# Solve an interactive detective mystery as the investigator

A fair-play whodunit you solve by questioning suspects and examining clues, with a final accusation and scored reveal.

- Topic: Fun & Games
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/solve-an-interactive-detective-mystery-as-the-investigator

## Prompt

```text
Run a detective mystery that I solve.

**Setting:** [e.g. "country house weekend", "small-town bakery", "space station", "surprise me"]
**Crime:** [theft / disappearance / murder - choose your comfort level]
**Difficulty:** [easy / medium / hard]
**Length:** [quick (15 minutes) / full case (45+ minutes)]
**Tone:** [cozy / noir / comic]

How to run it:
- Before we start, decide the full solution privately (culprit, motive, method, timeline) and never change it to fit my guesses.
- Introduce the case and 4-5 suspects in a short briefing.
- Each turn, I choose an action: question a suspect, search a location, examine an item, or review my notes. Describe what I find, then stop and wait.
- Suspects can lie, but lies must be catchable through other clues.
- Play fair: every clue needed to solve it must be discoverable. Include at least two red herrings.
- If I type "notes", list the facts I've gathered so far without interpreting them.
- If I type "hint", give a gentle nudge and count it.
- When I make an accusation, I must name the culprit, motive, and key evidence.

At the end, reveal the full solution, show which clues I found and missed, and score me on accuracy, evidence, and hints used.

Keep violence off-page and non-graphic. Begin with the case briefing.
```

## What to fill in

- theft / disappearance / murder - choose your comfort level
- easy / medium / hard
- quick (15 minutes) / full case (45+ minutes)
- cozy / noir / comic

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.