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About MicroMacro: Crime City
MicroMacro: Crime City is a cooperative detective game by Johannes Sich, published by Edition Spielwiese and Pegasus Spiele, and it won the Spiel des Jahres in 2021. The whole game is a giant illustrated map of a city in which every crime has already happened, with each character drawn several times across the map to show their movements. Case cards ask questions, and you answer them by following suspects through the streets. It feels like a grown-up Where's Wally.
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Is MicroMacro: Crime City Right for You?
Best for
MicroMacro is for couples and small groups who like detective stories, and for families with older children who enjoy search-and-find books. There is no rulebook to speak of, so it is one of the easiest games in this catalogue to open and play. Two or three players is best, crowded round the same part of the map.
Maybe skip it if…
Groups of four or more can struggle to share the map, and anyone who dislikes staring at dense line drawings will tire fast. Some cases include violent crimes, so check the case before playing with young children.
How to Play MicroMacro: Crime City
Setup
Unfold the map on the table and pick a case. Read the case's opening card, which tells you what happened and what to find first.
On Your Turn
- Read the question on the current case card aloud.
- Everyone searches the map together, tracing people backwards and forwards in time until you agree on an answer.
- Turn the card over to check, then move on to the next card in the case.
How to Win
There is no score. You succeed when you have answered every card in the case correctly.
💡 Strategy Tips
Follow people, not places. Each character appears several times, and the trail between those appearances is where the answers are.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Searching the whole map at random. Each question points you to a person or place; start there and follow the trail.
- Forgetting characters appear many times. The same person is drawn at different moments of their day, and that sequence is the story.
- Checking answers too soon. Agree as a table before flipping the card, or the deduction becomes guessing.
- Playing the hardest cases first. The cases rise in difficulty, and the early ones teach you how the map works.
Advanced Strategy
- Trace backwards in time from the crime, not forwards from the suspect. Endings are easier to spot than beginnings.
- Use a finger or pencil tip on the map to track one person at a time. Losing your place is the main cause of wrong answers.
- Look for the same clothing and hair, not the face. The characters are small and the details are drawn to be recognisable.
- Split the map between players when searching for a single detail, then regroup to follow the trail together.
Variants & House Rules
Competitive race
Each player reads the same question and races to find the answer first. It is not in the rules, but it works with two.
Sequels
Full House, All In and Showdown are standalone follow-ups with new maps and cases.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
MicroMacro is an original idea executed with real care, and it thoroughly earned the Spiel des Jahres in 2021. It is a detective game without rules overhead, which is rare and valuable. The cases are finite, but the map is so rich that the box gives several evenings of genuine discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cases are in the box?
Sixteen, in rising order of difficulty. The first case teaches you how to play.
Can you replay it?
Not really. Once you know who did it, a case is solved. The sequels add new maps and cases.
Is it suitable for children?
The box says twelve and up, partly because of the crime themes. Many families play the gentler cases with younger children.