Detective: City of Angels, set in the dark and violent world of 1940s Los Angeles, is a game of mystery, deception, and investigation for 1–5 players. Most players will step into the shoes of LAPD homicide detectives, hungry for glory and willing to do whatever it takes to successfully close a case, even if that means intimidating suspects, concealing evidence, and hiring snitches to rat on their fellow detectives. One player, however, will take on the role of The Chisel, whose only goal is to stall and misdirect the detectives at every turn using bluffing, manipulation, and (often) outright lies. Detective: CoA uses the innovative ARC (Adaptive Response Card) System to create the feel of interrogating a suspect. Suspects do not simply give paragraph-book responses; instead The Chisel carefully chooses how they will answer. When Billy O'Shea insists that the victim was a regular at Topsy's Nightclub, is he telling the truth or is The Chisel subtly leading the detectives toward a dead end that will cost them precious time? Detectives can challenge responses that they think are lies but at great risk: If they're wrong, The Chisel will acquire leverage over them, making the case that much harder to solve. Detective: CoA includes separate, detailed casebooks for both the detectives and The Chisel. Each crime is a carefully constructed puzzle that can unfold in a variety of ways depending on how the detectives choose to pursue their investigations. As the detectives turn the city upside down, uncovering fresh evidence and "hot" leads, hidden suspects may be revealed and new lines of questioning will open up, creating a rich, story-driven experience. Inspired by classic film noir like The Big Sleep, the works of James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), and the video game L.A. Noire from Rockstar Games, Detective: City of Angels is a murder-mystery game unlike any other. Will one detective rise above the rest and close the case on L.A.'s latest high profile murder? Or will The Chisel sow enough doubt and confusion to prevent the detectives from solving the crime?
Detective: City of Angels, set in the dark and violent world of 1940s Los Angeles, is a game of mystery, deception, and investigation for 1–5 players. Most players will step into the shoes of LAPD homicide detectives, hungry for glory and willing to do whatever it takes to successfully close a case, even if that means intimidating suspects, concealing evidence, and hiring snitches to rat on their fellow detectives. One player, however, will take on the role of The Chisel, whose only goal is to stall and misdirect the detectives at every turn using bluffing, manipulation, and (often) outright lies. Detective: CoA uses the innovative ARC (Adaptive Response Card) System to create the feel of interrogating a suspect. Suspects do not simply give paragraph-book responses; instead The Chisel carefully chooses how they will answer. When Billy O'Shea insists that the victim was a regular at Topsy's Nightclub, is he telling the truth or is The Chisel subtly leading the detectives toward a dead end that will cost them precious time? Detectives can challenge responses that they think are lies but at great risk: If they're wrong, The Chisel will acquire leverage over them, making the case that much harder to solve. Detective: CoA includes separate, detailed casebooks for both the detectives and The Chisel. Each crime is a carefully constructed puzzle that can unfold in a variety of ways depending on how the detectives choose to pursue their investigations. As the detectives turn the city upside down, uncovering fresh evidence and "hot" leads, hidden suspects may be revealed and new lines of questioning will open up, creating a rich, story-driven experience. Inspired by classic film noir like The Big Sleep, the works of James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), and the video game L.A. Noire from Rockstar Games, Detective: City of Angels is a murder-mystery game unlike any other. Will one detective rise above the rest and close the case on L.A.'s latest high profile murder? Or will The Chisel sow enough doubt and confusion to prevent the detectives from solving the crime?
How many players it plays best with · 61 votes on BoardGameGeek
1
4
4 say it plays best, 36 recommend it, 3 do not recommend it
2
2
2 say it plays best, 22 recommend it, 12 do not recommend it
3
26
26 say it plays best, 15 recommend it, 1 do not recommend it
4
22
22 say it plays best, 19 recommend it, 2 do not recommend it
5
5
5 say it plays best, 20 recommend it, 15 do not recommend it
5+
0
0 say it plays best, 0 recommend it, 28 do not recommend it
Best Suggested Not recommended
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A selection of reviews rated 8 or higher. BoardGameGeek.
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chibiowlBGG user
10.0/10
Overall ★★★★(✦✦) Fun ★ Interactive ★ - Detectives race to solve the mystery. - Detectives buy information and snitch on each other. - Chisel interacts with response cards and blocking. Replayable ★ - Replay as chisel after knowing the story, rare for narrative games. - Good number of cases to replay. - Playthroughs differ depending on choices made by detectives. Unique ★(✦) - Competitive narrative game that can be replayed. - Detective game that doesn't require a companion app. - Absolutely nothing else like it. Bonus (✦) - Detective and mystery theme appeals to me. - Art is well done too.
CommodoreTetleyBGG user
10.0/10
Outstanding game of its kind. Very thematic, unique and innovative, and captures the feeling of a 1940s detective perfectly. The designer's labour of love shines through. One of the best things to ever get to our table. I also love that they didn't go down the app route. By wisely not including any technology, the game allows for those who enjoy playing as the Chisel to get a lot of fun and replayability out of the game.
Fieser_FactsackBGG user
10.0/10
There is no game that does what this game does to my play groups when I put it on the table. The immersion is really strong. Players usually start to fantasize how the murder could have happened to make decisions on who to ask and what to do first. That is why the people get so deeply engaged with the game because it motivates the players to theorize how the murders could have happened. Like good art it leaves a lot of space open for the player to project their own ideas into. And in the end it resolves what really happened. Played this in all player groups. With 5 players its easy. 4 Players seems balanced. 3 Players was pretty hard.
Hgg11BGG user
10.0/10
This is the most imersive boardgame i've ever played! Me and my group are just loving the gameplay and the components such a masterpiece! It just makes me so excited when im playing as the chisel and run the game for my group get confused and stuck ahaha! This is gorgeous, it's light and the history is great 10/10
wieczorekBGG user
10.0/10
I'm a huge fan of SHCD games and this has better writing and an extremely cool competitive structure. We only played two easy cases so far, but I was blown away. If other ones remain interesting, this may be my preferred detective game format/box.
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