Paranormal CSI

Supernatural detectives

 

I managed to stumble across a surprisingly relevant book at the library when looking for more books on astronomy/ horoscopes; Valerie Hope, Maurice Townsend, 1999,'The paranormal investigator's handbook' , Collins & Brown Limited. I'll be looking through it and see if perhaps it could help with the methods of their work and possibly link to the detective element we are coming up with.

With our detectives, we are integrating in the conventional detective elements; solving a murder case, or missing persons- but obviously it would have supernatural element running along with it. Similar to the 'Supernatural' series; which I will also be looking into. '...how a paranormal investigator would go about collecting and analyzing information on anomalous of paranormal phenomena.'; hopefully from that statement, researching information for the detectives and their methods will be very helpful.

Just from the introduction, the book mentions a widespread of different kinds of paranormal activity worth mentioning; one section of which I won't bother reading up on is the UFO activity. Our game is a fantasy, not a sci-fi.

There is a portion of the book that solely covers the investigation process if the paranormal phenomenon. It mentions a lot of checking out the normal explanations for said paranormal event; so for instance finding a more logical explanation for it before stepping into the supernatural reason.

Before starting the investigation, it points out the general decorum one needs to consider when doing so. It is mostly being that the person must always respect the witness and locations confidentiality; also treating them with a degree of professionalism- don't push the witness and remain impartial. 'Never enter the premises without first getting permission'; personally I can imagine that our pair of wayward detectives would completely ignore this point, also with the RPG elements they would encounter combat along with the investigation.

Background research into the specific supernatural activity would be essential; our two characters would most likely have and extensive knowledge over most of their field.  How they acquire the information of potential cases is something our group will need to work out.

 

The stages of the process go over; how to interview the witness; the time of said event; reviewing the incident; using reconstructions; background research; watching for hoaxes; how to record and anomaly. A few of these need not be applied either due to the setting of our world or it wouldn't integrate well into the gameplay of our demo.

The interview process is a section we are certain that we will have for the demo of the game; it is an integral part of any detective work and it isn't difficult to apply into the game itself. For example if the player has some relevant evidence towards the case, they can possibly present it to the witness and there by unlocking more or different questions.

 

time of the event

One of the characters would probably mention the time of which it occurred or is documented somewhere in the game; not a feature that would require much looking into for the demo.

 

reviewing the incident

This is basically going to the 'scene of the crime' so to speak, and getting a first-hand view of the area of interest. 'Draw a plan, ideally to scale.' - The character could possibly jot it down in a memo for reference and then use it in questioning. It goes on to describe what would usually be done at a crime scene; checking suspicious areas, taking photos; any physical evidence. Visualising what occurred at the scene; as we are creating the scenario, we can come up with various methods that the characters will work this out.

 

using reconstructions

This may not be ideal for the gameplay and probably wouldn't fit the characters natures in doing so. The man is overly laid back and the woman is too impatient. Also they are wayward detectives, there is a slim chance that they would have access to that kind of equipment.

 

background research

This could possibly be integrated into the gameplay as they will visit new areas and need to learn of the history of the location or what is relevant to it.

 

watch for hoaxes

Obviously not everyone is superstitious or perhaps just mucking about with the investigator; in our game we have yet to fully flesh out our world so I'm not sure how such a subject would be viewed upon in its culture. However, either way that could be an interesting part in the plot; someone tricking the team to an area where something supernatural may have happened but turns out to be a trap; possibly.

 

how to record and anomaly

Not really applicable; the pair knows supernatural things exist.