So I'm working on this fun little one-shot adventure for my group. The group has to beta test this new vr immersion game that is supposed to put them into a menatuar's lybrinth type setting. But it goes horribly wrong and they become stuck in the game and thrown into different settings. The one I am having an issue with is the second in which they find themselves in a 1950's style bar in the midst of a murder investigation. They are required to solve the case before they can progress in the simulation. To follow the theme of the adventure I wanted it to be a logic puzzle, and have them feel as if they are still in the maze somehow. But I'm running into a brick wall in how to do this logic puzzle. I'd hope some of you can give me a fresh prospective on it.

13 hours ago, eyesonlyhacker said:

The one I am having an issue with is the second in which they find themselves in a 1950's style bar in the midst of a murder investigation. They are required to solve the case before they can progress in the simulation. To follow the theme of the adventure I wanted it to be a logic puzzle, and have them feel as if they are still in the maze somehow. But I'm running into a brick wall in how to do this logic puzzle. I'd hope some of you can give me a fresh prospective on it.

You're running into a brick wall in your maze story? Lol, good one!

It's a classic whodunnit. The trick is, the GM doesn't know either. Just see what the players come up with and follow the rule of cool.

I'd have them all plopped in the middle of a scene as different characters similar to a Quantum Leap type of situation. At least one of the PCs is a key suspect in the crime, they would roll for random roles in the simulation.

They each play a detective, beat cop, bar tender, cook, waiter, musician, patron, bum, etc... If the NPC detective or police chief finds out that they are all working together, they'll all be locked up together (if that happens I'd make the maze exit hidden in the jail cell).

But the straightforward objective is: they need to solve the crime or frame an NPC for the crime so they can end the simulation. Meanwhile weird Inception / Matrix glitches keep happening (maybe literal brick walls).

Dude you are the best. That little suggestion was enough to flood my head with ideas. I feel stupid as it should have just harken back to the greatest murder-mystery logic puzzle, Clue.

Basically the premise of this adventure is they get hired to beta test a new simulation game. It was suppose to be simple, navigate the maze and confront the monster at the center. But the AI running it has some serious coding problems and starts melding simulations together. Which will lead the group into said murder-mystery, requiring to solve it before the doors will be open leading to.....a pirate ship on the high seas. They have to fight of rivals while heading to an island. There they will find a cave that the game Creator believes will lead to the monster room. But will lead to a circus ring where they have to fight the monster to the amusement of the onlookers. All this while not being able to simply leave the simulation due to a glitch that will kill them if tried ala ASO.

It's quit a different adventure then the one they are used to playing. But I thought it would be a fun experience, and give me a chance not to think to hard about running it.

That sounds awesome! I thought of Clue too after I posted and my battery died.

I'm prepping for GMing my first RPG campaign and it's a genre mashup too! Except mine isn't a simulation, a bunch of historical people & things get space/time displaced.

I've got a million adventure seed ideas but almost zero real in-game crunch experience.