In a small town in the forested Minnesota hills someone is back from the dead. So now you’re there, a lone FBI detective, to catch the criminal necromancer who did it. It’s a nice town. Fishing for lake trout is pretty great. The diner serves a good cup of coffee. Hopefully you just do what you need to do and don’t get too drawn in.
The Balsam Lake Unmurders is a playing card-driven, solo journaling RPG with a unique Choose Your Own Adventure-style storytelling mechanic. Think: dark, yet whimsical – part Twin Peaks, part X-Files, part plot-driven murder mystery dinner.
Each playing card suit in The Balsam Lake Unmurders represents an element of the story. Hearts are victims, newly risen from the dead, while diamonds are suspects (Balsam Lake’s dark mages, all with their own motivations). Clubs are other residents and all the ways you can interact with them. Finally, spades direct your mystery-solving, giving you time alone with your thoughts as well as plot-backbone events: successes, failures, odd coincidences, and timing (good and bad). Organize your draws visually, like a game of Solitaire, while you add information, dialog, and events to your journal.
The Balsam Lake Unmurders is less of a puzzle to be solved than an immersive story to be told. There’s no single path through this game – no trail of clues leading to an easy answer. So go forth, paranormal investigator! Do your due diligence and help the fine folks of Balsam Lake figure out what it all means.
- 28 page B&W zine, 5″ x 8″
- Requires a standard deck of playing cards and a way to record the mystery as it unfolds
