Nataly Rios explains her process of creating an interactive murder-mystery game. She shares her experience and gives insights about breaking down the story, setting points of interaction and building the experience for the audience, starting from the end of the story rather than the beginning.

1. The Conducttr Conference 2014
Naty Ríos
Interactive Storytelling: Beginning at the end
@natygoico
#cdttr2014

2. MURDER-MYSTERY
STORY

3. THE
PROBLEM
DATA1
?
OPERATIONS
2
RESULTS
3

4. QUEST
RESOLUTIONEXPERIENCE
?
STORY
ANSWER
(DATA) (OPERATIONS) (RESULTS)

5. QUEST
RESOLUTIONEXPERIENCESTORY
(DATA) (OPERATIONS) (RESULTS)

6. QUEST
S
T
A
R
T
E
N
DHOW?

7. Who is Daniel and what is he doing at
the Chatsfield?
S
T
A
R
T
E
N
DHOW?
Daniel is
working under
cover
He’s looking
to revenge his
father’s death
4 guys at the
Chatsfield are
involved
(Call to
Action)
(Mystery
Solved)

8. QUEST
(DATA)
1
?
EXPERIENCE
2
ANSWER
3
sTORY
(OPERARTIONS)
(RESULTS)

9. QUESTS
STORY
FOR
QUEST 1
BREAKDOWN THE STORY
STORY
FOR
QUEST 2
STORY
FOR
QUEST 3
Story for
Sub-quest
Story for
Sub-quest
Story for
Sub-quest
(ANSWERS
TO QUESTS)

10. QUESTS
Daniel is
working
undercover
Daniel is a secret millionaire working at The Chatsfield bar under cover. He’s trying to find his father’s killer. His
father was killed in 2009 in a hit and run in Madrid.
The accident is related to a jewellery robbery committed by a gang who’s currently staying / living at the hotel.
The gang is formed by four guys, including the hotel’s manager Matthias.
The driver (hit and run) is not one of the guys, but the responsible for the death is Matthias, who told the driver to
take the pedestrian route.
Father killed–
Guys at the
hotel involved
Matthias is the
responsible for
the death
Story for
Sub-quest
Story for
Sub-quest
Story for
Sub-quest

11. QUESTS
WHO
IS
DANIEL?
WHAT IS
HE DOING AT
THE HOTEL?
WHO’S THE
RIGHT TARGET?
BREAKDOWN THE STORY
QUEST 1 QUEST 2 QUEST 3
WHERE WAS
GUY 1?
WHERE WAS
GUY 2?
WHERE WAS
GUY 3?
WHERE WAS
GUY 4?

12. QUEST: WHO IS DANIEL?
WHO
IS
DANIEL HOW?
(Call to
Action)
(Answer)
CEO AT
SECURITY
COMPANY
FAKE BAR
MANAGER
MILLIONAIRE SECURITY
COMPANY CEO
? ??

13. QUEST: Who is Daniel?
CEO AT
SECURITY
COMPANY
How will the audience learn this?
ANSWER

14. QUEST: Who is Daniel?
CEO AT
SECURITY
COMPANY
How will the audience learn this?
Daniel’s answering
machine: “This is
Daniel Northman,
CEO…”
Audience calls Daniel’s
mobile
Daniel’s
mobile
CLUE 3
ANSWER

15. QUEST: Who is Daniel?
CEO AT
SECURITY
COMPANY
How will the audience learn this?
Daniel’s answering
machine: “This is
Daniel Northman,
CEO…”
Daniel’s mobile
number showed in his
company’s website
Northcom
Security
Audience goes to the website.
They see Daniel’s mobile
number
Daniel’s
mobile
CLUE 2 CLUE 3
ANSWER
Audience calls Daniel’s
mobile

16. QUEST: Who is Daniel?
CEO AT
SECURITY
COMPANY
How will the audience learn this?
Daniel’s answering
machine: “This is
Daniel Northman,
CEO…”
Daniel’s mobile
number showed in his
company’s website
Northcom
Security
Audience goes to the website.
They see Daniel’s mobile
number
Daniel’s
mobile
CLUE 2 CLUE 3
ANSWER
Link to Northcom
Security website
Jessie’s Inbox
Audience checks Jessie’s
inbox: Email from John
Footer with link to Daniel’s
company website
CLUE 1
Audience calls Daniel’s
mobile

17. Northman
Security
Jessie’s Inbox:
An email from
Daniel’s employee.
Mentions he got a
phone number from
that girl in Marbella –
he was going to text
and pretend it was
Daniel :)
Footer has a link to
the website
This is “Daniel
Northman, CEO
of…
Just giggles if you
call.
SMS and pretend
you’re Daniel to get
juicy gossip about
his millionaire
lifestyle
Tell Jessie that
Daniel is CEO and
Millionaire
Dif rewards for
knowing both facts
and if you
completed the
journey (e.g. didn’t
cheat!)
Jessie’s Inbox
Phone
number
Follow up next week
with psychometric
test
Jessie asks for help:
Email me if you
want to help me find
out who is Daniel!
Call to action
QUEST: Who is Daniel?
User Journey and details

18. DRAMA
Matthias
GOOD
ROMANCE
Corrupted man.
Ambition, power and money.
Tells the driver to take
the fatal route.
Plans and finances the robbery.
Responsible for the murder.
Stole the getaway car from another
city.
Did most of the robbery.
Was at the car but didn’t drive.
Has a big ego.
He’s seeing Ally.
Planner.
Forger and Hacker.
Created fake ID cards.
He did it for love.
He was supposed to run away with a
woman (Francesca).
Insider.
Initially we don’t know his name.
He goes by CheChe.
He was intentionally on vacation.
Took a flight the day of the crime.
He needed the money.
BAD
Francisco
Arnaldo Javier

19. SUB QUEST. What was Javier doing?
Javier wasn’t
driving.
He was
meeting a
woman.
John
John sends email to
audience with a screen
shot of a photo of Javier
with two woman.
Audience tweets Anita
Screen shot of a photo
of Javier with two
woman in twitter. The
date is close to the
accident. It shows the
woman’s twitter
accounts: @anita
CLUE 1
Anita reveals Javier and
Francesca were a couple,
but she hasn’t seen them
since that time (2009).
Gives Francesca’s email
CLUE 2
Anita
Audience tweets Francesca
Francesca reveals that
she was supposed to meet
Javier that day to run away
together, but instead, she
watched him for far and
left him waiting.
CLUE 3
Francesca
How will the audience learn this?
ANSWER

21. “ Here then the poem
may be said to have had its
beginning
- at the end where all
works of art should begin-
”Edgar Allan Poe