Do you never get tired of police series like Law & Orde, NCIS, CSI or other detective thrillers? In Partners, a role-playing game written by Steve Dee and published by Tin Star Games, two players can pretend to be the main characters of a police procedural. Players invent the various characters, their backstory, and the course of how the various scenes in the episode are played out . Players are in control of the programming and never have to wait for a new season to be greenlit! Do you know how to stage and solve a murder?
Partners is a roleplaying game, think of games like Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu and Pathfinder, but for 1 or 2 players. Instead of the usual fantasy theme, where multiple players set out to fight monsters, in Partners players let their imaginations run wild to fight crimes. Using just a pack of playing cards, an (online) dictionary and the booklet, players will write scenes and solve a murder. Players choose their main characters and supporting characters, and write/create a (short) backstory for each character. One player assumes the role of the straight shooter: a serious cop who is very straightforward. The other player is the unpredictable wild card. A role has an impact on “play style” and also on the role-playing itself.
With the help of the deck of cards and being random, the murder, victim and suspects are put together. For example, drawing a certain card equals occupation, motive, murder weapon, etc. to get players started. After the story has started, players begin to play a series of scenes. In these scenes, revelations about the various suspects are made and players start discussing these revelations. In the final scene, the killer is revealed. The cards and random words each give players prompts for these scenes.
Partners is fairly puritanical roleplaying game, because of this the emphasis is on creative thinking, acting, and shared fantasizing. This makes it less of a “game” than other role-playing games that are often a bit more bound by a well-defined set of rules. In particular, Partners’ booklet gives players a guide to their self-imagined adventure. The book is a joy to read as it is very pleasantly written, easy to understand and provides enough clues, hints and prompts for players to go on an adventure. The book is filled with little references and easter eggs to police procedurals and pop culture in general.
Since it is a roleplaying game, it is obviously not suited for everyone, but for fans of, say, improv comedy, this is the perfect means of play. In addition to being a role-playing guide, you can also use this roleplaying system as a means of inspiring to write your own short police stories or to use it as inspiration for setting up murder mystery group activities.
