From trying to understand a strange map to investigating a murder, characters may engage in intense investigation scenes. Investigations are a series of leads and evidence that eventually resolves into a big reveal as to the answer to whatever was being investigated.
Storyguides provide leads to the characters to start off an investigation. This is the core hook into the plot, and is vital for the characters to know about in order to begin any investigation. characters cannot miss a lead, or fail to gain a lead; they simply need to be in the right place at the right time to find out a mystery is afoot. To gain leads, your character just needs to be in the right place, and sometimes have a certain Skill. For example, having a dot in the Medicine Skill might reveal some physiological aspect of a murder scene.
Pieces of evidence are associated clues that are inessential to the plot, offering glimpses into other characters, side stories, or the world itself. Evidence usually requires actions and dice rolls to uncover.
Evidence often translates to Enhancement on actions to further investigate leads, and acts as Enhancement on the final action to solve a mystery.
Players may spend Momentum to purchase evidence.
Finding Evidence
Evidence helps players solve a mystery and follow the next lead. It gives them supporting information for a lead and allows them to piece together parts of the larger picture. Without evidence, characters can still follow leads to their inevitable end and solve a mystery, but they will miss out on the flavor of the mystery, including the why, where, and how of much of the story. As such, players may want their characters to take actions to uncover evidence to get a better handle on the story, and understand their leads better. The following are actions the characters can take to discover evidence.
Solving the Mystery
Investigation requires the characters to find a series of leads to solve a mystery and such scenes tend to be a lot of fun in most media genres, as characters get closer and closer to the truth. The Director sets a number of leads for the mystery and associates them with specific locations, scenes, or Skills. Characters will always garner leads when they make it to the right location to find them. Characters may also bypass finding the lead physically by garnering enough evidence to simply deduce the next lead.
Once characters have found all the leads, the characters solve the mystery. The limiting factor on solving a mystery is the time it takes to find all the leads and arrive at a conclusion. What might the characters miss if they take too long? Maybe it’ll give a villain the chance to escape, or the monster time to shapeshift back to human form!
Investigations
The following are ways to spend your hits on Investigation actions.
Extra Clue (1 hit)
Your character gains an extra piece of evidence from her investigations. This is not usually a plot forwarding clue but may provide necessary context or information necessary to put a picture together fully.
Question and Answer (1 hit per question)
Spend hits one for one to ask a question about the lead you are researching. The Storyteller may suggest appropriate questions, or you may ask one related specifically to how you’re gathering information.
Interpretation (1 hit)
You can examine one Clue or Lead and request interpretation. This will tell you what importance this clue may have in relation to other Clues or Leads, or provide context for how this might be applicable to the situation at hand.
Unexpected Lead (3 hits)
Your character finds or receives necessary information to move a case forward, leading you to the next necessary step in solving the mystery, or giving you the information necessary to close the case.
Bolster (1-3 hits)
You may spend hits to create an Enhancement that you can use for another action, whether that’s your character’s next action (using a different Skill) or to aid another character. This must link back to the skill you used to grant this Teamwork.
Complicate (1-3 hits)
Create a Complication for the target of your action (or an Area Effect). One hit creates a Minor Complication, two hits create a Moderate Complication, and three hits creates a Major Complication. Failure to buy off the Complication results in your character gaining an advantage over the target, such as dealing damage, knocking them prone, garnering a piece of personal information about them, or uncovering a secret.
Twist of Fate (1-3 hits)
The scene changes in a way you desire. This may be something your character does, or simply a coincidence. If there is a mechanical effect, the cost of this twist is equivalent to the mechanical benefit received. Thie storyteller must approve the Twist of Fate.