Ok here’s take 1 at the layout of a mystery manual entry. The assumption of the “rules” of the mystery is that if you talk to a person who has a clue your DM should say the clues they have in natural conversation or if it’s a physical clue you find it, Gumshoe style. What I’m trying to build is a format of mystery entry that would allow a person to run a mystery with 15 minutes of preparation rather than several hours to write a complete mystery. I ran this and it worked well but what I really want to know is if the presentation seems like it would work as a way to put 200 of these in a book to let people run mysteries with as little trouble as possible. Each mystery contains a bit at the end for how to modify it so that you could even run the same mystery multiple times and have them go differently. With enough mysteries and the ability to change names and specifics as well as some larger alterations included in each mystery you'd make it so that even Veteran players wouldn't know exactly which one was being used
This mystery is themed for an Ancient Greek setting so all the names are greek. But even a version that wanted to be setting nuetral would still use proper names for everything, as I wrote it both ways and it’s definitely easier to remember that “John the Shopkeep” becomes “Thranduil the Barkeep” in my game instead of “Store Owning Witness” becoming “Thranduil the Barkeep”.
Alright here’s Mystery Manual entry #1:
Trying Times
Niko owns and operates a port in the city of Mikonos and lives in a home near his docks. One night he is awoken by the sounds of splintering timber coming from his docks and rushes over to find out what is happening. Upon arrival he finds a man smashing and overturning things and is ambushed by a second man. The attempt on Niko’s life is only stopped by the timely arrival of the PC’s who either kill, chase off, or capture the thugs. If the PC’s are not self motivated to investigate on their own the King of Mikonos summons them and requests their help in determining why someone would attempt to murder one of his citizens. The investigation is assumed to begin with an interview with Niko
What’s Going On: Niko has a beautiful wife named Kiera. Kiera was born into a noble family but married someone far below her station for love. Her family rules the small town of Hicea but they have come upon tough economic times now that piracy has become rampant in the region. The King and Queen of Hicea have made an arrangement with the King of Damos, who greatly desired Kiera growing up, to arrange that Kiera’s husband would be killed and she would be married to him in exchange for the protections of his navy so that Hicea’s ships may once again conduct trade. Lyrus, the Prince of Hicea and Kiera’s brother, has been sent to Mikonos on business to arrange for Niko’s death while he is there. Lyrus went to the Hog’s Head and inquired about the criminal underbelly of the Mikonos and learned there was a duo of criminals considered highly capable in town who go by the names “One-Eye” and Ginty. Lyrus had one of his soldiers meet with them and pay them to kill Niko, Lyrus then sent that soldier (and one more to accompany him) back home to Hicea to distance himself from any ties to the murder attempt.
Progression: There are three main suspects in this case the PC's will be pointed to. The Merchant Guild in town who want Niko's port, a man named Perion who is a former lover of Kiera, and Lyrus (who is guilty). The party will likely begin suspecting the Merchant Guild or Perion. Perion has strong alibi’s and the Merchant Guild is candid enough about the misdeeds they have committed to somewhat diffuse suspicion. Talking to Lyrus or the Merchant Guild should give an indication of some larger scale troubles in the region and discovering the connections to the King of Damos from many involved should direct players to suspect him working through some intermediary. Investigations at the Hog’s Head or the thugs hideout should direct the PC’s to understanding Lyrus was involved and finally going to the King of either Damos or Hicea to gain proof of their misdeeds. In the end the King of Mikonos, if shown proof, will likely demand reparations from the Kings of Damos and Hicea for attempting to kill a citizen of his land and give most of those reparations to Niko and Kiera.
Reference of People and Places
Niko: Husband, owner of a port, and man the thugs attempted to murder
Kiera: Beautiful wife of Niko, daughter of the rulers of Hicea
(Suspect)Perion: An old suitor of Kiera’s, wealthy and a friend of the King of Mikonos
(Suspect)Head of the Laketown Merchant’s Guild: Wants control over Niko’s port, has paid thugs to make trouble for him before
(Suspect)Lyrus: Brother of Kiera who disapproves of her marriage, Prince of Hicea, paid thugs to kill Niko
Ginty and One-Eye: The two thugs who tried to murder Niko, commonly seen in the Hogs Head Taverna
Bartender of the Hogs Head: Knew the thugs, saw Lyrus in his bar asking about the towns criminal element
King of Miconos: Person who sets the PC’s to investigate and who they should report to
King of Damos: has a powerful navy, has long desired Kiera, has made a deal with Kiera’s family for her hand in marriage
King and Queen of Hicea: Kiera’s family, made a deal with the King of Damos to arrange Kiera’s marriage to him
Niko and Kiera’s home: A home just off the docks that Niko owns and operates
The Palace of Mikonos: Where you can interview Lyrus and the King of Mikonos
The Hog’s Head: A Taverna in the seedy parts of Mikonos
Mikonos: City where the mystery begins
Damos: Town with a powerful navy nearby
Hicea: Small town ruled by Kiera’s family
Investigations
NOTE: Any clue or red herring listed under a person should be information they gain after interacting with them. Extra Clues are not required
Niko: Niko knows it’s the Merchant Guild who tried to have him killed, he runs the port in town and they’ve wanted control over it for years. He mentions that they’ve even sent the same men to push him around before, intimidating people and shops doing business on his waterfront
Red Herring: The Merchant Guild wants my port and those men have worked for the merchants guild before
Kiera: Kiera asks to speak to the PC’s when they have a chance and tells them she thinks that an old flame of hers, Perion, may in fact be behind it. She also tells the PC’s about her past to give context...
“I was born a princess, I had many offers of marriage from Kings and nobles. My family was very disappointed in me for marrying Niko. My brother is actually in town this week and I’ve heard little else. When I turned down the King of Damos, Perion thought it meant I must mean to marry him as we’d been seeing each other but then I met Niko and knew he was the one for me. Perion is something of a friend still, but he’s always been vocal about still wanting me. He’s said before that if the guild got rid of my husband he would still marry me, while drunks he’s even wished for things to happen to Niko so that we could be together”
Red Herring: Perion has told her many times he would still marry her if something happened to her husband and, while drunk, said he wished something would happen.
Clues:Her brother is in town, her family disapproved of her marriage, she turned down an offer of marriage from the King of Damos
Lyrus: Lyrus is Kiera’s brother. He is a guest in the Palace of Mikonos while in the city. He is officious and has his soldiers around while talking to the PC’s. He offers only the mildest sympathies to the attempt on Niko’s life, mostly centered around not wanting his sister to be very unhappy. He is in Mikonos to buy bronze tools and riggings to repair ships damaged by pirates in his region, he is also ordering some trade goods (like salt) that their ships can no longer reliably bring in and complains harshly about the Guilds high prices, saying (hyperbolically) that before long his family will have to sell every precious thing they own if they want to have basic comforts.
Clues:Lyrus disapproves of Niko, Hicea is under tough economic pressure from pirates and is getting poorer because of it
Extra Clues: He has soldiers and hasn’t sent them to protect his sister, indicating he knows they aren’t in ongoing danger. If the players ask specifics from anyone who saw Lyrus come into town they will say he had a dozen soldiers with him and when speaking to the PC’s there are only 10
Head of the Merchant’s guild: Seems sly and calculating. May talk about how his business is doing very well as they have enough ships to move in convoys safe from the pirates in the region.
“I’ll freely admit we used those men before to intimidate Niko’s clientele but they never directly hurt anyone so it wasn’t strictly illegal. Word came down that the King wanted it to stop so we stopped. But lets be clear, we want that port and we’re going to have it. It’s a fine time to be doing business in the region, with the pirates picking off the ships in the area everyone is coming to us for what they end up missing. Well everyone but Damos that is.”
Clues: Damos has a uniquely strong navy and is near Hicea, this means Damos’s ships have not suffered from pirates like everyone else as they’ve effectively chased the pirates out of their waters.
King of Damos OR the King and Queen of Hicea: Seeing either of these people results in a similar encounter. Both will offer the PC’s to be their guests, doing their base duties as hosts. They will ask about Kiera and her husband if the topic comes up. They will acknowledge a cooling of relations between Hicea and Damos since Kiera rejected Damos’s offer. They will become quite cold and excuse themselves to take care of other affairs if the PC’s seem to even possibly be on their trail. That night, an unusually warm night, smoke will rise from the chimney of the royal bedchamber as they burn the letters sent to make the arrangement. The next morning they will send a messenger to the other with a letter that simply says “Burn all correspondence”
Clues: Smoke from his chimney on an unusally warm night indicating burning letters, acknowledgement of cooling relations between their families since the marriage proposal to Kiera
Bartender of the Hogs Head: Runs a seedy bar in a bad part of town, answers your questions honestly.
Red Herring: Has seen members of the Merchants Guild make deals with the thugs in his bar before.
Clue: Lyrus was in his bar 2 days before the attempted murder asking about how safe the town was out of concern for his sister, he asked if there was anyone that should be watched out for and was told about the thugs.
Extra Clue: The thugs didn’t work exclusively for the Merchants Guild, they just have a reputation for being the people to go to if you want something done. Has never seen Perion
Perion: Lives in a large villa with guards and servants though if you go there you will find he has left town yesterday, leaving his Head Servant in charge. Perion was asked by the King of Mikonos to travel to a nearby town that produces uniforms for the King’s staff. Perion is to offer amphorae of wine as a gift, inspect the products, make payment and return. Perion is mostly going for personal reasons however as he has been courting a noblewoman there and may even ask her to marry him. Perion’s guards and servants only know he will be gone, the Head Servant knows the details but the amount of detail he’ll give directly relates to how legitimate the PC’s present themselves as. If they seem to be working directly on the Kings orders he’ll tell everything, if not he might merely tell them that Perion is out on an assignment by the King. The party could also just catch up to Perion with a days travel and ask him the details himself.
Clues: Perion left before the attacks and had been planning the trip for a while, while it is correct that he desires Kiera he isn’t trying to arrange a marriage between them and is in fact actively courting another woman.
Ginty and “One-Eye”s: If either Ginty or One-Eye is captured they’ll be quite difficult to make talk. They’re hard men, former mercenaries, and they’re likely to face death for their crime so they have little reason to say anything. If the party can get a Magistrate (or the King) to lessen their penalty to banishment with what possessions they can carry they’ll tell the party everything they know. What they know is they were hired for a sizeable sum (currently hidden in their hideout) to kill Niko and not to endanger his wife. They’ve never seen the man who hired them before and they know a lot of people so it might be an outsider to the town, they don’t know the man’s name but could identify him if they saw him. If Ginty and One-Eye are both dead the most relevant information you can get from people about them is that they were known criminals who spent a lot of time at the Hogs Head Taverna.
Clues: They were paid a large amount to kill Niko, the man who hired them is likely an out of towner.
Modifying the Mystery
Alternate Themes: The easiest way to make this mystery feel different is to change the theme of the regional troubles. The building blocks are that the region has troubles, Damos has something that solves them, and Lyrus is buying supplies that the Merchant guild has made expensive because of them. If instead of pirates the troubles are failing crops then Damos has huge stores of grain and would feed Hicea’s people without payment. In this case Lyrus is buying a shipment of grain at inflated prices. If the troubles are invading forces then Damos can provide troops to Hicea and Lyrus is buying weapons and armor from the Merchants that are war profiteering. The troubles changing to monsters or foreign armies can greatly change the feel of the mission.
Bodyguard: In this version Lyrus is not the brother and prince of Hicea but rather the families handyman and bodyguard. If Kiera references him having been her bodyguard growing up it may reduce suspicion of him. You may choose whether he comes across as a hardened man doing what he's told or someone who has been genuinely convinced that this is the best thing for Kiera and Hicea. In this model he will not be staying in the palace.
New Servant: In this version the PC's don't save Niko, instead his life is saved by a new servant he recently purchased who turns out to have a lengthy military experience and who's ability to kill may cause the PC's to look into them.
Follow the Money: The money paid to Ginty and One Eye can be a clue on its own. Hidden in their hideout is a large purse of silver. Unusually it does not contain a single Hicean coin which, statistically in this region, is unlikely. You can also have a Temple of Hades or bank operate as a money lender in town and they can report, if shown a seal of the King or properly intimidated or convinced, that a large sum was changed out during the dates in question.
Ticking Clock: In this version it should be occasionally mentioned that there are bandits operating out of the forest nearby, possibly caused by the overall economic uncertainties in the area. With that being the case Lyrus, on learning the initial attempt on Niko’s life was a failure will pursue an alternate plan. After taking a day to plan he will ride out with his soldiers to find the bandits and make a deal with them. He will then demand that Niko and Kiera come with him back to Hicea for a time until it is known that the danger to them has passed, he is firm in his demand but will make every attempt to be gracious, make requests of the King of Mikonos to have their house and port under guard, and even offer to leave 2 of his own men behind if neccesary. Upon riding back with Niko and Kiera the bandits will set upon them in a staged attack and kill Niko before being driven off. In this model the players only have 3-4 days to solve the mystery before Niko is killed on the road back. It also creates a Bandit Leader character that can be interviewed though for most of the mystery he has no relevant information to give besides knowledge of the widespread piracy and perhaps the naval strength of Damos.
Trailed: In this model Lyrus, upon learning the PC’s are attempting to solve the case, can task his men to trail the players. In this version the soldiers should be elites to provide a reasonable threat. Lyrus should first offer them to the PC’s as protection and then, if refused, send them to trail them secretly. If the players detect their presence Lyrus can play that he merely wanted to send his help in discovering the threat to his sister. If the players seem like they have figured out that Lyrus or the families of Damos and Hicea are behind things the soldiers ambush the PC’s.