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Review
Picton Murder Whodunnit is a short and sparse random-perpetrator murder mystery. I played through it only once, so I can't really comment on the mechanics of the random assignment of the murderer.
The setting of an upper-class mansion with its inhabitants (and a butler!) is something that inspires high expectations in me. There are many opportunities for drama and/or humour here, in the story/plot as well as in the characterization. Unfortunately, the game let me down on both counts.
Storywise, Picton Murder Whodunnit is just too sparse. There is no background on the murder or the victim. The family's affairs are given naught but the faintest of hints. Even within the constraints of the randomization, a vague account of the events leading up to the murder would have been very welcome.
An upper-class mystery-game of this kind stands or falls, in my opinion, by the pointed characterization of the people involved. There is a lot of room for either a deep psychological profile or a funny charicature of the well known rich family trope-characters.
In the game however, there is only the highly prejudiced opinion of the PC, which I found rather unprofessional for the expert-investigator the introduction claims he is.
Perhaps the randomization mechanism would blow my mind upon replay. I will not know because I will not replay. There just isn't enough there.
