Case № 1 · printable detective game
The Midnight Museum
The Case of the Vanished Meteorite
Digital download (ZIP with PDFs). Price includes VAT where it applies; the exact amount is shown at checkout. Personal license for private events.
A look inside
Real pages from the kit
These are the actual printable pages, rendered from the files you download. Answers and the host guide are not shown.
The Director’s letter — read aloud to start
Suspect Sheet — five suspects, four traits each
Puzzle 1 — The Mirror Note
Puzzle 4 — The Greenhouse Pots
Puzzle 5 — The Secret Receipt (pigpen cipher)
Envelope labels — real and decoy look the same
Deduction Sheet — three clues, one thief
Certificate of Detection
The story
The Midnight Star — a meteorite that glows softly blue in the dark — has vanished from the Brightwater Museum of Natural History. The doors were locked. Only five people were inside.
Your detectives follow a trail of seven clues through the Star Hall, the Hall of Bones, the greenhouse, the gift shop and the basement. Every solved puzzle names the next envelope to open; three evidence cards narrow the suspects down to one.
At the end the team announces the thief and a three-digit code. If they are right, the Evidence Locker opens — and the Midnight Star is theirs.
Seven puzzles, one trail
Different skills in every envelope, so every detective gets a moment to shine. No outside knowledge, no phones.
- 1
The Mirror Note
A taunting note written backwards. Hold it up to a mirror… or think sideways.
- 2
The Dinosaur’s Numbers
A strip of numbers pinned to a T. rex tail. A = 1, B = 2 — the rest is up to them.
- 3
The Muddy Trail
Three sets of prints in the mud. One is the guard’s. One is the cat’s. One is the thief’s.
- 4
The Greenhouse Pots
Twelve flower pots, muddy fingerprints on some. Count carefully: the number opens a code.
- 5
The Secret Receipt
A gift-shop receipt in pigpen cipher. The key is on the card — the patience is theirs.
- 6
The Fuse Box
Nine switches, four clues, one answer. Pure logic.
- 7
The Secret Path
Follow the thief’s route through nine rooms to the hiding place — and the last digit.
What you print
- Host Guide (7 pages): 20-minute setup, how to run the game, a 3-level hint ladder for every puzzle, full answer key, troubleshooting
- Case File: the Director’s letter, Suspect Sheet with five suspects, Deduction Sheet, Detective Notebook
- Puzzle Cards: 7 linked puzzles — mirror writing, number code, footprints, counting, pigpen cipher, logic, a map route
- 3 Evidence Cards and 5 Decoy Cards (wrong answers get a friendly nudge, not a “no”)
- 12 Envelope Labels, party Invitations (two per page) and a Certificate of Detection
- Every file in A4 and US Letter, designed to print in black and white
About 25 pages per team. Everything is black-and-white friendly; the suspect sheet and certificate look lovely on thicker paper.
Questions about this case
- Can I hide the envelopes around the house?
- Yes. The game works on one table or as a treasure hunt — same cards. Tell the detectives which rooms are in play.
- What if they get stuck?
- The Host Guide has three hints for every puzzle. Give them one at a time; the third is the answer. Decoy envelopes also catch the most common wrong answers automatically.
- Is it scary?
- No. A meteorite goes missing from a museum; nobody is hurt and the thief has a very human reason. Suitable for sensitive kids.
- Can I use it in a classroom or at a paid event?
- Classrooms and clubs are fine with the personal license as long as nobody pays to play. For paid events, see For hosts.
- Can I play it again with the same kids?
- Once they know the thief, the mystery is solved. Print a second copy for a different group, or wait for the next case.