The Ninth Step

An old harbour. A vanished surveyor.
A story the records no longer support.

A fictional detective case to download, print and solve together.

Get the case — $12 Read the sample

$12 USD · All four print editions · No physical shipment

2–4 adultsOne shared investigation

25 core pagesPrint at home

60–90 min targetNot yet human-playtested

Entirely offlineAfter download & printing

From The Ninth StepThe opening report

Wren Harbour Gazette

2026 · Local reportWren Harbour

Chamber finding reopens harbour disappearance

The disappearance of surveyor Ella Venn is under review after redevelopment of the old North Inspection Chamber established that she died there on the evening she vanished.

Ella was checking a publicly funded repair contract at Wren Harbour on 18 September 2004. Her field case travelled on the evening ferry, and a photograph filed with the investigation appeared to support the account that she had left voluntarily.

The renewed review must now reconsider that departure account alongside the surviving harbour records. Ella’s identity and death in the chamber are established. The file still has to explain what happened that evening and who was responsible.

From the opening page of The Ninth Step. No solution revealed.

Inside the case

Read records, compare accounts, and decide what happened together. Everyone investigates. No one needs to know the answer in advance.

25 core pages

Getting started: 2
Evidence: 18
Optional hints: 2
Separate solution: 3

Also includes optional assembly materials and separate text HTML companions.

Case documents
Records, accounts, photographs and maps
Shared answer sheet
Make one evidence-backed account together
Optional hints
Open only when you want a nudge
Separate solution
Keep it closed until you are ready

Bring your people.
Bring a pencil.

No host. No roleplay. Everyone investigates.

01
Print & gather.
Print the file. Put the separate hints and solution aside.
02
Read & reconstruct.
Spread out the records. Compare what you find.
03
Make your case.
Agree on answers. Then open the solution.

Four editions. One mystery.

Every purchase includes all four. Choose one edition for your paper and printer; the case is the same in each.

A4

210 × 297 mm

Two included editions

Colour
Low-ink

US Letter

8.5 × 11 inches

Two included editions

Colour
Low-ink

Digital PDFs + text HTML companions. Nothing is shipped. Print one edition at 100% / actual size.

A few things to know.

Content notes

A missing person, off-page death, deliberate confinement, implied drowning, a brief printed request for help, financial misconduct and strained relationships. No gore or body imagery. The people and incident are fictional.

Designed for 2–4 adults. The 60–90 minute duration is a target; a blind human playtest and physical print check are still pending.

What do we need to play?

A printer, a pencil, a clear table and 2–4 adults. Print the two getting-started pages and 18 evidence pages. Keep the two hint pages and three solution pages separate until needed.

No host, roleplay or internet connection is needed during play.

How do the downloads work?

One purchase includes A4 and US Letter, each in colour and low-ink. Save and extract the main download ZIP. If it contains edition ZIPs, choose one and extract that ZIP too. Open OPEN-FIRST.html, then 00-Print-and-Setup-Guide.pdf.

Read the download and printing guide

Can I try it before buying?

Yes. The free sample above is the genuine opening page, with the case introduction, local news clipping and setup instructions. No solution is revealed.

Read the free sample

What about support and refunds?

Our support page links to digital delivery, refund, privacy and file-use terms, plus public contact details.

View delivery, support & policies

The Ninth Step

Spread out the evidence.
See where the story leads.

$12 USD

All four print editions.
One shared investigation.

Get the case — $12

Digital download · No physical shipment

The Hollow Tide

Some doors should stay beneath the water.

In Blackwater, every Halloween ends with thirteen bells from a church lost to the sea. This year, something answers.

Halloween / cosmic mystery Coming soon

Enter the story Explore The Ninth Step

A first glimpse. No release date announced.

Halloween / cosmic mystery

Thirteen bells have become a custom. A ringing telephone has not.

Explore the archive

Coming soon

No release date has been announced. This case is not available to purchase or preorder.

Tell me when it opens

The Blackwater archive

Harbour office

After the bells

I lifted the receiver. A voice said, “You have left one of us outside.” I heard water moving, although the office was dry. The call ended before I could ask a question.
— Ada Fen, incident note

An old telephone on a harbour-office desk, imagined as a fictional setting.

Blackwater

A church the sea kept.

Place notes

Blackwater,
in fragments.

The church: Lost to the sea. Still part of the town’s life.
The bells: Thirteen, every Halloween.
The telephone: Disconnected. Until a voice answers.

Early artwork and story excerpts from a case in development.

Explore The Ninth Step

Be there when the tide turns.

The Hollow Tide is in development. Leave your email for release news.

The Ninth Step

Chamber finding reopens harbour disappearance

Inside the case

Case documents

Shared answer sheet

Optional hints

Separate solution

Bring your people.Bring a pencil.

Print & gather.

Read & reconstruct.

Make your case.

Four editions. One mystery.

A4

US Letter

A few things to know.

Content notes

The Ninth Step

The Hollow Tide

Thirteen bells have become a custom. A ringing telephone has not.

Coming soon

The Blackwater archive

After the bells

A church the sea kept.

Blackwater,in fragments.

Be there when the tide turns.

Bring your people.
Bring a pencil.

Blackwater,
in fragments.