Hi all,

I'm working on a card game at the moment and I would love some feedback or suggestions.
The basic premise I've started from was building on the idea of the mind palace concept that a lot of investigation video games are including. The most notable examples I can point to are the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes games.

I thought it might be a fun concept to have a tabletop game where it's focussed purely on the deduction and theories given the evidence provided.

The core rules I've built so far are below:

### Phases of Play

**Phase 1 — Setup**

1. Appoint the Card Czar (GM).

2. Prepare decks:

    - Crime deck: shuffle and place face down.

    - Victim deck: shuffle and place face down.

    - Bombshell deck: place in front of the Card Czar, ready to draw from.

    - Evidence Deck: shuffle; set Status = In Deck for all cards.

3. Determine the Setting and Location:

    - Setting: Use one of the six Setting cards. Choose by group consensus or shuffle and draw one at random. Record the chosen Setting on the case. Optionally add Setting Gloss to relevant Evidence cards.

    - Location: Draw or select 1 Location card from the Locations deck. Read its General Description to frame the scene, then apply the Setting Gloss line matching the chosen Setting.

4. Start the case:

    - Card Czar privately sets the Culprit in the GM Case File and keeps it secret from players.

    - Draw 1 Motive card from the Motives deck FACE DOWN for GM guidance. This is advisory only and never binding; discard if it conflicts with fun or coherence.

5. Set Suspect count (default):

6. Optional rule — Difficulty:

    - Easy: 3 Suspects cap

    - Standard: use the default by player count

    - Hard: +1 Suspect above the default cap (max 6)

**Phase 2 — Crime Scene Phase**

1. Draw 1 Bombshell card face UP. The Card Czar reveals it to the table unless a specific Bombshell says otherwise.

    - If the Bombshell introduces a new angle that reasonably implies a new person of interest, you may ADD 1 new Suspect now, up to the current Suspet cap for the table.

    - On Hard difficulty, the table may allow exceeding the cap by +1 if a Bombshell explicitly instructs adding a Suspect.

    - Some Bombshells may instruct drawing a new Location to expand the investigation. If so, draw 1 Location from the Locations deck and add it as an active scene alongside the current Location.

2. Each player draws 1 Evidence card face UP and places it into play.

3. Describe the scene. Read each revealed card’s Description and any Setting Gloss.

4. Log any immediate effects or constraints on the case.

**Phase 3 — Investigation Phase**

1. Structure

    - Rounds: 3 Investigation rounds by default.

        - 1–2 players: 3 rounds

        - 3–4 players: 3 rounds

        - 5+ players: 4 rounds

    - Actions: Each player takes 1 action per round, in table order.

2. Actions (choose 1 on your turn)

    - Search a Room: Draw 1 Evidence relevant to the case or current Location. Reveal it face up and apply effects.

    - Interrogate a Suspect: Draw 1 card keyed to the chosen Suspect. Reveal face up and apply effects.

    - Analyze or Theorise: Propose or revise a theory linking 2+ revealed Evidence. On player consensus, it becomes canon until contradicted by new Evidence.

3. Analyze/Theorise rules

    - Each theory must cite at least 2 Evidence and name at least 1 Suspect or Mechanism.

    - Disproof: Newly revealed Evidence that contradicts a theory auto-flags it for revision.

    - Revising a theory costs 1 action unless an effect grants a free revision.

    - Limit concurrent active theories to 3; retire or disprove one to add another.

4. Interrogation cadence

    - A player cannot Interrogate the same Suspect in consecutive rounds unless a Bombshell or effect allows it.

    - The first Interrogation of a Suspect in the game grants advantage: draw 2, keep 1, discard the other.

5. Bombshell interaction (during Investigation)

    - Optional rule (Standard): At the start of Round 2, reveal 1 table-wide Evidence to avoid stalls.

    - If a Bombshell adds a Suspect mid-game, immediately grant the active player 1 bonus Search action OR reveal 1 table-wide Evidence (Card Czar chooses) to compensate.

    - Limit simultaneously active Bombshells to 2–3.

6. Round end and resolution gate

    - At the end of the final Investigation round, proceed to Accusation if the table has a coherent primary theory supported by Evidence from at least 2 distinct Categories and the table feels ready to accuse.

    - If not ready, the Card Czar may grant 1 Sudden Break: reveal the top Evidence or flip 1 Bombshell, then proceed or end inconclusive at discretion.

7. Optional difficulty modifiers

    - Easy: +1 round. At the start of Rounds 2 and 3, reveal 1 table-wide Evidence.

    - Standard: As above.

    - Hard: Each round, total actions at the table are reduced by 1 (e.g., with 4 players, only 3 actions occur). At the start of each round, draw a Bombshell on a 50% chance. Theories require 3 Evidence minimum.

**Phase 4 — Accusation / Resolution Phase**

1. Declare intent

    - When the resolution gate is met, the table declares intent to accuse. The Card Czar summarizes the leading theory.

2. Make the accusation

    - Name the primary Suspect and state the theory: motive, method, and key supporting Evidence.

    - Optionally name a secondary Suspect if the table is split; see Ties below.

3. Evidence check (player‑driven)

    - Coherence: The theory should reasonably explain the key Evidence on the table.

    - Breadth: Cite Evidence from at least 2 distinct Categories.

    - Contradictions: Any Revealed Evidence that directly contradicts the accusation must be addressed or explained away.

4. Vote

    - After brief discussion, players vote Accuse or Reconsider.

    - Pass condition (Standard): Simple majority Accuse to proceed.

    - If no majority, take 1 final Rapid Check: reveal the top Evidence OR flip a Bombshell, then revote.

5. Resolve outcome

    - If Accuse passes: The Card Czar reveals whether the accused is the secret Culprit. Walk the table through the evidence chain.

    - If Reconsider or the accused is not the Culprit: Either revisit leads with 1 Sudden Break draw, or end inconclusive at the Card Czar’s discretion.

6. Ties and splits

    - If two suspects are tied in support, the Card Czar may call for a Split Accusation: present both mini-theories and run the Evidence check for each; then vote between them.

7. Scoring and feedback (optional)

    - Table satisfaction check: thumbs up, sideways, down.

    - Balance notes: record which Evidence felt too strong or too weak in Notes / Test Feedback.

    - Mark any Bombshells that over- or under-performed.

8. Difficulty modifiers

    - Easy: Majority not required; a plurality is sufficient. One free Rapid Check before voting.

    - Hard: Require breadth of 3+ Categories OR an exceptionally coherent theory agreed by all players. Ties default to Reconsider.

Would love to hear people's opinions on the core concept.
I'm still new to the whole game-design space so any advice people might want to give as well would be considered.