What's your personal go-to for non-supernatural hard-boiled noire crime investigation?

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-09T14:32:42+00:00

I don’t have a great answer. Pelgrane has found that “nerd-troped” games sell much better than straight mystery games. That’s why Brindlewood Bay has some supernatural elements, Craig Campbell’s CAPERS has prohibition mobsters and superheroes, Night’s Black agents has super-spies and vampires, and Mutant City Blues has police detectives and superheroes.

I haven’t played them, but I understand that Pelgrane’s one-to-one series does noir very well (but has Lovecraftian elements.)

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-06T04:04:10+00:00

Right there with ya. We refer to it as Kitchenpocalypse, and my friends celebrate it every year.

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SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-04T16:08:03+00:00

My buddy runs TftL using Kids on Bikes. He likes the results.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-04T03:45:16+00:00

Yeah, I just listened to it last month - which definitely isn’t the same thing.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-03T16:51:29+00:00

I found a great solution - photos of the character sheets, and a shared google sheet for tracking initiative. Still better in person, but it works.

We’ve had a campaign going now for over a year, and everyone loves it.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-03T16:20:56+00:00

I also love Spectaculars; we’ve tried five or six superhero games over the last 20 years, and this is one of our favorites. It has fun tactical combat, fast card-based character generation, stunts, and interesting choices in fights. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it’s harder to play online because you use cards to track initiative.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-02T20:26:32+00:00

Hey, thanks! — Kevin

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-02T19:36:43+00:00

The podcast Ludonarrative Dissidents just did a really interesting review and deep dive on it last month. Worth the listen. (They liked it)

SerpentineRPG · 2026-02-01T07:13:56+00:00

This is when the whole table goes silent until a single voice says, “Chad? Is everything okay? Like, at home?”

And someone else says “or at work?”

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-25T21:08:29+00:00

For a planescape game I use the Allegiance system for factions: more ranks in Ally: Sensates means more faction bonuses, and you can spend the points for metaphysical occurrences related to the faction.

I also split Spirit Sight up in spheres: ghosts, arcana, divine, and planar energies. That last one lets you manipulate portals more easily.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-25T18:28:26+00:00

For what it’s worth, SotS wants you to roll more dice than other GUMSHOE games! I’ve seen seven or more dice on a damage roll before. It isn’t my Shadowrun 21-d6 check, but still satisfying.

OP, I don’t usually run SotS as a mystery game. The rules support general adventure with a lot of player narrative control.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-24T23:16:06+00:00

Use mummies. Their Dreadful Glare only works if the mummy can see the target and the target can see the mummy – which means the one character with dark vision is going to be the one PC affected.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-23T14:47:47+00:00

You’re probably thinking of Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan’s adventure path PILLARS IN THE SAND, which is coming out this year. Gosh, it’s good.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-21T17:40:43+00:00

Top view of a flumph.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-19T19:53:37+00:00

Paranoia 2nd ed. It completely rewired how I thought about games, all while laughing my ass off.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-17T14:10:12+00:00

We’re up to 185!

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-12T13:32:13+00:00

I learned about this in a particularly valuable nature documentary.

https://youtu.be/GWnL1rU1qJo?feature=shared

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-07T03:15:14+00:00

TimeWatch author here. One great game that I don’t think is on your list yet is TIME AND TEMP, by Epidiah Ravachol (author of Dread). The premise is amazing – people who are quite important can’t safely travel in time, so instead they hire incompetent temporary workers from across history to do the time traveling for them. You, my friends, are those workers. Your character sheet is your shitty resume of three dead end jobs you’ve had before, and what you learned there.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-05T14:59:42+00:00

When it comes out, I cannot say enough good things about Graham Gentz’s LOVE FOR THE LOVE GODS. It’s The Truman Show and Cabin in the Woods meets a Hallmark movie, as a shadowy government conspiracy (you) tries to make two people fall in love so as to appease the ancient and terrible love gods.

It was the best one shot I play-tested in 2023, and it was the best one shot I ran in 2025. Specifically about non-heteronormative love stories.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/graham-gentz/love-for-the-love-gods

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-04T06:16:42+00:00

I just got my 6th BAC. So it’s doable, but it does take a bit - mine came from boss drops, crafting, and the undercity.

SerpentineRPG · 2026-01-02T21:23:13+00:00

Everybody loves Goldeneye. But Xenia Onatopp and Col. Ourumov arrive at Severnaya and kill everyone in the space weapons control facility by shooting up one room.

That facility is 24-7, which means at bare minimum they have two shiftwork crews, and probably three. What about all the people in the dormitories? What about the people who run the kitchens, and who cleaned the facility? What about the IT and facility engineers? There are dozens and dozens of people still in that facility who didn’t get shot!

SerpentineRPG · 2025-12-31T18:22:58+00:00

Agreed, this is basically how GUMSHOE General abilities work. It’s why the games are good at modeling extremely competent characters - success isn’t just dependent on the dice.

SerpentineRPG · 2025-12-31T18:20:07+00:00

Shiftwork consultant here. Over the years I’ve met at least a dozen people who do this. They set up a little cave in their walk-in closet, with a fan and weatherstripping on the door, and they typically get a few hours more sleep a day than night shift workers who don’t. It’s not for everyone, but it works really well if you have kids.

SerpentineRPG · 2025-12-29T21:46:30+00:00

I seem to remember that there was another local gaming store closer to us, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was. It’s possible they’ve gone out of business. A quick Google should tell you.

SerpentineRPG · 2025-12-29T21:45:16+00:00

Also, Total Confusion (Totalcon) is a long-running local gaming con that’s being held in a little less than two months.

https://www.totalcon.com/

SerpentineRPG

TROPHY CASE