The Thirteenth Lot

Your story

Twelve objects are about to be sold. The curator is missing. Her last instruction asks you to find what the catalogue left out.

Enter a fictional museum auction as a small team. Compare records, rebuild a paper chart and follow the evidence through a complete cooperative mystery.

What you will do

• Compare: read the catalogue alongside permits, impressions, photographs and conservation records.
• Assemble: match borders and contact rings to rebuild a city chart from four printed pieces.
• Turn and revisit: use three paper selectors on the same chart as the investigation changes what you need from it.
• Decide together: combine findings, record observations and deliberately confirm your final action.

The digital investigation responds to your evidence across seven connected stages. Some are short evidence decisions; the deeper work lies in combining records and using the chart.

Inside your download

The complete English case, version 1.0.1, in one ZIP of about 16 MB:

• An 11-page A4 player PDF and an equivalent 11-page US Letter player PDF. Print one paper-size set.
• The offline digital investigation, with its opening scene, evolving evidence journal, readable story responses and complete ending.
• Quick-start instructions, three levels of hints for each stage, optional assisted recovery, full answers and help.
• Save export and restore for this edition.

Digital files only. No physical objects are shipped. The museum, objects and events are fictional. Gallery images include fictional game artwork and previews of supplied materials.

Prepare your table

Bring one desktop or laptop with desktop Chrome, a printer, 11 ordinary sheets of your chosen paper size, scissors and a pencil. Tape is optional.

Print either A4 or US Letter, single-sided, at 100% / Actual Size. Use the same scale on every page. Cut four large squares and three small squares when instructed; leave the other pages intact.

Essential clues work in black and white. Colour is optional, and illustrated pages use more ink than plain text pages. No pins, transparent sheets, precise double-sided alignment or audio are required.

Download and begin

Download and extract the entire ZIP into one folder. Keep its files and subfolders together, read QUICK-START.txt, then open START-HERE.html in desktop Chrome.

The extracted game runs offline with JavaScript enabled and needs no account or subscription.

Playing, pausing and replaying

Play together at one table with 2–4 adults. There are no secret roles, and no host needs to read the answers in advance. The story advances when you act, leaving room to discuss your evidence.

Use save export and restore for this edition. If the game reports session-only storage, export a save before closing. Replay follows the same case and solution.

Personal use and help

Your purchase covers private home games at one table with 2–4 players, reprinting for that use and personal backups. Do not redistribute the files or use them for commercial events or group licensing.

For help or another use, contact us with The Thirteenth Lot 1.0.1 and a description of what you need.