Capstan Research LLC
Case Night
A seated team mystery program for adult groups, run by your own staff or volunteers from a printed kit.
The Blank Sheet at Corliss Bridge
The host opens the evening with:
"One hundred years ago, a surveyor drew this town's first map by hand. Tonight, at its centenary party, that map vanished from a locked room, and a blank sheet was left in its place."
Teams then work through three rounds of printed evidence to decide who swapped the map, where it is hidden, and when. It is non-violent, with no acting and no characters to play.
What the host gets
- A scripted host guide with every line to read, a reveal script and an answer key
- Timings for 75, 90 or 100 minutes
- Standard and large-print player packets, and hint cards
- Print counts for groups of up to 60, and notes for common problems and accessibility
How a session runs
- Players sit in teams of 2 to 6 and the host reads a short opening.
- Round 1: each team works through the case file together.
- Rounds 2 and 3: the host reads a short scene and hands out new evidence.
- Each team hands in its answer to who, where and when, and the host reads the reveal.
A sample clue
"Thank you for showing me the Pellow Map last spring. As promised, I can make an offer that would pay for your new roof. I know the board votes next month."
From a letter in the Round 2 evidence packet.
Host the first playtest
We are looking for a library or community group to host the first playtest, free to play: 6 or more adults at 2 or more tables, run by your own staff member or volunteer. No one from our side attends. The kit plans a 120-minute slot for the standard 90-minute game, about 100 single-sided pages of printing for two tables, and about 50 minutes of reading plus 30 minutes to print and sort. These are planned estimates, not yet timed with a real host.
Status: Case Night is new and has not yet been played by a group.