple's one of these games that I'm always I'm It's just It still sold very well. It's mass market, but it works incredibly well.
- I just really didn't like it at all. And I like Isle of Cats. I think it's fun. I didn't I this was a great follow up.
- Wow, I love the look of this game. So many neat things you're going through and as the the the character here and just rolling dice up, it's just very lucky. It's a big choose your own adventure game that's very lucky. I wish I liked it more.
- FunkoVerse Strategy Game. Eight out of 10 for me. I really like the FunkoVerse Strategy Game.
- This is basically just giant sandworms coming and you're jumping cars and shooting them. It has all the silliness of the series of movies and I think it's it's one of those movies that could have been an IP, but but isn't.
- Manhattan Project 2. No, I thought the newest one was okay. But this one I actively disliked.
- Curse Court's a great game. I've played Curse Court I think two or three times this year already, which is a lot considering I have to I play lots of new games.
- Well, it's kind of weird. I I mean, on one hand, my favorite is Curse Court, the one I just mentioned. But, also Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moonstones is a pretty fantastic kids game. So, I have a lot of respect for that.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Tp97je0JIlM
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:00
video_pk 68138 · mention_pk 164496
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There is no you win card in here
- Immerse yourself in the experience as much as you like
- you won't have time to follow every lead
- the actions you perform in the game will use up time which you track on the board
- you can replay the case if you'd like to try to get a better score
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Tp97je0JIlM
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 68138 · mention_pk 352015
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Shorter playtime variant for quicker sessions
- Cooperative teamwork through discussion-based play
- Immersive detective experience with notes and leads
- Online database integration to manage evidence
Cons
- Not all leads can be pursued; time-limited nature may restrict exploration
- No definitive 'you win' card; success depends on deductions and scoring
- High complexity and time to master (steep learning curve implied).
Thematic elements
- murder mystery / detective investigation
- campus location
- case-based investigation with leads and database analysis
Comparison games
- Detective (Original Game) and expansions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Database entry for evidence — Players input or browse data into the Antares database to store evidence and personnel files.
- Dig deeper (spend skill tokens to flip cards) — You may spend a team skill token to flip a card and read its hidden side for more info guarded by a symbol.
- Final brain storm and final report — When time is low, players have a final brainstorm and then answer a series of questions to determine score.
- Follow leads and reading card text — Leads appear on cards; the group selects leads to follow, reads the card text aloud, and spends the indicated time.
- Portraits / silhouettes for notes — Use portraits and silhouettes to help distinguish people and take notes.
- Time Track — Actions consume time on a central time track; when time runs out you file the final report.
- Time track and hour cost — Actions consume time on a central time track; when time runs out you file the final report.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There is no you win card in here
- Immerse yourself in the experience as much as you like
- you won't have time to follow every lead
- the actions you perform in the game will use up time which you track on the board
- you can replay the case if you'd like to try to get a better score
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video sd_50LNgFEI
No Rolls Barred Top List at 2:25 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8216 · mention_pk 83179
Click to watch at 2:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative gimmick of a detective database (Antaris-like) that adds realism and depth.
- Tightly designed case flow with meaningful choices and a strong sense of consequence.
Cons
- Steep learning curve and a fairly dense rule set; requires time and patience to master.
- Asymmetric information flow can feel opaque for new players.
Thematic elements
- investigative work powered by a structured data system and procedural leads
- noir-inspired urban detective milieu, early 2000s-styled database investigation
- case-based narrative with evolving leads and a tightly managed information economy
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- database-driven investigation — players query and assemble profiles, transcripts, and leads via an integrated database to connect clues and suspects.
- Resource/time management — progress relies on carefully allocating limited in-game resources and deciding which leads to pursue, mirroring real investigative tradeoffs.
- structured investigation flow — the game creates a formal flow of testimonies, locations, and leads that must be navigated in a determined order to avoid information gaps.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- mystery games are the best
- mind-bendingly wonderful stuff
- this game is cool though like elenoir the chisel can make the suspects lie to the players when questioned
- you've cracked the case
- they push the boundaries of what you can do with bits of paper
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video hMyZgkEE7ug
Actualol Top List at 0:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6680 · mention_pk 92850
Click to watch at 0:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- accessible introduction to the detective genre with strong deduction mechanics
- case design that rewards discussion and collaborative reasoning
- season 1 adds photos of suspects and a mind-map flavor that deepens immersion
- less intimidating than the original while preserving core feel
Cons
- some players may miss the internet-search element present in Detective: A Modern Crime Game
- not as long or as content-rich as the original campaign for those seeking deeper investigations
Thematic elements
- investigation, deduction, collaboration
- modern city crime investigations; three standalone cases with a noir-esque vibe
- episodic mysterys; reader-driven opening stories; evolving theories based on clues
Comparison games
- Detective: A Modern Crime Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative deduction — players work together to interpret leads, manage time pressure, and assemble a web of clues without revealing every piece of information to the team.
- Deduction — players work together to interpret leads, manage time pressure, and assemble a web of clues without revealing every piece of information to the team.
- lead-collection and note-taking — no single magic piece of evidence; each card adds threads to the theories, encouraging players to take notes and discuss possibilities.
- scenario-based cases — three standalone cases with unique narratives, allowing flexible play order and repeatability.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's no magic piece of evidence you need to find to solve the case
- it's a race to finish an enclosure first
- you read the opening story and then it's up to you to decide which leads to follow
- the game is begging you to take risks because if you ever get 21 on a mission you not only win the mission but you lose a notoriety token
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–10 of 10