The other day a friend said “There should be a Twin Peaks murder mystery game.” I think she meant one of those “host a murder mystery” party games, but I immediately imagined a board game. One exists, but I’ve never played it and wondered how I would create such a game from scratch. Here are my initial thoughts.
You play as one of 3-5 Twin Peaks characters who are trying to solve Laura Palmer’s murder: the options are probably Dale Cooper, Audrey Horne, Donna Hayward, James Hurley, and Sheriff Truman.
Other characters in the show are categorized as Locals, Canadians, FBI, People from Another Place, and Laura Palmer. Depending on the character they will help or hinder the players in some way.
Players may encounter these characters in one of these ways:
“Someone’s at the Door” (locals)
“Someone’s Come to Town” (FBI, Canadians, people from Another Place when they manifest physically or possess someone)
“At One-Eyed Jack’s” (locals, Canadians)
“In a Dream, or Trance” (people from Another Place or Laura Palmer, encountered in a vision)
“Blue Rose” (people from Another Place or Laura Palmer, encountered when a player enters another reality or another point in time.)
Now, since I don’t know how the game works yet I don’t know whether those locations/events are spaces on a board, or stacks of cards that the players pull from at certain points in the investigation. I also don’t know what the objective is—ostensibly it’s to solve the murder of Laura Palmer, but because this is Twin Peaks, that seems like less of a victory condition and more of a reason for these characters to be on this journey. Maybe each character has a personal goal they’re trying to achieve whether they know it or not. Maybe the goal is Enlightenment, an insight into the nature of reality and their place in it.
If you want to play a tabletop game inspired by Twin Peaks that actually exists, check out Something is Wrong Here by Kira Magrann.
13th Age: Assault on the Dungeon of the Pogonomancer!
Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The renegade dwarf wizard Owlbeard and his evil hordes have launched an attack on his former clan. Your mission: find the wizard’s secret lair deep in the underworld, and assassinate him before the dwarves are defeated! 3rd level pregens are provided, and at the start of the session you’ll personalize them with backgrounds, relationships, and a One Unique Thing. Those choices then shape the adventure!
Night’s Black Agents: The Van Helsing Letter
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. You are covert operatives waging a bloody shadow war against Dracula and his minions. Now you’ve discovered a letter from Van Helsing himself that reveals the existence of another powerful undead horror. Can you find and destroy the creature before Dracula brings it under his control? A supernatural spy thriller adventure powered by the GUMSHOE investigative system.
Wade Rockett 