DOSSIER REVIEW HOW TO

As such, even though there was a lot of open-ended reading involved in this experience, it authentically contributed to Abigail’s goal of communicating only with us.

DOSSIER REVIEW HOW TO

Third, the narrative and puzzle components were convincingly interwoven to obscure the most important breadcrumbs, reinforcing the conceit that Abigail was skillfully hiding clues from unintended and/ or hostile audiences.Īlthough a casual inspection of the materials did risk inadvertently revealing one or two clues out of sequence, most of the investigation required sorting between interesting fluff and the actual substance needed to understand how to meaningfully interact with the items. This was completely appropriate for the narrative but may be overwhelming if you prefer more direction or linearity. Second, all of the materials were available to browse from the beginning of the game, making this experience much more similar to a realistic sleuthing situation rather than a contrived tabletop gaming experience. The realism came from many angles.įirst and most obviously, the production value was stunning, with strikingly authentic 1970s materials that had been crumpled, worn, or otherwise aged. All aspects of the game contributed to the illusion that we were poring over authentic documents that the long-lost Abigail Vandermist had encoded with a trail leading to her whereabouts. The Vandermist Dossier was an utterly believable and richly tangible mystery experience.

Dossier review