Detective: City of Angels

2019

Detective: City of Angels is a thrilling board game of mystery, deception, and investigation. Set in 1940s Los Angeles, players either solve cases as detectives or manipulate outcomes as The Chisel. Experience a game full of bluffing, challenges, and story-driven puzzles.

150
minutes

1 - 5
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

The board game Detective: City of Angels plunges players into the heart of the bustling, gritty city of Los Angeles in the late 1940s. This is a world steeped in a rich atmosphere of film noir, where hard-boiled detectives navigate the treacherous waters of corruption, deceit, and murder.

The core mechanics of Detective: City of Angels revolve around investigation and deduction. As detectives, players will interview suspects, search for clues, and piece together the truth one puzzle at a time. Yet, what sets this game apart is that not all players are on the side of justice. One player will act as the “Chisel”, whose sole aim is to mislead the detectives and protect the criminal at large.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Detective: City of Angels is a deeply immersive board game where players take on the roles of LAPD homicide detectives or the elusive Chisel. The game is set in the noir-filled Los Angeles of the 1940s, offering engaging gameplay and rich narrative. The game includes several key components that shape its gameplay.

1. Game Board: The game board is a map of Los Angeles, divided into different districts. Each district has multiple locations that players can visit during the game. The board also has spaces to place the clue cards and suspect sheets.

2. Suspect Sheets: There are 8 suspect sheets, each representing a character with their own background story. These sheets provide information that can help detectives in their investigation. They record how the suspect responds to interrogation by the detectives.

3. Detective Notebooks: Each player gets a detective notebook to keep track of the clues and information they collect throughout the game. This helps players to solve the case by piecing together the collected information.

4. Clue Cards: Clue cards are used to represent different pieces of evidence or information that can be gathered at the crime scene or other locations. There are different types of clue cards, such as location clues, suspect clues, and generic clues. The detectives need to gather these clues to solve the case.

5. Interrogation cards: These cards are used when a detective interrogates a suspect. The Chisel selects an interrogation card to determine how the suspect responds to the questions.

6. Evidence Tokens: Evidence tokens are placed on the game board to represent physical evidence that can be collected at different locations. Detectives collect these tokens to gather more clues about the case.

7. Influence Tokens: Players can use these tokens to gain various advantages during the game, such as re-interrogating a suspect or moving extra spaces. Players get a limited number of these tokens, so they need to use them wisely.

8. Pawns: The game includes detective pawns for each player, a chisel pawn, and suspect pawns. These pawns are used to represent the players’ and suspects’ positions on the game board.

9. Casebook: The casebook contains all the details about the case, including the storyline, the initial setup, and the sequence of events. Only the Chisel player reads the casebook to guide the gameplay.

10. Challenge Cards: These cards are used to challenge the other detectives’ theories about the case. If a detective’s theory is incorrect, they lose their turn, and the challenger gains an advantage.

11. Mislead Tokens: The Chisel player uses these tokens to mislead the detectives. The Chisel can place these tokens on the clue cards to make the detectives think the clue is false.

12. Time Markers: These markers are used to keep track of the game’s timeline. The game progresses as these markers are moved forward.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Detective: City of Angels is a captivating board game that immerses players into the murky world of 1940s Los Angeles. Here’s a detailed guide on how to set the game up:

1. Board Placement: To begin, place the game board in the center of the table where all players can easily access it. The board represents the city of Los Angeles, where the game’s events take place.

2. Player Roles: Each player assumes a role in the game. One player will become The Chisel, whose objective is to mislead the detectives, while the other players will be detectives trying to solve the case. The role of The Chisel is usually given to the most experienced player.

3. Initial Resources: Each detective starts with a detective screen, a notebook, and a pencil. The Chisel gets a Chisel screen and all the evidence markers. Each detective also receives a player aid and three influence tokens.

4. Case Book Setup: The Chisel reads the introduction of the case from the Case Book. After reading the introduction, The Chisel sets up the board according to the setup diagram found in the Case Book. This includes placing the initial suspects, evidence, and other markers on the board.

5. Card Placement: The Chisel prepares the Case Deck, which includes Informant, Evidence, and Plot Twist cards related to the case. These cards are placed in the designated areas on the Chisel’s screen.

6. Random Elements: The game begins with a random turn order. This can be determined using any method the players prefer, such as rolling dice or drawing straws. The starting player takes the first turn and play proceeds clockwise.

7. Initial Moves: Each detective places their detective pawn in one of the nine starting locations marked on the board. The Chisel then begins the game by reading the first card from the Case Deck, starting the narrative and the investigation.

Now you’re all set to dive into the dark and thrilling world of ‘Detective: City of Angels’. Happy investigating!

Game flow Round and round we go

Detective: City of Angels is a deeply immersive, noir-themed board game in which players assume the roles of LAPD detectives, or the devious Chisel, trying to manipulate the investigation. The game is structured in a series of rounds, with each round divided into different phases.

Each game session is made up of multiple rounds. A round consists of the following phases:

Starting the Round: The Chisel player reads the case introduction and the detectives take notes. Detectives are then given action points based on their detective character’s stats. The Chisel also receives action points and may perform initial actions.
Investigation Phase: This is the meat of the game where detectives will visit locations, interview suspects, and attempt to solve the case. Detectives perform actions in turn, spending action points. The Chisel player responds to the detectives’ actions, trying to keep them off track.
End of Round: If a detective thinks they’ve solved the case, they can attempt to solve it in this phase. If no detective solves the case, a new round begins. If the case is solved, scoring takes place.

During the Investigation Phase, detectives have a variety of actions they can perform:

Move: Detectives can move to different locations on the board.
Interrogate: Detectives can interrogate suspects at their current location. The Chisel player then responds by selecting one of the pre-written answers for the suspect.
Pressure: If a detective is not satisfied with a suspect’s response, they can pressure the suspect to tell the truth. However, the Chisel may bluff, leading the detective astray.
Search: Detectives can search locations for clues.
Solve: If a detective believes they know the solution, they can attempt to solve the case.

The Chisel’s main goal is to misdirect and confuse the detectives. During the Investigation Phase, the Chisel can:

Give Answers: The Chisel chooses how suspects respond to detective’s questions.
Bluff: The Chisel can try to deceive the detectives by choosing a false answer when a detective pressures a suspect.
Use Influence Tokens: The Chisel can use influence tokens to further manipulate the game, changing suspect answers, moving detectives or suspects, or adding additional action points.

Players continue through rounds until a detective correctly solves the case or all detectives give up, making the Chisel the victor.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Detective: City of Angels is an immersive board game that puts players in the roles of detectives in 1940s Los Angeles. Every player’s turn is an opportunity to gather clues, question suspects, and unravel the mystery. Here is a breakdown of what a player can do during their turn:

1. Movement:

A player can choose to move their detective up to three spaces. This is important for reaching different locations on the board where clues or suspects may be found. Keep in mind that some locations may be more strategically beneficial than others at different points in the game.

2. Investigation:

Examine Evidence: If a player is in a location with a clue, they can choose to examine it. This can provide valuable information for solving the case.
Question a Suspect: If a player is in the same location as a suspect, they can question them. The answers can help narrow down the suspect list or reveal new evidence.

3. Accusing a Suspect:

If a player believes they know who the culprit is, they can accuse a suspect. This is a critical strategic decision, as a false accusation can cost valuable time and resources, but correctly identifying the perpetrator can lead to victory.

4. Using Influence:

Players have a limited amount of influence points they can use to perform special actions. These include:

Bribing: Players can bribe the Chisel for information. This can be a risky move as the Chisel might be deceptive, but potentially rewarding as well.
Pressuring: Players can pressure suspects or other detectives. This can lead to additional information or advantages.
Consulting Informants: Players can use influence to consult informants. Informants can provide valuable tips and leads to follow.

5. Reviewing Case File:

At any point during a player’s turn, they can review the case file. This is a compilation of all the clues, suspects, and alibis they’ve collected so far. Regularly reviewing the case file is crucial for keeping track of information and developing a strategy to solve the case.

In Detective: City of Angels, every decision a player makes can affect the outcome of the game. Whether it’s choosing where to move, how to question a suspect, or when to make an accusation, each choice can bring a player one step closer to solving the case – or send them down a dead end.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Detective: City of Angels is a game of mystery, deception, and investigation for 2-7 players. The game ends when one of the following conditions has been met:

One player as the detective has successfully solved the case by accurately guessing the solution and successfully confronting the Chisel about it.
All detectives either solve the case inaccurately or have run out of time (i.e., they have used up all their action tokens).
The Chisel has successfully misled all detectives, causing them to guess the solution inaccurately.

Either way, the game ends immediately when one of these conditions is met. There’s no final round or anything of that sort. So as soon as someone successfully solves the case, or as soon as all detectives have run out of action tokens, or as soon as all detectives have made an incorrect accusation, the game is over.

Now, let’s take a look at how the victory is determined in each of these situations:

If a detective successfully solves the case, that detective is the winner. The Chisel cannot win if any detective successfully solves the case.

If all detectives have run out of action tokens or have made an incorrect accusation, then the Chisel is the winner. If multiple detectives are still in the game when they run out of action tokens, then the Chisel still wins.

Finally, before final scoring, players should ensure they have used their action tokens appropriately. For the detectives, action tokens are spent to move around the city, question suspects, search for clues, and make accusations. For the Chisel, action tokens are used to mislead the detectives and control the flow of information.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Detective: City of Angels is a board game that is designed to take the players through an immersive and competitive detective experience. The game’s scoring system is based on the players’ ability to solve mysteries, gather evidence, and correctly identify the culprits. Here’s how the scoring system works:

Points Awarded:

Case Resolution: A player is awarded points when they correctly solve a case. The number of points awarded depends on the complexity of the case, as indicated by the case book.
Evidence Collection: Players earn points for each piece of evidence they collect that is relevant to the case. Irrelevant evidence does not count towards the score.
Interrogation: Points are awarded when a player successfully interrogates a suspect and garners useful information.
Accusation: The first player to correctly accuse the culprit receives bonus points. However, incorrect accusations can lead to a deduction of points.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the event of a tie, the game has specific rules to determine the winner:

The player who has collected the most pieces of relevant evidence wins the tie.
If there is still a tie, the player who correctly accused the culprit first wins.
If a tie persists, the player who initiated the most successful interrogations wins.
In the unlikely scenario where a tie still exists, the player who played the game as the Chisel in the previous round wins.

By following these scoring rules, players can strategize and make decisions that maximize their chances of winning, adding a layer of strategic depth to the immersive detective gameplay of Detective: City of Angels.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Detective: City of Angels is an immersive board game where players take on the role of detectives in a film noir-inspired Los Angeles. While the game has a set of standard rules, there are also several special or rare rules and exceptions that players should be aware of to fully enjoy the game.

1. Chisel’s Influence: Unique to this game is the role of Chisel, who aims to mislead detectives. Chisel has the power to respond to detectives’ questions in any way they choose. However, they must follow the text on the card exactly if a detective uses an Accuse action.

2. Case Setup: Unlike most games, the setup in Detective: City of Angels is unique for each case. The casebook will guide the setup and provide unique rules for the case. No two games are exactly alike.

3. The Snitch: This is a specific rule that allows detectives to guess the solution to the case early. If they’re correct, they win the game. If they’re wrong, they’re out for the rest of the game. It’s a high risk, high reward strategy.

4. Limited Actions: Detectives are limited to two actions per turn. They can’t repeat the same action twice in the same turn.

5. Final Showdown: The game ends in a showdown if no one has solved the case after a certain number of rounds. In this showdown, detectives take turns making a final accusation. The first detective to correctly solve the case wins.

Rule Clarifications:
Detectives can only use the ‘Investigate’ action on suspects who are in the same location as them.
When moving suspects, they can only be moved to adjacent locations, not diagonally across the board.
During the Final Showdown, detectives can’t consult the casebook. Their final accusation must be based on their notes and memory.
In a game without a Chisel player, detectives read responses from the corresponding cards themselves. They must choose the truth unless they spend influence.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Detective: City of Angels is a deeply engaging and strategic board game that requires careful deduction, clever manipulation, and skilled deception. If you want to become a master detective or an elusive chisel, here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize your gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Use the Permission system wisely: Don’t forget about the ability to deny other detectives access to your informants. Strategically use this to obstruct the progress of your rivals.
Bluffing is your friend: As the Chisel, you can bluff by giving out false evidence to throw detectives off your trail. However, use this sparingly as smart detectives might catch on.
Remember your role: Detectives should focus on solving the case while Chisels should focus on misleading the detectives. Don’t get too caught up in the side plots.

Beginner Tips:

Understand the rules: Before you jump into the game, take some time to thoroughly understand the rules. This will help you make better decisions during gameplay.
Keep notes: It can help to jot down the clues you gather and the conclusions you draw from them. This will help you keep track of your investigation.
Don’t rush your accusations: Accusing a suspect prematurely can cost you the game. Make sure you have solid evidence before you point your finger.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the Vignettes: Vignettes provide important information about the case. Ignoring them can cause you to miss out on crucial clues.
Not utilizing all actions: Each action in the game is useful. Failing to utilize all the actions available to you can hinder your progress in the game.
Overlooking the Chisel’s role: The Chisel can mislead detectives. Not considering this can lead detectives down the wrong path.

Optimizing Gameplay:

Pay attention to player behavior: Detectives should watch other players for signs of bluffing or deception. This can provide valuable insight into the case.
Mind your resources: Be strategic in your use of influence and grit. They are limited resources and should be used wisely.
Use the city to your advantage: The city of Angels has a lot to offer. Use locations and characters to your advantage to solve the case or mislead your opponents.