White sandy beaches, the gentle sound of waves, and a well-functioning drug cartel: this is what the "Isla de Cubaidos" is known for — that, and its international superstar Dayana.
But for you, the Caribbean paradise could soon become hell because the secret drug network that you have built up on the island is threatened by a public scandal: Dayana has disappeared on the island without a trace. Can you find out what happened to her before the police search party arrives and inspects your island?
Masters of Crime: Rapture is a co-operative deductive murder mystery game in which players must solve puzzles, follow clues and make decisions to solve a case. They do this using the included deck of cards, twelve hidden realistic clue documents, and the Internet. Through a choose-your-own-adventure mechanism, players make decisions that influence the course of the game and lead to solving the case in the end. One by one, they enter different realistically designed locations and encounter the various suspects. Then they choose from three different ways to deal with the situation and receive points based on their decisions. Complex puzzles and escape room elements must be solved in order to progress further in the case.
The game is closely intertwined with the real world, and players have to keep using traditional apps like Google Maps or Wikipedia to gather information. Email, detailed web pages, and cell phone calls are also part of the immersive gaming experience.
- strong narrative puzzle
- series-wide appeal for crime/mystery fans
- potentially slow or dense for new players
- Crime boss / mafia-inspired mystery
- One-shot, adult crime-deduction scenario
- Story-driven deduction with roles
- Vendetta
- Incognito
- Shadows
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-based deduction — A large deck of suspects, locations, items; conversations and websites used to solve the mystery.
- Deduction — A large deck of suspects, locations, items; conversations and websites used to solve the mystery.
- role-driven mystery — Players inhabit villain roles and work to uncover the solution from a noir-like set-up.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Time itself is testing you.
- Player aids are a must.
- Board game people are the best.