Moodboard:
Spotify Playlist:
Game ideas:
1. We gather both real and fictional evidence about Jane Stanford’s death. This could be toxicology reports, photos, interview transcripts, etc and players have to work together to unlock redacted clues, discover more clues, and find the true culprit and motive.
2. I wanted my Spotify playlist to capture an air of mystery and uneasiness, which are definitely emotions someone would feel when solving an actual murder. I also wanted to include some amount of sadness and grief after losing someone. I think one way to really leverage the narrative element and make it really compelling would be how we frame the role of the main character (aka the players, the one solving the mystery). I think it would be cool if the main character had some sort of personal tie to Jane Stanford, like a long lost relative or a current Stanford student who mysteriously receives a letter from the late Jane Stanford. As they are solving the mystery, we could sprinkle in certain ties to the main character. We could set the story either in present day, solving a cold case from the past, or in 1905 when she passed away. I also think we should have some sort of reward or resolution at the very end when they solve the mystery, like a photo of the culprit in jail or a news article about them solving the mystery where the players can fill in their names.
3. At least while playtesting, we could set the vibe as players solve the mystery. We could have dim lighting and have soft jazz music playing in the background. Another way to accomplish this would be incorporating music and a background into our digital component, similar to some of the cafe/library/etc simulations during quarantine.
