Case of the Day

Loading the case…

Pick a suspect, then tap a square to place them.

Suspects & victim

Clues

Tap a clue to cross it off.

Key

Who did it?

How to play

The map. Each case is a map split into colored rooms. Thick walls show where one room ends and the next begins.
One per row, one per column. Every person (all the suspects and the victim) stands on their own square. No two people share a row or a column.
Mind the furniture. Nobody can stand on a solid object like a table, barrel or pillar. Rugs, chairs, stools and benches are fine to stand or sit on.
Follow the clues. "Next to" means directly up, down, left or right, never diagonal. North is the top of the map.
Find the killer. The murderer is the only suspect who was in the same room as the victim.

A solved example map with every suspect placed and the murderer outlined in red. — A solved example. The red frame marks the killer: the only suspect in the victim's room.

Stuck? Start with the clue that names a single room or object, place that person, then cross off their row and column.

Meet the suspects

Every case draws its suspects from the same band of ten heroes. Any of them could be the killer.

Captain ThudWarriorSolves every problem by hitting it, and can't whisper.
Dame SteadfastPaladinCannot tell a lie, and never stops polishing her armor.
Mistress EmberMageSets things on fire by accident. Her eyebrows are always singed.
Slick NellRoguePockets anything shiny and always has a spare key.
Friar PuddingClericBlesses every meal, then eats second helpings.
Scout WildaRangerHates sleeping under a roof. Her hawk follows her everywhere.
Mother BrambleDruidTalks to plants, and the plants (she says) talk back.
Lord GrimwickWarlockKeeps a giggling imp in his lantern and makes everyone sign things.
Dandy LarkBardAnswers every question in rhyme and is always mid-song.
Sister QuillMonkTook a vow of silence, so she writes everything on a little slate.

The book

Spellslain: 80 Fantasy Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles

Magic can't hide a murderer. Taverns, wizard towers, dwarf mines, dragon lairs and haunted crypts: 80 brand-new cases that are not on this website, each with a full-color map, a line-up of suspects and a short list of clues.

80 cases that ramp up from 4x4 starter maps to 8x8 expert maps
10 fantasy settings and a recurring cast of ten class heroes, from Captain Thud the warrior to Lord Grimwick the warlock
A "Meet the Suspects" page with every hero's portrait and quirk
A how-to guide, a worked example, and every answer in the back
Every case checked by computer to have exactly one solution

Paperback · 6 x 9 in · full color · $12.99

Coming soon to Amazon

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Case archive

Missed a day? Every past case of the day is here, with its answer.