Chesterton Mysteries: The Father Brown Case Files
 
A Print & Play Mystery Deduction Card Game · Series 2 · Inspired by G.K. Chesterton · By Perewinkle Technologies LLC
"I don't try to get outside the man. I try to get inside the murderer, thinking his thoughts, till I know who he is."
 
20 new impossible cases. Gather clues, unmask suspects, and think like a murderer to catch one.
 
Chesterton Mysteries: The Father Brown Case Files is a richly illustrated deduction card game — Series 2 of the Father Brown Mysteries line — featuring 20 brand-new impossible cases drawn from The Wisdom of Father Brown and The Secret of Father Brown. Gather clues, read suspects, manage a rising Conspiracy Track, and dare to name the guilty before your rivals do — or before the Hidden Villain escapes justice entirely. Download, print, cut, and play tonight.
2–5 Players (Group) · 1 Player (Solo) · Ages 13+ · 60–90 Minutes · 20 Cases · 160+ Cards
 
TWO COMPLETE EDITIONS — ONE PURCHASE
Your download includes both the Group Edition (2–5 players, competitive deduction) and the Solo Edition (1 player, 4-act campaign) as separate print-ready files. Same cases. Two completely different investigations.
 
GROUP EDITION — Competitive Deduction for 2–5 Players
Race your fellow investigators to unmask the criminal first. Choose a character, build your hand across six colour-coded decks, and work through all 20 Cases — gathering Clue tokens, flipping Location tiles, and delivering Verdicts. Most Insight Points wins.
6 Colour-Coded Decks — Clue, Case, Suspect, Evidence, Deduction, and Events — 160+ cards total
10 Playable Investigators — Father Brown, Flambeau, Valentin, Dr Hood, Grandison Chace, Maggie MacNab, the Spanish Señora, the Curious Journalist, and more — each rated ★★ to ★★★★
12 Location Tiles — placed face-down; flip to explore scenes from the stories and trigger bonuses
10 Token Types — IP, CL, FA, WI, DI, SU, EV, AL, SC, IN — a layered deductive economy
The Conspiracy Track (0–8) — rises with every mistake; at Track 4 all players lose IP each round; at Track 8 the Active Case auto-fails
Mercy or Justice Ending — a simultaneous final moral choice that closes every game
 
SOLO EDITION — A 4-Act Investigation Campaign
A fully redesigned solo experience. Work through all 20 Cases across 4 Acts while a Hidden Villain — drawn face-down at setup — orchestrates the crimes from the shadows. Revealed at Case 6, the Villain's passive effect immediately reshapes the campaign.
Hidden Villain System — draw 1 of 6 Villain cards face-down; revealed at Case 6 with immediate escalating effects
4-Act Campaign — Act I: The First Clues · Act II: The Pattern Emerges · Act III: The Deeper Scheme · Act IV: The Final Confession
3 Solo-Exclusive Decks — Ordeal (complications), Breakthrough (discoveries), Mystery (clue source)
The Conspiracy Track (Solo) — rising 0–8 with escalating effects; Track 8 triggers Final Confrontation
Mercy or Justice Ending — spend Innocence tokens for forgiveness, or Alibi tokens to defeat the Villain outright
Campaign Record Sheet — printable log for all 20 Cases
 
The 6 Hidden Villains:
The Master of Disguise [Str. 9] — Conspiracy +3; all Suspect tokens reshuffled. Counter with FA tokens The Forger of Reputations [Str. 7] — EV tokens discarded on reveal. SC tokens expose his forgeries The Corrupt Judge [Str. 6] — AL tokens halved. Control the Courthouse Location to fight back The Actor of a Thousand Alibis [Str. 5] — Wrong Verdicts cost extra. First-attempt correct Verdicts defeat him The Mourner Who Confessed [Str. 5] — IN tokens halved. Mercy is your best weapon The Invisible Organiser [Str. 4] — Blocks Think Like the Criminal for 1 Act. Location tiles are your only weapon
 
THE 20 CASES
Every case drawn from The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914) and The Secret of Father Brown (1927):
 
Act I — The Absence of Mr Glass · The Paradise of Thieves · The Duel of Dr Hirsch · The Man in the Passage · The Mistake of the Machine
 
Act II ★ — The Head of Caesar (Villain Reveals) · The Perishing of the Pendragons · The God of the Gongs · The Salad of Colonel Cray · Strange Crime of John Boulnois
 
Act III — The Purple Wig · The Fairy Tale of Father Brown · The Mirror of the Magistrate · The Song of the Flying Fish · The Vanishing of Vaudrey
 
Act IV — The Worst Crime in the World · The Red Moon of Meru · The Actor and the Alibi · The Chief Mourner of Marne · The Man with Two Beards (Final Confrontation)
 
THE INVESTIGATORS
Father Brown ★★ — Name Suspect once per Case without CL cost. Wrong Verdicts cost 1 IP. IN tokens worth +2 IP. Aristide Valentin ★★★ — All Verdicts cost 1 fewer CL. Scotland Yard free. Look at 1 Suspect token per round. Flambeau (Retired) ★★★★ — FA tokens free. +1 IP each time Conspiracy Track rises. Track capped at 6. Dr Orion Hood ★★★ — Study Evidence gives 3 cards. EV converts 1:1 to CL. Removes 1 SU per round free. Grandison Chace ★★ — Interview gives 2 Clue + 2 Suspect cards. Hand limit 10. +2 IP per Case solved. Maggie MacNab ★★ — +1 WI per turn. All players draw 1 Clue when she Interviews. Cancels 1 Event per round. The Spanish Señora ★★★ — SC tokens worth +3 IP. Conspiracy Track capped at 5 while she holds a Location. The Curious Journalist ★★ — +2 IP per Case. Free card draw per turn. Correct Verdict drops Conspiracy −2.
2 more characters in the Group Edition.
 
PRINT & PLAY — READY TONIGHT
Download — both files instantly after purchase
Print — open in any browser, A4 or US Letter, 100% scale
Cut — six colour-coded deck borders make sorting effortless
Gather — coins or counters for 10 token types · two dice required
Play — setup under 10 minutes
No waiting. No shipping. Print as many times as you need for personal household use.
 
LICENSING
Personal use licence included — single household, non-commercial use. Commercial use requires a separate licence: games@perewinkle.com
 
RETURN POLICY
All sales are final. Digital products cannot be returned or refunded once purchased.