Tendrils of smoke rise from the butt of a dying cigarette. Moonlight pours in through the blinds, punctuated by a half-broken neon sign that reads: Stellar Motel. You sit behind a wall of plexiglass, checking in guests from every walk of life — until one never checks out. There was a murder last night, and no one seems to care who did it or why, except for you. In No-Tell Motel, a solo tabletop role-playing game by Ken Lowery, it’s up to you to filter through the labyrinth of gossip, observe the comings and goings of the motel’s patrons, and get to the bottom of this single-player murder mystery.
Played over the course of multiple in-game nights, No-Tell Motel uses a deck of playing cards and dice to randomly determine the mystery you are tasked with solving. Each day consists of multiple shifts (or, in other words, each round has three turns) — the night shift, the graveyard, and the morning shift. Guests check in and out each turn, based on the results of each die roll. Face cards determine who is occupying the motel’s six rooms, and the game comes with 16 pre-made non-player character dossier’s that give you background information on who these temporary residents are. Number cards reveal what juicy secrets they’re hiding from themselves and each other, while each suit offers a different type of clue and offers insights into why this shady character might be the killer.
As each day passes, the motives continue to build but the story gets more complicated than it seemed at first glance, making you doubt your instincts as the inner lives of these questionable motel denizens get as tangled as a red-stringed corkboard. The game comes with a prologue and epilogue system to generate the victim, but also what happens if you accuse the wrong person of the ultimate crime — if you put your nose where it doesn’t belong, an innocent person may go to prison and the real killer might target you next.
Delivered in the form of a pulpy comic, the paperback zine is written by Ken Lowery with art by Shawn McGuan and layout by Kelsea Zwerneman that evokes a grungy hotel lobby magazine complete with in-universe ads and all the best noir mystery vibes. Bundles for No-Tell Motel, like the review copy we received earlier this year, come with motel-themed paraphernalia like a No-Tell Motel keychain, matchbook, and metal ash- er, dice rolling tray.
The base game of No-Tell Motel is available on the Bannerless Games site for $20, and includes ephemera and a digital copy via the Bits and Mortar program. You can also find it on itch.io and at DriveThruRPG.
No-Tell Motel is available now. The product was previewed using retail product provided by Bannerless Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
Source：https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/504498/no-tell-motel-bannerless-games-solo-ttrpg-single-player-murder-mystery
