Smoking Gun

Smoking Gun is a storytelling deduction game where sharp minds and clever tongues might just catch a killer. Step into the shadowy halls of Gelp Manor, where one of six colorful characters has met a grisly end—and it’s up to you to crack the case. Was it the botanist with a deadly greenhouse? The innkeeper with international secrets? Or the handyman who holds a key to every door?

In Smoking Gun, you're not just solving the case—you’re gunning for the lead. Each player takes on the role of a sharp, ambitious junior detective assigned to Gelp Manor’s high-profile murder. While you're all working the same crime scene, make no mistake: this is a competition. Only one investigator will earn the credibility to lead future cases.

You'll gather evidence, build your case, and expose false leads—or plant them. Every clue you share or conceal, every theory you pitch or sabotage, shapes how the investigation unfolds. In the end, the player with the most credibility isn’t just the one who caught the killer—it’s the one who proved they can’t be outplayed. Follow the leads. Build your case. Reveal the Smoking Gun!

Realistic Gameplay

This isn't just another whodunit—Smoking Gun mirrors a real murder investigation, unfolding in three gripping phases:

1. Crime Scene Phase – Search & Discovery

The game opens like every great mystery: with a body and too many questions. Players scour the manor’s rooms, searching for clues, and questioning suspects. Clues are scattered—murder weapon, location, motive—and you’ll need to trade, piece together evidence, and follow every shadow to find the truth.

2. Investigative Phase – Connect Clues

With leads developing, the tension rises. Now players begin building a case—some with damning evidence, others designed to mislead. Suspects’ motives come into focus and red herrings cloud the trail. Every theory is a move in a larger game of suspicion and manipulation.

3. Gambit for the Gun - Case Closed

In the final phase, junior detectives present theories—some backed by several pieces of verified evidence, others meant to mislead. Each case you state earns you credibility points and if done right can throw rivals off the scent.

The goal: Reveal the Smoking Gun—a four-part accusation with verified weapon, motive, location, and killer—to end the game and claim the Lead Detective title.

With its focus on realism, misdirection, and narrative strategy, Smoking Gun captures the rhythm of a true murder investigation. It’s a contest of logic and lies—where the best detective isn’t just the one with the most clues, but the one who knows how to use them to tell a convincing tale.

This isn’t just a deduction game—it’s a sandbox for storytellers.

Design by and built for storytellers, Smoking Gun empowers you to craft persuasive accusations using clever deduction, creative flair, and the support of innovative storytelling cards—each offering just enough guidance to inspire sharp theories, dramatic twists, and unforgettable reveals.

Cards Guide. You Decide.

In Smoking Gun, stating your case isn't just an action—it is a performance. Inspired by the storytelling mechanics of the highly acclaimed Smalltown Tales, Smoking Gun gives players the tools to craft bold, dramatic stories with just the right mix of logic and flair.

Using a mix of Suspect, Motive, Weapon, Location, and Activity cards, you’ll build a story that fits the evidence—or sells a convincing bluff. But here’s the twist: the cards guide your narrative, without dictating your words. You're free to spin your story your way, tying facts to fiction, motive to method, all in the voice of a seasoned sleuth or theatrical dramatist.

Whether you're painting a picture of revenge under the greenhouse lights or uncovering a scandal in the bedroom, the accusation system sparks your imagination—and challenges others to see through the smoke.

Endless Replayability!

Every game begins with a new configuration of hidden clues, motives, and suspect connections—there are over 1,200 unique murder plots and thousands of randomized combinations, so memorization is useless and stacking the deck is impossible. What matters is how you interpret the evidence—and how convincingly you spin it.

As one of several junior detectives assigned to this high-profile murder, you're competing to crack it first. Search the manor’s hidden corners and shadowy halls. Question suspects. Dig into the victim’s past. Piece together clues to uncover the murder weapon, the crime scene, the motive, and—ultimately—the killer.

This is a race of reason and misdirection, where every case presented is a gamble and every clue might be bait. Follow the leads. Build your case. Reveal the Smoking Gun!

Now, here’s what you know about the suspects—and the victim.

The game ends when any one of the following occurs:

• A full round is completed after the last Suspect or Plot card is drawn.
• A player collects the final available Evidence Token.
• A player states a Smoking Gun case (contains all 4 Verified Evidence types).

At the end of the game, the player with the most Credibility points wins. Credibility points come from two sources:

• Card Points – Sum the points from all cards in your discard pile (those used when stating your case).
• Evidence Tokens – Add 3 points for each token earned.

Total Score = Card Points + Evidence Token Points

Tiebreaker: The player with the most cards in their discard pile wins.

Flipbook Rules To Smoking Gun