Overview

Detective Charlie is a cooperative investigation game for children and families. Players take turns rolling a die to move Detective Charlie Holmes around a circle of Witness cards, interviewing townspeople to gather clues. Using the clues, players eliminate suspects one by one from the police station until only the culprit remains. The game includes 6 cases of increasing difficulty, each playable once.

Components

• 6 Case decks, each containing:
  • 1 Case card
  • 8 Witness cards
  • 8 Suspect cards
  • 2 or 3 Evidence cards
• 1 Die
• 1 Detective Charlie Holmes standee
• 1 Pocket Watch
• 6 “Culprit” envelopes
• 1 Police Station (with slots for suspect cards)
• 1 Detective’s Notebook

Setup

1. Choose a Case deck (numbered in increasing difficulty; play in order). Remove the wrap.
2. Place the Case card in the center of the table.
3. Place 8 Witness cards face down in a circle around the Case card, following the numbers on their backs.
4. Slip Evidence cards under the Witness cards with matching numbers.
5. Insert all 8 Suspect cards into the Police Station slots.
6. Place Detective Charlie standee in front of Witness card 1.
7. Place the die and Pocket Watch near the circle. Set the Watch hand to 12.
8. The oldest player reads both sides of the Case card aloud. That player goes first.

Turn Structure

Players take turns clockwise. On your turn:

1. Roll the die and apply the result.
2. After reading a Witness card and clearing suspects (if applicable), put the Witness card back face down.
3. Pass the die to the player on your left.

Actions

Die Results

Result	Effect
1 or 2	Move Detective Charlie that many Witness cards in the direction of your choice. Flip the Witness card she stops at; read the account aloud. Optionally clear suspects.
Watch	Move the Pocket Watch hand forward 1 hour. End turn.
Watch + ?	Move the Watch hand forward 1 hour, then place Detective Charlie in front of any Witness card. Flip and read it. Optionally clear suspects.

Clearing Suspects

After reading a Witness card, the team may decide to remove one or more Suspect cards from the Police Station based on the clues gathered. Not every witness provides enough info to clear suspects — sometimes you need to combine clues from multiple witnesses.

Optional Rule

If Charlie lands on an already-read Witness card you don’t need to revisit, the team may advance the Watch by 1 hour to move to an adjacent Witness card instead.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End

The game ends when only 1 Suspect remains in the Police Station — they are named the culprit.

Verification

Open the Culprit envelope matching your case number. Read the Culprit card together to check if you identified the correct culprit.

Scoring

Time on Watch	Result	Points
5 o’clock or earlier	Found culprit in time for tea	5
6 o’clock	Tea is cold	4
7 o’clock	No cookies left	3
8-11 o’clock	Station nearly empty	2
Midnight or later	Everyone fell asleep	1
Wrong culprit	Wrong lead	0

After all 6 cases, fill out the final Notebook page for your total Detective score.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Each case can only be played once (story-based deduction).
• Do not look at cards before playing.
• Cases are numbered in increasing difficulty — play them in order.
• Evidence cards are hidden under specific Witness cards and may provide additional clues when those witnesses are interviewed.
• Remember Witness card numbers to avoid revisiting the same witness unnecessarily.
• Parents are encouraged to ask children questions to help them deduce answers.

Player Reference

Turn: Roll die → Apply result → Clear suspects (if able) → Pass die left

Die faces: 1, 2, Watch, Watch+?

Goal: Eliminate suspects until only 1 remains

Cases: 6 total, increasing difficulty, play in order