How to play

1. 1

   Write what you do

   Type what you want to do or say, in your own words. Go somewhere, search a room or examine something you’ve found. Ask someone where they were, or question something they’ve told you. Show them what you’ve found, or tell them what someone else said. The game master describes what happens and answers as the people you meet.

   Use the text box at the bottom of the page. Press Enter or your phone keyboard’s Send key to send.

2. 2

   Voices

   With a subscription, the story is read aloud as it arrives, in the narrator’s voice or a voice for whoever is speaking; switch Voices off in Settings, under Sounds, to read it yourself. To hear a paragraph again, tap it, then the speaker mark at its end.

3. 3

   Openers

   When you’re talking to someone, tap the opener icon inside the text box to see a few questions to get started. Suspects have three; informants have one, asking what they know about the victim.

   Tap a question to send it as your own. Questions you’ve already asked that person stay visible, crossed out, and can’t be selected again.

4. 4

   The casebook

   Tap the book beside the text box to open your Casebook.

   Report

   The case as you received it: its premise, the victim, and the scene of the crime.

   Informants

   The world’s own, free to consult, each with a line on who they are.

   Suspects

   Those you have met, each with a line on who they are.

   Places

   The places you know, each with its picture.

   Evidence

   What you have found, with where you were when it turned up.

   Tap a person or place to go there. A dot on the book means there’s something you haven’t viewed yet, and a short chime sounds as it arrives; to hear no chime, switch Sound effects off in Settings, under Sounds. The Casebook keeps a record. What you make of it is up to you.

5. 5

   Declare

   When you’re ready, tap the gavel at the top of the page. Name the culprit and explain why and how they did it, in your own words.

   Your declaration is read back to you word for word before scoring. Declaring ends the investigation, so make sure you’ve finished before you submit.

Your case keeps until you solve it or abandon it — reload or come back later and it resumes where you left off. The FAQ has short answers to what players ask most.