The Swindon
Village Murder

Margaret Ellery, who ran the village fête for thirty years, was found dead beside the brook. The raffle takings are gone. Someone who was at the fête did it — and they are still walking these streets.

You have 24 hours from the moment you start. Bring a charged phone and comfortable shoes.

How it works

Your phone is your notebook, your map and your warrant.

Sign up and join a game Register with your email, then pick the game you're playing — or enter the invite code you were sent.
Walk the village The map shows the play area. Suspects appear as gold markers; some stay put, some move about. Step outside the boundary and the game greys out.
Get close to question someone Stand within 10 metres of a person to speak to them. Press them with the right question and they'll tell you more than they meant to.
Search for evidence Green markers are objects worth finding. Some are guarded by riddles. Some are red herrings — the village is full of them.
Make the arrest When you know who did it, find them, get within range and press Arrest. Get it right and the case closes. Get it wrong and it costs you.

Ground rules

Read these before you set off. They keep the game fun and everyone safe.

Stay on public ground

Every character and every clue is placed on public property — pavements, footpaths, greens and public rights of way. If reaching something seems to require entering a garden, a field, a driveway or any private land, you have misread the map. It isn't there.

Never trespass

Do not enter private property, climb anything, or open any gate that isn't a public right of way. No clue in this game is worth it. Nothing in the game will ever ask you to.

Look up from the phone

This is a real village with real traffic. Stop walking when you read. Cross roads properly. Watch children and dogs. The murderer can wait.

Respect the village

People live here. Keep the noise down, don't block paths or gateways, take your litter home, and be considerate near the church and the school.

Stay together

If you're playing as a team, keep within 200 metres of one another — the game pauses your team's progress if you drift further apart.

Play in daylight, sensibly

Dress for the weather, take water, and if you're under 16, play with an adult. You can pause the game at any time.

A word about the story

Everyone in this game is invented. The victim, the suspects and the crime are entirely fictional. No character is based on any real person, living or dead, and any resemblance to a real resident, business or event is coincidental and unintended.

No real crime took place in Swindon Village. Please don't approach members of the public, question residents, or knock on doors as part of the game — the only people you need to speak to exist on your screen.

Play at your own risk and use your own judgement. You are responsible for your own safety, and for anyone you bring with you.