The Case of the Signal Fire

The canal water reflects the flames, the motion of the red-orange light trembling on the still surface. Your clothes are wet, your shoes half-sunk in the mud. On the hillside above you, across the canal, the burning building illuminates its own black column of smoke and the sparks spiral out over lawns and forest. The stars are smudged with soot. You know this fire is your responsibility, your Case to solve — and you know almost nothing else. But the Case commands you.

THE CASE OF THE SIGNAL FIRE is a mystery scenario for tabletop role-playing; while written for amnesiac detective ttrpg Detect or Die, it could conceivably be used with any other system that can handle more or less contemporary mystery solving with a science-fictional bent.

This 87-page scenario contains:

• Locations in and around Rothkirk, Ys (including two location maps and a map of the town as a whole)
• Various characters found in Rothkirk, their personalities and connection (or lack thereof) to the Case
• Clues and skill investigations for those locations and characters
• The Detective's backstory and memories to reveal, as well as suggestions for PCs and Perks
• An outline of the setting, a world in something like the 70s, in a cold war somewhat different from our own
• A comprehensive description of the Exofamiliar, and how it fits into that setting
• The complete details of the Case, leading up to the fire, as well as suggestions for how the Case might develop and how it might end
• A hyperlinked index and hyperlinks throughout the text for ease of use
• Tables of incidental details about the setting, to be used as you see fit
• Saints, demons, spies and criminals
• Fleetwood Mac (literal) and Joanna Newsom (figurative)