Hi Steve (of the Red Fez),

I think your idea is really great. I'm hoping to DM "Eye for an Eye" as a stand-alone at the days either side of Easter, and I would really like to use your "clue"-cards. Would you mind sharing them with me, or just write down a list of your clue-cards in a spoiler, so I can translate and use them? 

I just joined this forum to ask for the cards.

 Steve, 

Good day sir 

Very interested in seeing your clue cards and other eye for an eye elements, I am running a character creation evening this week and looking to start EfaE in about 2-3 weeks time

Would it be possible to get a copy of these as I am sure it would enhance the players enjoyment of the game.

Kind regards

Krisstoff

 Steve!

Great work! This was very inspiring!

Would it be possible to get a copy of your clue cards?

Best regards

 I second that! Awesome stuff, and I would love to get a copy of those cards as well!

 I appreciate everyone's feedback. I've decided to make the cards readily available to anyone who makes a request; just PM me and I'll send you a printable PDF (It's a little over 4 MB). There are a couple of companion resources that aren't yet included but which I'll make available soon. One is the timeline of all events in this adventure (dating all the way back to the founding of Grunewald Lodge). This is something I've found to be extremely useful. The other is a key to all of the clues. The key is very important because it tells you when and where each clue is found. You can use these cards without the key, but it is a nice convenience. Also keep in mind that some things have been embellished when I felt more material was needed. The cards will make this readily apparent, but don't let it throw you. Anything I've added has been to add more meat to the investigation.  

By the way, let me know if you discover any errors on these cards. It will permit me to improve them.

--Steve--

 how do you pm on this forum

sent you a friend request with details  

cheers

I've done the same, send you (= Steve) a friend request, only without details.

For some unknown reason, I couldn' t send a PM request with text/details to you.

Does this only work if I'm already accepted as a friend?

Regards,

Tuempelritter

Thanks for all of the interest, guys!  I've accepted all of the friend requests I've gotten so far. It looks like the Fantasy Flight PM system is down for the moment. Once it works, send me a message with your email address and I'll send the file.

--Steve--

 "The unblinking eye"

Behind the scenes there is a sight

an eye wich never flashes

it stares at you day and night

you shout yourself hoarse until the voice falters, the mind gives way and crashes

against the rocks in the universe deep foundations and finally you see the light

by Xewordin

Note: potential spoiler for An Eye for an Eye in this post.

thanks for emailing me a copy of your clue cards steve. they are very well done.

in practice did you not find some of them to be too overt? the hidden places clues in particular.

i'm trying to visualise how you use them... the players enter the library and you hand them a card titled 'hidden places' drawing attention to the carpet - wouldn't this simply result in them flipping the carpet?

or do you hold back the card until they discover the secret beneath it.

 This is a good question and one that I've gotten a few times. The simple answer is, no, it isn't too overt, but please allow me to elaborate. One of the biggest challenges facing a GM when running an investigative mystery is understanding how much information to give. For the most part, everything will seem like too much because the GM already knows the whole plot thus leading to a tight fist on any information. This is not a fun game to play in because there is very little feedback for the players to tell them they're on the right track.

For those who have not seen the clue cards, here is the text in question:

Clue #1 of 4: What an odd rug
The geometric design on the rug in the library seems to match the design on the frame of the painting. Is there some connection?

The clue in question is given out automatically once the characters have seen both the carpet and the creepy painting (the frame of the painting has similar markings). You are correct in stating that the characters will likely just flip over the carpet and find the trap door... and this is a good thing! You WANT the players to do this. Remember, the secret areas do not solve the mystery at all. They merely lead to additional clues. The flipping of the carpet and locating the hidden areas will make the players feel like they've discovered something. This will make them feel invested and proud of their accomplishment. It will also drive the story forward.

Most GMs feel instinctively that they are here to defend the mystery as though it were an NPC in a fight. This is not the case. Consider the alternative: the players never think to flip the carpet and never discover the hidden areas. The characters might get to the end of the adventure, but they miss out on all sorts of great story material and understand a lot less of the plot. This is a tremendous waste and accomplishes less than nothing. The risks the characters face in the game shouldn't be that they miss the adventure. In fact you want to encourage them to explore everything you've prepped and reward them consistently for doing so. You also want to give them MORE than enough information so that they can form a clear idea of what is going on by the time the end of the adventure draws near. This is the job of the GM in an investigative adventure. If they solve the adventure quickly (which is not likely since placing stacks of undiscovered clue cards in front of them virtually guarantees that they'll feel driven to collect them all), then they almost certainly had fun doing so. The opposite is almost never true.

I hope that helps clarify things a bit.

--Steve--

Oh, In case you're wondering, yes, all of the undiscovered clue cards are left face down in plain view. They are sorted into their little piles (series A, series B, etc.) and left there so that the players can get a sense of how much there is to discover. Some players also take note of how many cards are left in a series, or how many series they haven't yet discovered. This is fine so long as they don't read the front of the cards (no one has yet tried to do this). This helps them feel they can gauge their progress in the investigation.

 ok i get it now.

what i was wary of was if the discovery of the clue was automatic then why have it there in the first place and not simply state there is as a funky rug underneath which is a trap door.

i hadn't considered that the simple act of the pc's choosing to flip the rug and discover the trapdoor was empowering even though it was telegraphed.

however this leads me to wonder you are disempowering the player who has invested in observation as a skill because now the skill is moot.

i really like what i'm reading and don't mean to come across as unduly critical. i would like to know if you have tried a system where some clues are given freely and additional information is awarded for skill use? if not, why not?

 Not to worry, you aren't sounding unduly critical. I still haven't sent out the accompanying clue key (still editing it) which tells you how every clue is gotten and how all of this works. To put it simply, there are several methods by which clues are given. Some are given by the mere presence of a character in a location, others by interacting with people or objects, still others are gotten by being trained in a given skill (my preference), and most rarely by resorting to a skill roll. The reason for making skill rolls the last resort is because some clues MUST be given or there will be no investigation. Even if you give them a dozen fortune dice there is a chance of failure and thus a chance your game will grind to a halt. Far better to automatically give it to a character that actually trained in a skill and resort to the dice if no one is trained in it. 

The ease of getting a clue is based upon many factors, but the constant guideline is "can the adventure function properly if this is missed?". Granted, you can find a way to force a clue into the game if they miss it but if you're willing to do that then why make it hard to get in the first place? Always err in favor of fun... that's my view. Give them a try and see what happens. The moment a player suddenly makes a mad search through the clue cards because he feels like he's put together a piece of the puzzle, you'll feel like it all makes sense. 

As for the carpet, in my version of the game the trapdoor is locked. They can pick the lock (1 challenge die) but it does add a slight amount of resistance to instantly searching the hidden areas (as well as giving skulduggerous characters something more to do). The ultimate goal is really to guarantee that the characters will know that there IS a hidden area or else they might never find out. This is what i mean about the clue pushing the story forward.

--Steve--

 Thank you very much! I used to be a GM for quite a while and always thought that I am always on the players's side. And I think I am right but not when it comes to detective stories. It's strange but I always had this feeling that I have to hide all the clues to provide a better players' experience. But now am realizing that actually finding the clues is the real fun. Thank you for opening my eyes on this. It's like "why didn't I think of this myself?"

 Thanks so much for the clue cards

I start this on Sunday this week and was wondering if you could email me the guidance notes you have on using them if they are ready

I know you have already stated these are getting reworked 

But would be happy to look over what you have from a independent view point

Think of me as a test case 

King regards

Krisstoff