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About Chronicles of Crime
Chronicles of Crime is a cooperative detective game that uses a companion app to hold the case. You scan QR codes on character and evidence cards to interrogate suspects and examine scenes, building a picture of what happened before presenting your conclusion. The physical components are a small set of reusable cards; the cases live entirely in the app, which means the box holds a lot of game.
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Is Chronicles of Crime Right for You?
Best for
Chronicles of Crime is for a small group who want a proper mystery evening with no legacy destruction and effectively unlimited content. The app-driven cases are well written, new ones are released regularly, and two or three players is ideal for keeping everyone involved in the reasoning. It also plays well solo.
Maybe skip it if…
It depends entirely on an app, which means it will not outlive its support, and there is real hostility to that in some quarters. The physical game is also thin: without the app, the box is a set of cards and a board that do nothing.
How to Play Chronicles of Crime
Setup
Lay out the character board, location board and evidence cards. Open the app and select a case.
On Your Turn
- Travel to a location and scan it to hear what is there.
- Scan character cards to question suspects and witnesses, and evidence cards to ask them about specific items.
- Use the virtual reality scenes to examine a crime scene for details you can then ask about.
How to Win
Present your solution to the app and answer its questions. You are scored on accuracy and on how much time you spent.
💡 Strategy Tips
Time is the real currency. Every question costs minutes, and a scattergun interrogation will wreck your score even if you solve it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Scanning everything at every location. Time is scored and an exhaustive sweep costs you far more than it reveals.
- Failing to take notes. The app does not summarise, and details mentioned once become critical forty minutes later.
- Ignoring the virtual reality scenes. They contain objects that unlock entire lines of questioning and are easy to skim past.
- Rushing to accuse. The final questionnaire tests specifics, and a broadly correct theory with the wrong details scores badly.
Advanced Strategy
- Assign one player as note-taker from the start. Shared memory is the single biggest determinant of your score.
- Interview the least obvious characters early. Peripheral witnesses often unlock the questions that matter.
- Re-scan a character after learning something new; their answers change based on what evidence you have found.
- Agree a working theory aloud halfway through and then deliberately look for what contradicts it.
Variants & House Rules
The free additional cases
A steady stream of free and paid cases has been released in the app, considerably extending the base box.
Chronicles of Crime 1400 / 1900 / 2400
Standalone entries in different historical settings, each with their own case sets and small rules twists.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Chronicles of Crime is the most content-rich detective game available, and the app integration is genuinely well done rather than bolted on. The dependency is a real trade-off worth knowing about going in. For a group that wants mystery evenings without buying a new box each time, it is excellent value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need the app?
Yes, entirely. The cases live in the app and the physical components do nothing without it.
Are the cases replayable?
No, each case is solved once. But the app carries a large and growing library, including free cases.
Does it work solo?
Very well. The deduction is unchanged and note-taking is easier when it is all in one head.