The Star Trek franchise is a flexible one, in which the best Trek series find time to be both serious and silly, to host trial episodes, action-adventure, submarine thrillers, and even the occasional mystery (with or without Data dressed up as Sherlock Holmes).
Maybe that’s what makes Beadle & Grimm’s latest project, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, such a no-brainer: It’s not simply that a murder mystery on a Starfleet vessel makes sense, but that a murder mystery on a Starfleet vessel is part and parcel of what makes Star Trek great.
Though known primarily for its high-end TTRPG accessories — props, maps, minis, and other well-crafted bits and bobs that give a home game that extra oomph — B&G has recently adventured into the realm of licensed murder mystery game boxes, releasing Murders at Karlov Manor: The Case of the Three Blade Knife, set in the world of Magic: The Gathering. And for its Trek boxes, it leaned on talent and enthusiasm.
“We had the good fortune of working with murder mystery writer and Star Trek super fan Anne Tibbets to brainstorm the murder backstory,” Beadle & Grimm’s head of production Jon Ciccolini told Polygon via email. “The fun is in finding that balance between satisfying lore, mystery twists, and boxed game mechanics.”
Tibbets’ plotting was in service of Star Trek: Picard: Murder on the Titan-A, in which players will step aboard the Federation starship Titan-A (as featured in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard) to exonerate its Captain Shaw of murder. “Murder on the Titan-A centers on a group of people who have gathered for Peace Talks,” said Ciccolini, “and that clash of representatives from different factions made for the perfect murder scenario!”
When Polygon asked about any new mechanics or twists in Titan-A, Ciccolini was understandably averse to giving details, but he said that Murders at Karlov Manor was a key touchstone. “[That game] informed the decisions we’re making on this one. Everything from timing to structure to how to interact with the augmented reality elements.”
Murder on the Titan-A will utilize the Pinfinity augmented reality phone app to give players an included Starfleet badge, enabling electronic game elements, auditory clues, and messages — including the participation of actor Todd Stashwick, who played Captain Shaw in Star Trek: Picard.
But Titan-A is only one of two box games supported by Beadle & Grimm’s Kickstarter. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Mary Celeste is the gamemaker’s first escape room box. It will put players in the shoes of a Starfleet cadet investigating a strangely abandoned alien ship, and incorporate similar AR elements to Titan-A.
When Polygon asked about the inspirations behind Mary Celeste, Ciccolini said that, even though an escape room box was a new frontier for Beadle & Grimm, “we definitely learned a lot from our own experience writing TTRPG adventures and [Murders at Karlov Manor]. We were also fortunate to have great collaborators, like Spencer Beebe, our puzzle designer.”
B&G’s crowdfunding campaign for Star Trek: Picard: Murder on the Titan-A and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Mary Celeste has currently quadrupled its goal, and will be accepting pledges until the clock strikes midnight PST on Friday, Nov. 22. The games are available for individual purchase, or together, with a collection of optional add-ons, and are expected to ship in August 2025 — you can head over to the Kickstarter page for more info.
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