BGM: Thirteen Moons

The time has come, let games begin.

First Round: First Two Bodies
Krauss found in Jessica's room and Reinon found in the flooded boiler room.

Your move.

Reinon's death is no mystery. For some reason or another, she followed similar steps as I did in the third round and ended up in Jessica's room. There, someone attacked her and tied her up in the basement. Of course, it's possible that someone else caused the basement to flood.

As for the closed room, Reinon could have locked the door before she was attacked.

>>16687
Well I won't bother to deny the first part, as for the closed room however,

Reinon did not lock Jessica's room.

Anymore theories?

The key that Archer grabbed wasn't the genuine key to Jessica's room! When Genji bent down to get a "better look" at the key, he swapped it with the real one, Indiana Jones style!

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)15:36:45

>>16688
I expected this theory eventually...

Sadly, There is only one key to Jessica's room. The key Archer found was indeed said key.

Anyone could have used the key Archer found to lock the door. Someone locked the door then put it on her person.

>>16691
You seem to forget an important aspect of this mystery.

After the servant room was locked at midnight, the boiler room key wasn't used until the flood was discovered in the morning. Sanon gave a nice long speech about this later in the round. In addition even after they unlocked the door Archer had to help Genji and Rudolf remove debris from in front of the door which would have stopped people from entering the boiler room.

Care to explain this?

So what? The boiler room key was never "used" at all. Archer never saw the room locked and Kinjo managed to enter the boiler room late at night without the use of a key! The key that Archer saw in the door was just for show.

>>16693
Heh, once again I anticipated this!

The door was indeed locked, in fact Genji unlocked the door as Archer was heading down the staircase, literally seconds before finding Rudolf and Genji trying to enter the room.

Someone locked Reinon in the basement before midnight while the room slowly filled up with water. They then placed the key in the servant's room before it was seen.

>>16695
Care to inform us how they could have done that?

If you recall Sanon was in the servant room for the majority of the night. Her account of the matter goes against your theory completely, after all Sanon did not lie in her testimony.

During the two minutes that Sanon was absent from the servant's room, someone entered and took the key. This wasn't heard because the door was never closed after, as suggested by Rudolf during his round.

>>16697
While that might work in theory, It would take at least five minutes for someone to take the key, lock the boiler room, and then put it back. Even if someone was able to take the key as you suggest Sanon told you she was only gone for no more than two minutes.

>>16698
It took five minutes to return the key after taking it? But what if the culprit never returned the key, or at least did not return the key immediately. This bypasses your red, allowing for the key to be returned later.

>>16699
Again, in theory it might work, however Sanon told you she saw it once she returned.

The key was taken in the two minute window, and replaced with the boiler room key for the guesthouse. It stands to reason that both would have similar-shaped keys.

>>16701
Heh. That is correct.

Sanon mistook the other boiler room key for the one to the mansion, when in fact it had been switched during the 2 minute period. It was then put back after the servant room was opened in the morning to make look as if it was never moved.

I hope you are ready for the next ones.

>>16702
Second Round: First Body
Krauss, once again found in Jessica's room.

Who would ever expect a mystery where you have to solve the same person's death twice? In any case, your move.

Genji planted the key after he broke into the room through the window.

Let's get the obvious moves out of the way.

>>16704
That classic trick eh?

The key was not planted into the room after breaking in.

The culprit left through the window, and closed it behind them. If Genji can jump from the balcony to the window, it stands to reason that the opposite is also possible. Genji then locked the window used when he entered.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)17:38:17

>>16706
It sounds almost like a variation of the last theory, anyway sorry to disappoint but...

All of the windows were locked when Genji entered the room.

While Genji had everyone distracted, someone unlocked the door to Jessica's room and placed the key inside. They left before Genji could enter the room.

>>16709
Interesting theory, however it is also wrong.

The key was already in the room when the player woke up. It wasn't moved until they found it in the room.

Jessica's room remained unlocked throughout the night, until Kinjo's group went to look for Krauss, although the key remained there. When they all entered the study, either Asune or Sanon entered Jessica's room, and locked it from the inside. Then, after Genji broke the window and everyone circled into the corridor, they left through the broken window, and went back downstairs while everyone was occupied with the corpse.

>>16711
My my these theories just keep getting better and better.

Nobody was hiding in the room from midnight to when the window was broken.

Surely the people in the dining room would have commented if they had snuck off right?

The door wasn't actually locked. Krauss just barricaded it in a way that made it seem like it was while he was dying. Genji took the barricade away after he entered.

>>16714
Nope.

The door was really locked upon discovery.

Genji removed the Krauss barricade, locked the door as Kinjo's group approached the door, then unlocked it when he heard them arrive.

>>16716
Good for being cautious, however in this case...

The door was already locked when the player woke up and remained that way until Genji unlocked it for the player to enter.

The window Genji smashed was unlocked. After it was smashed, it was no longer considered a 'window', and is excluded from the reds regarding the locking of windows.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)18:14:49

>>16718
Don't be silly.

Even if smashed the window still is considered a window.

With his last breaths, Krauss locked the door or window and created a closed room.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)18:18:16

>>16720
Another classic trick eh?

Krauss did not lock the room.

Let's backtrack a bit.

No-one ever hid in the room. They hid in the closet until Genji broke the window!

>>16722
Sorry, The closet counts as part of the room.

I'm really running out of steam.

When Genji was removing the debris from the window with the chair, he used the leg of it to lock the window whilst he was still outside.

>>16724
That is correct.

You're blue explains it pretty well, so I won't reword it. Simple trick spiced with some sly red, gotta watch out for that.

>>16725
Third Round: First Body
Natsuhi found in the parlor.

A murder you found long after its discovery, should be simple right? (For record sake, I just noticed that Rudolf's story from the third round had a major error in it, it is now edited)

Genji locked the door from outside with his master key.

Let's get this over with.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)18:43:34

Natsuhi was killed by a trap.

My theory in the game.

>>16727
No master key was used to create this closed room.

>>16728
No trap was used to kill Natsuhi

Genji shot Natsuhi through the door.

>>16730
Natsuhi was not shot from outside of the room.

Request: Rudolf is telling the truth.

>>16732
Rudolf isn't lying in regards to his tale of discovering those two closed rooms.

Someone shot through the window and killed Natsuhi. Failing that, Natsuhi killed herself and used a rope trick to send the gun to the other side of the door and lock it.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)19:05:59

>>16734
How weird.

Natsuhi did not kill herself. Natsuhi was shot by someone in the room at point blank range.

Someone else killed Natsuhi and used a stupidly elaborate rope trick.

Last edited at 14/09/14(Sun)19:10:06

>>16736
Good enough. For full disclosure, this howdunit really was made last moment. After seeing your theories and looking over it again I think it would have been best to have left it out. Anyway,

The door was sealed similar to how putting a pole between the door handles on a double door would stop someone from opening it, but with rope being tied around the handles instead. Rudolf mistook it for being locked.

>>16737
Alright enough of the simple mysteries, lets start to slowly increase the difficulty.

Third Round: Third Body.
Genji in the study.

Seems like you have all been very interested with this one.

Genji suffered from previous injuries that he suddenly fell victim to.

Alternatively, the ropes binding Genji killed him.

>>16739
How unique.

Genji did not die from previously inflicted wounds. Such as the ones he got while being beat up by Rudolf and Hideyoshi.

The ropes he was bound in did not aid in his death in any way.

...Genji swallowed a suicide pill.

>>16741
Heh, had to try it right?

Genji did not die from any poison or suicide pill.

While I wasn't paying attention, someone stabbed Genji while he sat in his chair. Nobody noticed due to the ropes surrounding him.

>>16743
Creative, sounds like something from a classic novel.

Sadly, you would have noticed if anyone in the room did that.

Genji swallowed something sharp or otherwise inedible that killed him.

>>16746
Genji did not swallow anything that killed him.

Genji died from natural causes.

>>16748
Genji did not die of natural causes. To be clear, Genji didn't die at this point in time during the other rounds, so it was deliberate. It was nothing like a random stroke, or even a something induced like a heart attack.

Genji bit off his own tongue.

>>16750
Correct. Like those horror stories you'd hear from old veterans, he bit off his tongue after being captured.

Pretty simple, like I said right? Anyway moving on to bigger and better...

>>16751
Fourth Round: Second Body
Jessica found in the guesthouse boiler room.

I'll give you a freebie red before you make any theories.
After Jessica was attacked, the killer never went back up the stairs for the rest of the round.

The killer hid under the trapdoor in the boiler room.

Probably not that simple, you have a reputation when it comes to boiler rooms...

>>16753
Of course, the boiler rooms just end up that way on their own.

Nobody hid inside the guesthouse boiler room.

The trapdoor leads to somewhere outside 'the guesthouse boiler room', and the culprit used it to leave.

>>16755
The trap door does not lead out of the room. No matter what is behind the trap door, it still counts as part of the guesthouse boiler room.

Jessica was killed by a trap, the mechanism for which involves whatever's behind the trap door.

>>16757
Trap X, Really now?
Jessica wasn't killed by a trap.

Jessica wasn't attacked. She had an asthma attack, leaned on the shelf for support, and caused it to fall on top of her.

>>16759
Nice theory, however
Jessica was attacked by her killer at point blank range. This is murder.

The culprit attacked Jessica, then pretended to be the first on the scene to discover her.

>>16761
Sanon was the first person to find Jessica.

As you saw Sanon was already back up the stairs standing in the servant room by the time you got there.

There exists an exit to the boiler room other than the stairs to the servant's room.

Seeing as we never explored this room, it might be possible... maybe?

>>16763
Sorry to disappoint, but the staircase is the only entrance/exit to the guesthouse boiler room.

Jessica was killed after Sanon discovered her, by someone else who entered the room at that time.

>>16765
Nope, After being attacked no other actions to kill Jessica were taken. Of course, Jessica was attacked before Sanon discovered her.

>>16766
The killer attacked Jessica at point blank range in the servant's room. Then Jessica fell down the trap door, which the killer closed. Thus, the killer never went back up the stairs, because they never went down them in the first place!

You completely have your layout of this place mixed up, but I'll give it to you since the theory is technically correct. The trap door is at the bottom of the boiler room etc.

The killer pushed Jessica down the stairs with the key, as she fell she broke her neck and smashed into the shelf causing all the tools to fall on top of her.

So yes, they never even needed to enter the room to kill her. Of course she didn't die until you got there. Moving on.

>>16768
First Round: ??? Body
Jessica who died in front of you on the balcony.

Alright, this is the last howdunit. No freebie red, I'll let you prod your way cautiously on this one.

>>16769
There is no mystery. During the explosion, the killer shot Jessica with a gun from afar.

>>16770
It sure seems like that is the case doesn't it?
Jessica's killer was no more than five feet away from her when she died. The person you saw on the ground in front of the mansion with a gun was more than 10 feet away.

It's no closed room, but it is still a mystery.

>>16771
Three people were killed by two gunshots. The killer, who was not seen, was five feet away, and aimed their shot at Jessica. Another person, who was ten feet away, aimed their shot at the killer. Archer died from the rules of the game, not from the second gunshot.

>>16772
Good eye.

The killer was five feet away and was aiming to shoot Jessica, however they were shot by the person on the ground before they were able to do so. The killer then in turn shot the person on the ground, rather than Jessica. Natsuhi is also further than ten feet away in the opposite direction. And naturally Archer did indeed die from the rules of the game.

Still doesn't answer Jessica's death though.

>>16773
The debris from the explosion lodged itself in Jessica's lungs, and due to her asthma, she started coughing up blood and quickly dying.

>>16774
Jessica did not die from debris from the explosions, nor did explosions kill her in any way.

>>16775
The killer shot Jessica after shooting the other shooter.

>>16776
Nope, After shooting each other the person on the ground and the killer both died without taking another action.

>>16777
Then it must follow that "Jessica's killer" and "the killer" are not the same person.

>>16778
The killer that I have been referring to intentionally killed Jessica.

>>16779
Jessica was poisoned earlier in the day, and it finally took effect during the explosions and gunshots, when the killer was near.

>>16780
...Any idea how this was done?

>>16781
Shortly before leaving the parlor, Jessica breathed in her inhaler. So at any point before that, the killer simply needed to place poison in the inhaler, and Jessica would eventually breathe it in.

>>16782
Bingo, we have a winner.

During the night Jessica's inhaler was poisoned, later in the game she needed to use it and the poison happened to take effect near the end like you said. Her deaths in Rounds 1, 2, and 3 are the same. The reason 5th ended so quickly was because you locked the inhaler inside of her room, so in turn she was poisoned during breakfast instead.

Good work, if we were still counting then Ouro, GE, and Kinjo would be tied with Rudolf lagging behind. Not that it matters, the who/why will be the only thing to determine the winner.

>>16783
Alright then, all the howdunits are solved. We are at the finale of the game.

All the players must now write up their final theory for the who/why and send it to me over skype before Wednesday /seacats/ board time (deadline is Tuesday at midnight if that makes more sense). So that is more or less two days, which I think is rather generous. Since the howdunits weren't much of a competition, whoever has the most correct theory for the who/why will be considered the winner, of course if nobody gets close enough then I win.

Edit: I was ready to post however Ouro hasn't been on at all, he probably doesn't even know about the deadline. I'm giving him a half day to send me the theory, for I am posting the solution tomorrow regardless.

>>16784
Who: Natsuhi
Why: She felt guilt for killing the baby that Kinzo gave her and decided to kill her own daughter to balance the scales. Krauss finds out what she plans to do and she kills him as well. In my game, she ended her own life. Genji didn't want Jessica to know the truth of her mother's crimes or suicide, so he confessed to the crime. In Ouro's game, Genji tried to stop Natsuhi, but she killed him and Krauss took the blame for his wife.

Who: Rosa
Why: Needed money for Maria in hospital or something.

(note that Rudolf had literally no time to make a theory, so this is all I got)

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Let's assume that the culprit does not die by their own hand.
After all, the culprit is the same among all games, while different people are murdered.
This eliminates:

KRAUSS
NATSUHI
REINON
GENJI
JESSICA

We are left with:

EVA, HIDEYOSHI, RUDOLF, KYRIE, ROSA, BATTLER, GEORGE, ANGE, SANON, ASUNE, GOHDA

Let's also assume the culprit cannot trick or deceive themselves on purpose.
Now look at the red truth from the endgame.
We have red confirming that Sanon was tricked by the culprit.
Also, Rudolf did not lie about his story in the third round, and he was also misled.

We are left with:

EVA, HIDEYOSHI, KYRIE, ROSA, BATTLER, GEORGE, ANGE, ASUNE, GOHDA

Krauss and Genji forged the letter. Krauss had written it to make it seem like Jessica was really Kinzo's granddaughter, when he believed she was the daughter of Kinzo and Beatrice (Kinzo's supposed mistress).
Natsuhi then confesses to Krauss that Jessica was really her daughter. While Krauss is overjoyed that the letter isn't lying after all, Genji felt deceived, and decided to kill Jessica (an unfitting heir).

The second envelope Jessica received was a note from Krauss, telling Jessica to play along with everything. Jessica lies to Kinjo when he asks her about its contents, not wanting to incriminate her deceased father.

Genji poisoned Jessica's inhaler. He entered the room and turned on the light, searching for it. During this time, Krauss entered the room (thinking Jessica was awake past her bedtime).
But Krauss soon realized what Genji was doing, and tried to stop him. They got into a fight, and Genji won.

In the first round, Reinon goes to deliver medicine to Rosa (for her daughter). On her way there, she witnesses Genji's crime, and is knocked out and tied up in the boiler room as a result.
This is because Reinon had the mansion shift.

In the second and fourth rounds, when Asune has the mansion shift, she takes a different path, and does not die.
This is because she is off having fun with Battler. Reinon could also not be reached by phone, thanks to Kinjo, so Rosa was unable to call anyone.
Furthermore, in the fourth round Krauss wins the struggle, killing Genji in self-defense.

In the third round, Guinevere takes Reinon's place, and in the fifth round, Maria prevents Genji from entering the room at all.

However, while Genji is heavily involved in these crimes, he is not the culprit. Specifically because of the fourth round, in which Jessica dies from something other than poison, after Genji is already dead.
There is another person who kills Jessica, and this person is the culprit.

This person... is Asune.

Consider everyone's alibis for that murder.

Eva, Hideyoshi, Kyrie, and Rosa were in the study with Togami.
George, Battler, and Ange were last seen with Jessica in Jessica's room.

We are left with:

ASUNE, GOHDA

Asune has no alibi for Jessica's murder in the fourth round, while everyone else (besides Gohda) is accounted for.
Gohda has absolutely no motive to be involved in any sort of murder scheme, but Asune certainly does.

Asune's motivation is simple: she wants Battler to become the head of the family, not Jessica, and so she wants Jessica dead.
Asune has worked here for years and would be a good friend of Jessica. She would also know Battler from a previous conference, and probably stayed in contact.
Having read lots of mystery novels thanks to Battler, she would know how to perform murders that other people wouldn't be able to do.

Asune was last seen in the laundry room, but enough time would have passed for her to go to the guesthouse and back.
Togami finds Asune with George, Battler, and Ange, having effectively taken Jessica's place.
Somehow Jessica ended up going to the guesthouse, where Sanon found her dead.

Furthermore, Asune does not have an alibi for the previous night. She always leaves the mansion or guesthouse around 11 pm to go see Battler.
However, anything could happen during this time, regardless of whether or not Battler even knows about her intentions.
Asune is also completely unaccounted for during the first round's endgame. It's possible that Battler is the one who shot her, too.

Now, as for the connection between Genji and Asune...

Asune is the baby that Natsuhi thought she murdered years ago, but secretly survived.
Thus, Asune is the true successor. Genji realized this, and went to tell Asune.
They formulated a plan and together sought to kill Jessica as soon as possible.

Genji would do all of Asune's work, being a loyal servant to his master. He would also take all of the blame for the murders upon himself, allowing Asune to live peacefully with Battler.
And as we all know, murder alone does not make Genji the culprit -- he was simply acting as furniture, he himself the murder weapon through which Asune carried out all her plans.

Good game, Ozaki. You fooled me once. But you can't put me in an RP game with a maid culprit twice in a row and expect me to be fooled again!!!

Last edited at 14/09/18(Thu)09:43:32