Murder Most Foul: The Deed Itself

Previously, I discussed abilities to watch out for when attempting to run a mystery and took a look at some things you should determine about your cast of characters before the game.  Today, I finally get around to the actual running.

At the end of that last post, I mentioned that you don’t need to have the murderer in order to run the mystery.  That’s a bit of an exaggeration; you’ll want to have some idea of who you intend to be the murderer.  But you don’t need comprehensive detail about his scheme.  The reason why boils down to the one rule to keep in mind while you’re running the mystery:

This is an interactive game, not a novel.

In a novel, the detective never misses a vital clue.  Sure, he frequently doesn’t realize its impact until later on — but he never fails to come to that realization.  He always manages to talk to the right people, go to the right places, and put everything together to ultimately reveal the culprit.

That’s what you’re trying to present, but in a game, things don’t go that smoothly.  The characters might never talk to the gardener, who has vital information.  They might never investigate the hotel room where the duchess stayed.  They might alienate a police detective who could have helped them analyze the evidence.  They might jump on a red herring and concoct an explanation for the murder that targets someone who is, in fact, completely unrelated to the crime.  They might fabricate a connection between the murder and the plot you ran four months ago that you weren’t even thinking of when you planned this plot.

So you cheat a little.  Let the players help determine the story.  Follow their lead.  If they come up with a brilliant explanation but they’ve fingered the wrong person as the culprit, don’t say “Sorry, try again.”  Say “Good job, guys, that was brilliant.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you always let whoever they pick be the killer, either.  Choosing someone at random for no particular reason doesn’t make for a success.  The point isn’t to always let the players win — it’s to let the players win if they come up with a reasonable explanation, even if the killer they choose isn’t the character you’d intended.  Be flexible enough to accept their reasoning and apply the logical consequences.

This is one reason why it’s important for you to have that list of NPCs and their motives — it lets you improvise.  You can use it to judge whether the characters are on track.  If they suspect one of the NPCs, and their reasoning fits the evidence they have and matches up with that NPC’s motive, then you can change things so that that NPC did it.

You could also use the list to plant a “plot twist” to steer the players away from that NPC, perhaps by providing some evidence that he or she couldn’t have done it after all.  Be sure to make the same twist point toward someone else, or at least narrow the field, though.  This is a tricky line to walk — you don’t want the players to feel like you’re railroading them, but you also don’t want to frustrate them by making them start from almost square one.  If you run mysteries with any kind of regularity, use this device sparingly.

If your campaign depended on a particular NPC being the killer, but the players have chosen someone else, don’t panic.  In addition to the plot twist I just mentioned, there’s at least one easy way to achieve much the same purpose:  the NPC the players chose is the actual killer, but the plot NPC is behind the scheme.  He manipulated the NPC the players chose into committing the actual act, taking advantage of that NPC’s motive and character weaknesses.  Then he covered his tracks.

In this scenario, the PCs can win an incomplete victory.  They’ve caught the murderer, but if they didn’t find evidence tying him to the scheme, he’s free.  This works best if the PCs know that NPC was the planner, but can’t prove it — it gives them a reason to watch that NPC, to investigate and pursue him further.  This can be a major boost for a villain.

Of course, it’s possible the PCs do find evidence tying the planner to the murder.  That’s a full victory.

Pacing is the most important aspect of running a mystery.  You never want the characters to feel they’re wandering around aimlessly.  Every scene they’re in should get them at least one piece of information.  (Red herrings count — but keep those to a minimum, in order to keep the game running smoothly.)  That piece of information should suggest at least one person to talk to or place to visit next.  If they seem to be coming to a dead end, stage a scene where they can discuss what they’ve learned so far with a friendly NPC.  Often the players will think of a new line of investigation while they’re doing so — give them some time for that.  If it doesn’t happen, then the NPC can suggest something.  For best results, make it something tangential or mistaken — nobody likes it when the “brilliant” NPC solves the puzzle.  All you need to accomplish is to get them back toward the right track in their investigation.

And since you’ve got your list of NPCs and motives and you’re being flexible with the culprit, the “right track” is actually any of several right tracks, plural.

Running a mystery this way does take some effort, but I’ve seen firsthand that it pays off.  You achieve an atmosphere similar to that of a detective novel, without the worries of missed clues and (mostly) mistaken accusations.  Some GMs might feel cheated that there are multiple possible murderers — my advice there is to bear in mind that, again, this is a game and not a novel.  If the players come up with a good idea, it fits the evidence, but it wasn’t what you’d initially intended?  Say yes.  Adjust your plans accordingly.  If they’ve created a good story and everyone’s having fun following it, let them have their victory.  Tie the plot in to the “real” villain later on.

And remember, nothing says you have to admit to “cheating.”  The players found a plausible explanation for the crime based on the NPCs you created and the evidence you placed.  Let it rest at that.  Chances are, in the course of pursuing the mystery, they’ll have given you ideas for the further progression of the campaign’s plot; run with those.

If you absolutely must have a predefined culprit, though, that’s possible.  The trick there is making sure that the PCs get all of the clues.  If you don’t want to be flexible with the killer’s identity, the best approach is to be flexible with the clue placement.  If they didn’t think of talking to the gardener, give that clue to the maid instead.  If they didn’t search the hotel room, maybe they receive a mysterious package from the duchess, sent several days ago, which contains the clue.  Keep red herrings to a minimum, and if they seem like they’re getting dead set on pursuing one, make sure they soon find evidence to invalidate the false clue.  As with any mystery, you need to keep them roughly on track and keep the plot progressing toward the reveal.

Finally, a quick word about skills.  Many game systems include skills for various aspects of detective work.  This may be as straightforward as a “Detective” skill, or it may be the multiple interrelated skills HERO or GURPS can boast.  Don’t allow in-game skills to replace thoughtful play on the players’ parts.  A skill should never solve a mystery — at least, not when the mystery is the focus of the plot.  Instead, these skills can be used to find clues, to tell a false lead from a promising one, and for similar supporting roles.  You can call for a skill roll when the players get stuck as a means of helping them get back on track.

By the same token, however, if a player’s purchased a detective skill, make sure he gets some use out of it.  After all, he could have spent those character points (or whatever) on a different skill instead.  It’s entirely fair to give “extra” hints to characters who have such skills.  Highly-skilled detectives might eliminate a suspect or two outright.  Basically, reward the purchase with information — but don’t hand over the solution on a platter.  As with many puzzles, you need to walk the line between in-game skill and out-of-game problem-solving ability.

As I said in the first post, the mystery is one of the most difficult plots to run, at least in my experience.  The flip side of that is that it’s also one of the most rewarding.  Give it a try — it’s a plot your players will talk about afterward.

Related posts:

1. Murder Most Foul: Premeditation
2. Murder Most Foul: The Usual Suspects
3. The Making of a Villain