Welcome back to the monthly design diaries series of 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.

For the first Design Diaries of the year that isn't about Gardens of Rust, I decided to go back to what was going to be the original Design Diaries episode of 2026... my two-player buddy cop TTRPG Decktectives.

In this game, the two players sit down and create a pair of detectives or investigators who are going to solve a crime in around 1 hour of real time like an episode your favorite procedural using a deck of cards and a Three Act Structure with "commercial breaks."

The game mechanics are very simple, using cards from small hands to overcome prompts and obstacles flipped from a 3x3 grid representing each Act of the investigation to create piles of Clues & Complications. By the end, hopefully your duo has amassed enough evidence to put away the culprit (or solve the crime and let it slide).

I'm confident this one's done design-wise, I just need to get the layout done. SOMEONE YELL AT ME UNTIL I DO!

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Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest | I Know I Know You, But I Don't Know How...

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Rain, Book And Cup Of Tea by | e s c p | https://www.escp.space