The Marionette Theatre

Free download - optional contribution The Marionette Theatre is a complete 27-page mystery game, not a demo or shortened sample. Download it for $0, or make an optional contribution if you would like to support future Hidden Dossier cases. No payment is required. An actress vanishes after what appears to be her final bow. On 10 June 1978, Clara Venn disappears following the closing performance at Crescent Pier Marionette Theatre in Ashford Bay. The audience apparently watched her take a final bow, but the witness accounts and backstage records leave important questions unanswered. Decades later, a life-sized puppet recovered in 2026 yields a theatre ticket, a hotel key and film. These objects reopen an investigation into the missing actress and what happened behind the curtains. In The Marionette Theatre, you will compare witness accounts with stage records, examine photographic evidence and reconstruct the events surrounding Clara’s disappearance. Decide what the evidence actually proves before opening the solution. Examine the evidence - Compare the seating plan and seat ledger with five witness accounts. - Cross-check stage cues, prompt logs and prop records. - Examine a curtain-call photograph and three film frames. - Follow the theatre ticket and hotel key through the surviving records. - Investigate insurance documents and private-sale records. - Reconstruct movements, opportunity and timing before making your final deductions. What you receive - One complete 27-page PDF mystery case file. - Medium difficulty. - Estimated 60–90 minutes of gameplay. - 1+ players: suitable for solo play, couples or small groups. - Recommended for ages 14+. - Play on screen or print at home. - No cutting required. - Instructions, evidence and solution included. This is a self-guided, one-session investigation. No host or game master is required. Content note Disappearance, impersonation and theatre fraud. Digital download This is a downloadable PDF. No physical item will be shipped. For personal use only. Redistribution, resale and public sharing are not permitted. AI disclosure AI-assisted tools supported the creation of some written and visual elements in this game. Every stage involved substantial human direction, judgement and revision, including the concept, mystery structure, evidence, logic, wording, visual presentation and final selection. The completed game was deliberately developed, checked and approved by Hidden Dossier; it was not produced as automatic or unedited AI output. Continue with another Hidden Dossier case If you enjoyed The Marionette Theatre, try one of these complete paid investigations: - " The Dollhouse Room ",  An antique dollhouse begins mirroring a real home, then reveals a concealed room. Compare floor plans, witness statements and physical traces in this 25-page mystery. - " The Hotel Room That Wasn't There ",  A guest receives the key to Room 214, but the hotel insists the room never existed. Examine hotel records, witness accounts and floor plans in this 27-page disappearance case. Both are medium-difficulty printable mystery games, with an estimated 60–90 minutes of gameplay. Play on screen or print at home.