How to Play Chronicles of Crime: Your Definitive Detective Guide

Gather your detective squad, charge your phone, and prepare to dive into the rainy, crime-ridden streets of London. Chronicles of Crime is a fully cooperative, app-driven investigation game where you and your friends become forensic experts solving unsolvable cases. No one player has all the answers; you’ll need to comb through crime scenes, interrogate suspects, and analyze evidence together. This guide will walk you through every step, from opening the box to cracking the case, so you can focus on the mystery and not the rules.

The Goal: What's It All About?

Your team has one clear mission: solve the mystery. Each scenario is a unique criminal investigation—a homicide, a robbery, a disappearance. You’re not competing against each other; you’re a team of experts working for Scotland Yard. The story unfolds as you discover clues, talk to characters, and piece together what happened. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ll report back to the Home Location (your base on the Evidence Board) and answer a series of questions from the Chief of Police. Your final score depends on how accurately and efficiently you close the case. The quicker you solve it, the better your reputation!

Setup: Let's Get This Case Started

Setting up a crime scene is half the fun. Here’s your step-by-step prep list:

1. Gather Your Tech: Download the free Chronicles of Crime app (available on iOS and Android). You only need it on one device for the whole group. Make sure it’s charged!
2. Build Your Board: Place the Evidence Board in the center of the table. This is your command center. It has slots for Evidence cards, Location boards, and Unlocated Characters.
3. Prepare the Decks:
   • Shuffle the Evidence Category cards and place them face-up where everyone can reach. These are your searchable clues (like "blood & organs" or "firearms").
   • Place all Character cards and Special Item cards face-down in a pile next to the board.
   • Place all Forensic Contact cards (Doctor, Scientist, Hacker, Criminologist) face-up and split them among the players. These are your expert allies.
4. Set the Scene: The app will guide you to place the starting Location board (often a crime scene) onto one of the seven Location slots on the Evidence Board. The Home Location is pre-marked at the bottom of the Evidence Board.

Pro Tip: The app’s tutorial scenario is a fantastic, no-pressure way to learn the scanning and questioning mechanics before tackling your first real case.

Your Turn: How to Crack the Case

Gameplay is driven by your smartphone or tablet. On your team’s turn, you’ll decide as a group what to investigate next. Here’s what you can do:

1. Move to a New Location

Scan a Location board. Point your device’s camera at the QR code on any Location board (like "Lambeth & Brixton" or "Leicester Square & Hyde Park"). Tapping the screen moves your team there. Warning: Traveling costs 20 minutes of in-game time!

2. Interrogate a Character

Scan a Character card. Find a face-down Character card (e.g., "HARVEY MARSHALL, Criminologist") and scan it to start an interrogation. Once scanned, you can ask this character about any other Character or Evidence card by scanning those cards in the app. The character will give you information. Important: You can never ask a character about a location—scanning a location during interrogation will immediately end the interview and move you there instead!

3. Search for Evidence

This is where the app shines. At certain Locations (marked in the app), you can press a button to enter search mode.

• Panoramic View: Look around the 360° crime scene on screen.
• 3D View (Optional): Use VR glasses (sold separately) for an immersive experience, or just physically turn around or swipe on the screen.
• You have 40 seconds to describe what you see to your team. Based on your description, they must pick Evidence Category cards from the face-up pile that match the clues.
• When time is up, scan all the chosen Evidence Category cards. The app will tell you if they are relevant clues (place them on your Evidence Board) or just red herrings (return them to the pile).

4. Call a Forensic Contact

Scan a Forensic Contact card (Doctor, Scientist, Hacker, or Criminologist) to call them. Pass the phone to the player who controls that contact. They can then scan Characters or Evidence to get specialized intel. For example, scan a bloody knife with the Scientist to learn about its composition, or scan a suspect with the Criminologist to get a psychological profile. You can end the call anytime.

5. Discover New Cards

As you scan locations and characters, the app will reveal new cards. Follow these rules:

• New Location boards go on an empty Location slot on your Evidence Board.
• New Character cards go on one of the three Character slots on the matching Location board. If a location has more than three characters, put extras beside that board.
• Special Item cards are found face-down. When the app says they’re in play, search the pile, find it, and place it face-up on your Evidence Board immediately.

End of Game & Scoring: The Final Report

When your detective instincts tell you the case is solved, head back to the Home Location and press the button in the app. The Chief of Police will ask you a series of questions. To answer, you must scan the cards that support your deductions (e.g., scan a Character card to name the culprit, scan an Evidence card to present proof). Your team’s score is calculated based on:

• Accuracy: How many answers were correct.
• Efficiency: The total in-game time taken (shown in the top right of the app). Solving the case faster yields a higher rank!

Dicas para Vencer (Tips & Tactics)

New to the force? Here are three real tips from the manual to keep your team from spinning their wheels:

1. Manage Your Time Like a Pro: Every scan (character, evidence, contact) costs 5 minutes. Travel costs 20 minutes. Before you scan, discuss as a group: "Do we really need to talk to this person now, or can we come back later?" Inefficient teams run out of time and get lower scores.
2. Use Your Forensic Contacts Early and Often: Don’t hoard your calls! The Hacker can find online info, the Scientist can analyze objects, the Doctor explains medical clues, and the Criminologist gives psychological profiles. Getting this intel early can focus your investigation and prevent wasted trips.
3. Organize Your Evidence Board: As soon as you get a relevant clue, place it on the Evidence Board in an open slot. Keep related cards together. This visual layout helps your team see connections and makes answering the Chief’s final questions much faster—you can literally point to the proof on the table.

Now, lock your suspicions away, trust your gut, and go solve some crimes! The streets of London are waiting for their forensic heroes.