S L E U T H S' R E P O R T

E M E R A L D C I T Y S T O R I E S

MODERN CRIME • DETECTIVE DRAMA • MYSTERY • 18+ • SMALL GROUP




"Everybody has a story.

Some people will kill to keep theirs from being told."




T H E E M E R A L D C I T Y


Seattle.

The Emerald City. A skyline of glass and steel pressed between dark water, mountains, evergreens and a sky that seems permanently undecided about whether it wants to rain.

Millions of people pass through its streets carrying millions of different stories.

Most of them will never cross a detective's desk.

Some will.

A woman disappears without telling her family why.

A husband comes home to find the front door open and his wife gone.

A body turns up where there shouldn't be one.

A witness swears they saw something impossible.

A victim tells the truth and nobody believes them.

A suspect lies for reasons that have nothing to do with the crime.

And somewhere underneath all of it is what actually happened.

That's your job.

T H E P R E M I S E


Sleuths' Report: Emerald City Stories is a modern-day, character-driven detective roleplay set in Seattle, Washington.

The players will make up a small group of detectives working within a fictional investigative detail of the Seattle Police Department. Each "episode" will center around a new major investigation: homicide, suspicious disappearances, cold cases, crimes against vulnerable victims, linked offenses, and other cases complicated enough to demand more than a quick arrest and a confession.

There will be an answer.

The cases will be built before you investigate them. Victims have histories. Suspects have motives. Witnesses have reasons for remembering things the way they do. Evidence exists because something happened - not because the story suddenly needs a clue.

And I will not change the culprit because somebody guessed correctly on page two.

Your job isn't to find the story I'm trying to force you into.

Your job is to investigate what happened.

You choose which leads matter.

You decide who gets interviewed first.

You decide whether someone is lying, mistaken, terrified, guilty - or all four.

You can split up, chase separate theories, return to old evidence, request records, push suspects, talk to families, follow something everybody else thinks is meaningless, and occasionally realize that you've spent three days investigating somebody who absolutely committed a crime...

...just not this one.

E P I S O D E O N E


NO SAFE HARBOR


Before sunrise, a young woman is found dead near Seattle's waterfront.

Her name is Lacey Moreno.

Twenty years old.

No obvious reason anybody would want her dead.

What begins as a homicide investigation soon reaches backward into another case.

Nine years ago, sixteen-year-old Emma Vale disappeared.

No body was ever found.

Police never established that a crime had occurred.

Eventually, the trail went cold.

Lacey should have had no reason to care about a missing girl she barely knew.

But during the weeks before her death, she had started asking questions about Emma Vale.

Questions about where she went.

Questions about the people who knew her.

Questions somebody may have preferred she leave alone.

And shortly before Lacey died, she sent one final message:

"I found where they kept her."


One woman is dead.

Another has been missing for nine years.

And somewhere between them is a story nobody managed to uncover the first time.

Welcome to the first case.



W H A T T H I S R P I S


This is first and foremost a story-driven detective roleplay.

I'm aiming for the atmosphere of crime dramas like The Killing, with some of the victim-focused investigative storytelling of Law & Order: SVU.

Not copies of either show.

That's just the neighborhood we're living in.

Expect:


  • Layered criminal investigations.
  • Suspects who have actual lives outside being suspects.
  • Victims who matter as characters rather than bodies used to start the plot.
  • Interviews and interrogations.
  • Crime scenes and physical evidence.
  • Witnesses who can lie, forget, misunderstand or hide things.
  • Cold cases and old secrets.
  • Departmental, legal, political and media pressure when the story calls for it.
  • Personal consequences that can follow detectives home.
  • Wrong theories.
  • Uncomfortable answers.
  • Cases that may not end with everybody feeling good about what happened.


What you should not expect is a police simulator.

I'm interested in believable investigations, but story comes first. Real procedures, legal issues and police work will be used where they strengthen the story. When strict realism would turn three weeks of roleplaying into waiting for paperwork, realism can bend.

You also do not need to be an expert on police procedure to play.

I'm certainly not going to expect somebody to study for the detective exam before submitting a character.

We'll research things when they matter and keep the story moving when they don't.



T H E D E T E C T I V E S


I'm looking for 3–4 players.

Every player character will be a sworn detective.

This isn't an ensemble where one person plays the detective, another is the reporter, somebody is the medical examiner and someone else owns the bar everybody hangs out at.

The RP is about the detectives investigating the cases.

That doesn't mean everybody needs the same background.

A character may have experience in homicide, missing persons, patrol, domestic violence, gangs, financial crime, narcotics, digital investigations or another reasonable assignment before joining the current detail.

Different strengths are actually something I want.

One detective may be excellent in an interview room.

Another may have an eye for reconstructing scenes.

Someone else understands financial records.

Another knows the streets and has spent years building relationships most cops don't have.

Nobody needs to be good at everything.

Honestly, characters will probably be more interesting if they aren't.

Character personalities can vary wildly too. Partners don't need to agree. Detectives don't need identical ideas of justice, policing or how far they'll push somebody to get an answer.

Just remember that these people still need to be able to function as investigators.

Flawed is good. Unplayable isn't.

And please — no twenty-three-year-old legendary homicide detective with fifteen years of experience and an uncanny ability to know whenever anybody lies.

We'll save that one for television.



D I C E & U N C E R T A I N T Y


This will not be a tabletop RPG disguised as forum roleplay.

Narrative comes first.

That said, I do want a light dice system because uncertainty is part of investigating a crime.

Dice may come into play when:


  • Someone is actively resisting what you're trying to accomplish.
  • Time or danger matters.
  • An interview could go several different ways.
  • A risky decision may carry consequences.
  • Success is possible, but success without complications isn't guaranteed.


Routine professional competence doesn't require a roll.

A detective does not need to roll to know how to take a witness statement.

You won't roll to remember that fingerprints exist.

Most importantly:

Essential clues will not be locked behind a lucky die roll.

If you search the correct place and the clue necessary to continue the investigation is there, you're going to find it.

The dice may decide what else happens while you're finding it.

Full mechanics will be kept simple and explained in the OOC, but the basic idea is a single d10 with outcomes ranging from complications to clean success.

There will also be a light Pressure mechanic to represent the cumulative effect these cases can have on the detectives.

Pressure will create opportunities and consequences.

It will not give me permission to randomly decide that your character has suddenly developed a mental illness or dictate how your character feels.

You still own your character.

T O N E & M A T U R E C O N T E N T


This RP can get dark.

Very dark, depending on the case.

Potential stories may involve murder, abuse, sexual violence, exploitation, crimes against children, suicide, addiction, domestic violence and other disturbing subjects associated with serious criminal investigations.

But there is a difference between telling a dark story and trying to shock people.

I have no interest in torture porn, lovingly describing sexual violence, sexualizing crimes involving minors or turning victimization into spectacle.

Some things are more effective, and more respectful, when the audience understands what happened without being forced to watch every second of it.

Victims will be treated like people.

Players will also be able to give me hard boundaries privately before we begin.

Major violations of a player character — the sort of thing that permanently changes somebody's life — will not be sprung on somebody just because I thought it would make a cool twist.

We're here to make each other uncomfortable with the story, not uncomfortable with one another.

Because of the subject matter, I'm looking for 18+ players only.

P O S T I N G & A C T I V I T Y


I'm aiming for roughly one substantive post every 5–7 days.

That's the target; not a stopwatch.

Life happens.

Some scenes will move faster, especially conversations where everybody is around. Some investigative posts will naturally take longer.

There is no mandatory word count.

Write what the scene needs.

A good four-paragraph post is better than twelve paragraphs written because somebody feels obligated to hit a number.

Likewise, two detectives having a quick conversation shouldn't need to exchange novels every time somebody asks a question.

What matters most is that your post gives the story or another player something to work with.

Communication is the bigger expectation.

If you're going to disappear for a bit, just say something. Nobody needs your life story or a doctor's note.

After roughly a week without a post or message, I may move a scene forward so everyone else isn't stuck waiting.

After an extended unexplained absence, a detective can be put on leave or otherwise moved out of the active case until the player returns.

One missing player will not kill the entire RP.

That's particularly important to me with a long-term episodic game.

E M E R A L D C I T Y S T O R I E S


The long-term structure is episodic.

One investigation ends.

Another begins.

Some cases may take a long time.

Some may move quickly.

Some may reopen something everybody thought was finished.

And occasionally the detectives might simply fail to get the answer they wanted.

Old witnesses can return.

A suspect from Episode Two might matter again in Episode Six.

A decision made during one investigation can affect a detective's reputation later.

A family may remember how you treated them.

A prosecutor may remember the case you nearly destroyed.

A criminal may remember who put them away.

And the detectives themselves will keep changing.

That's the idea behind Emerald City Stories.

Each investigation is another story buried somewhere inside Seattle.

The detectives are the people unlucky enough to have to uncover it.



S O... I N T E R E S T E D?


I've had this concept sitting in my head for a long time, and I finally want to build it into the RP I always pictured it being.

I'm looking for a small group of people who enjoy mysteries, character writing, putting theories together, arguing over evidence, interviewing suspicious people and occasionally discovering that the thing everyone was certain about was completely wrong.

If more than four people are interested, this won't necessarily be first come, first served. With such a small cast, I'd rather put together detectives who bring different personalities and strengths to the team.

For now, nothing crazy is required.

Just let me know you're interested.

And if you've already got an idea brewing, tell me what kind of detective you'd have fun playing.

Every case has a story.

Let's find out what happened.




D E T E C T I V E F I L E


SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS DETAIL

CHARACTER IMAGE HERE

FIRST MIDDLE LAST


"Optional character quote."




B A S I C I N F O R M A T I O N


Full Name:

Goes By:

Age:

Gender:

Years with SPD / Years as Detective:

Previous Assignments:
Patrol, previous investigative units, task forces, specialty assignments, or anything else relevant.

Education / Training:
Only what matters. College, specialized training, languages, military background, certifications, or similar experience.

Face Claim:
Please identify the person if you're using one.



A P P E A R A N C E


Appearance:

Use the image above as much as you'd like.

Add anything we wouldn't know from the picture, such as height, build, scars, tattoos, clothing style, mannerisms, or the general impression they give people.



T H E D E T E C T I V E


Investigative Strength:
What are they particularly good at?

Interviewing witnesses, interrogation, crime scenes, surveillance, digital evidence, financial records, missing persons, street contacts, victim interviews, or something else appropriate.

Professional Weakness:
What part of the job are they genuinely weaker at?

Nobody should be good at everything.

Investigative Style:
How do they work a case?

You can touch on how they interview people, build theories, follow leads, work with partners, handle procedure, or anything else that defines them as an investigator.

View of the Job:
Why are they a detective, and what does doing the job correctly mean to them?

Truth? Justice? Convictions? Protecting victims? Catching dangerous people? Something more complicated?

Professional Reputation:
What would people around SPD generally say about them?



B E H I N D T H E B A D G E


Personality:

Who are they when we actually meet them?

Give us a feel for how they speak, behave, interact with people, handle conflict, and respond when things get difficult.

Life Outside Work:

Family, relationships, friends, hobbies, routines, habits, vices, responsibilities, or whatever else makes up the person who goes home after the case.



H I S T O R Y


Background:

Tell us the parts that matter.

Where did they come from? What shaped them? How did they end up with SPD? What kind of officer were they before becoming a detective?

Include any important successes, failures, old cases, mistakes, relationships, or experiences that help explain the person we're meeting now.

You don't need to write their biography from birth.

Leave yourself some room to discover the character during the RP.



C O N N E C T I O N S


Give your detective at least two people who matter outside the active investigative team.

Family, friends, partners, exes, coworkers, neighbors, mentors, or anyone else important to their life.

Name:
Relationship:
About Them:

Name:
Relationship:
About Them:

Add more if you'd like.

And no, giving me someone your character loves does not automatically put that person on a future murder list.



T H E T E A M


What Do They Bring to the Team?:
Their specialty, personality, experience, perspective, or something else.

Potential Friction:
What about them might occasionally make working together difficult?

This doesn't need to be dramatic. Four detectives don't need to hate each other to disagree.



O O C


Anything You'd Like to Explore?:
Optional. Character arcs, relationships, particular kinds of stories, or anything else you'd enjoy.



Accepted players will be asked for a few private notes afterward, including character secrets, possible story hooks, and any boundaries I should know about.