Mysteries Unraveled: Secrets of the No-Tell Motel – Chapter One

Every evening at the Stellar Motel is a reflection of the human experience. From my vantage point behind the counter and some plexiglass, I observe both the affluent and the destitute mingling, engaging in disputes, and finding their way into each other’s rooms. However, last night deviated from the norm: one of our patrons was killed, and it appears that no one is particularly keen on uncovering the identity of the murderer or their motive.

As part of my responsibilities as the overnight attendant of the ‘No-Tell Motel’, I’m tasked with preserving the guests’ privacy, yet I also need to keep a watchful eye on them. The authorities are unlikely to take much interest in this incident, but now we only have fifteen regulars remaining, and I suspect that one among them is the culprit. It’s essential that I observe them closely, as I only have one opportunity to solve this.

My initial challenge is that, for once, I wasn’t on duty last night. On one hand, I’m somewhat relieved I missed it, in case I got entangled in the chaos. On the other, well, my only source of information is Barry. If I were a detective and all I had was Barry’s account, I’d likely ‘misplace’ the filing too. When I personally inquired with Barry about last night’s events…

“Nothing out of the ordinary at first. Uh, four individuals checked in. Yeah, four. The Psychic Medium, the Televangelist, the Recently Divorced, and the Vice Detective.

They engaged in their usual antics, you know. Mostly…

The Psychic Medium had a visitor. Drew the curtains, switched off the lights. Didn’t catch a glimpse of who.

The Recently Divorced lingered outside her room for a while, smoking. She appeared… confused?

The Televangelist and the Vice Detective were both up to some dubious activities. Uh, I can’t recall exactly what. Drugs, perhaps?

Then someone else came to visit the Psychic Medium. Uncertain how long they stayed. Didn’t see them depart. The Televangelist got intoxicated, the obnoxious kind. Made wild accusations to anyone willing to lend an ear. The Recently Divorced was doing the same, actually. As for the Vice Detective… wait, that may have been them? Hell, I’m not certain anymore. Much was happening.

Checkout proceeded normally, apart from the Recently Divorced. When the maids entered to tidy up, they discovered her. She’d been bludgeoned to death.”

Night 1

Evening Shift (8pm-12am)

I registered The Tabloid Reporter into Room 2, The State Senator into Room 3, and The Veteran into Room 5.

I overheard the State Senator conversing on the phone while I took a smoke break outside. It seems that The Recently Divorced and The Tabloid Reporter had a serious falling out. The Senator was essentially gossiping, blaming it on the Reporter… although the Recently Divorced was flinging accusations in every direction, so who can say if they’re valid.

Of course, I happen to know that the tabloid reporter and the state senator shared a romantic history. The rumor was that the tabloid reporter took some private conversations and transformed them into a story, which led to their downfall, but honestly, I suspect the senator was just concocting some scandal to distract from something else.

The Veteran burst out of his room, yelling and ranting. “They” had betrayed him, he claimed, had attempted to have him eliminated. I stepped in to persuade him to return inside for the sake of the other guests, and perhaps to engage him a bit more, but he merely grumbled and slammed the door in my face.

Graveyard Shift (12am-4am)

The Senator checked out.

A few hours into the shift, the Veteran emerged once again, but he wasn’t shouting at the heavens any longer, so I let him be. He circled the motel for an hour before coming into the front office to grab something from the vending machine. I attempted small talk again, and this time he revealed that the Tabloid Reporter and the Recently Divorced had been flirting the previous night. According to him, both entered the Divorced’s room, and he didn’t see the Reporter leave. Perhaps she, the reporter, was among those Barry spotted?

A few moments after the Veteran departed, I heard someone call out to him, and then the Runaway passed by the front office door. I could vaguely hear them conversing, passionately, for a considerable time. At one point, I got up from behind my desk and listened from nearer to the door, catching a few words.

“You need to dispose of it.”

Morning Shift (4am-8am)

The Veteran checked out shortly after the conversation trickled down and I slinked back behind my desk.

It was merely an hour or so before dawn when I spotted the Reporter conversing outside her room with the Cultist. They’ve chatted numerous times in the past, long before the Recently Divorced took ownership of it. I didn’t think much of it.

Night 2

Evening Shift (8pm-12am)

I registered the Union Treasurer into Room 1. Not long after, the Cultist arrived inquiring about which room he was in, and once I called out and obtained permission, I informed him. Room 1 is closest to the front office, making it easy to hear them getting rowdy, loud, and enjoying themselves together. They were celebrating ‘prosperous prospects’, it seemed. Perhaps the Cultist persuaded the Treasurer to invest some of those dues?

Graveyard Shift (12am-4am)

I registered the Alphabet Soup Agent into Room 3. The guy undoubtedly carries the scent of the Federal government; I’m not certain who he believes he’s fooling. I’d recognize that hairstyle and holster bulge anywhere.

I noticed the Treasurer and the Cultist sharing a cigarette outside his room. Maybe one of them was just down to the last of their pack, but the glances they exchanged when handing it back and forth… well, it wasn’t just tobacco burning.

At one point, the Treasurer started coughing, perhaps forgetting to exhale, so I joined them for a while with a cigarette of my own. They immediately began discussing others, but in this case, they were referencing Mr. ABC two doors down, which was fortunate for me. It seems they’d heard that he and the Recently Divorced clashed that night. Mr. ABC had been shouting about her loose lips, claiming it jeopardized his career. She retorted that he never truly cared to begin with.

God damn it, Barry.

Morning Shift (4am-8am)

Checked the Veteran back into Room 5.

The Union Treasurer requested fresh linens and towels. Let’s just say that the smoldering had escalated into a blaze, and let it be.

Additionally, they spilled a significant amount of bourbon.

While I was transporting the dirty linens to the laundry area, I spotted Mr. ABC, having climbed atop the roof, smoking and staring at the sky. He reminded me of nothing more than someone I saw during the war, standing on the deck of a sinking ship, aware he couldn’t swim, just gazing back, calm as could be.

As I was heading back to the front office, however, the Veteran confronted me right as I walked past Room 5. I got him off me before his hands could wrap around my neck, but I must admit I didn’t keep the composed facade of a Stellar Motel employee. I scolded him fiercely and instructed him to remain in his room until checkout. He didn’t contest. Honestly, he appeared more stunned than anything.

Night 3

Evening Shift (8pm-12am)

The Tabloid

Reporter checked in again, and I placed her in Room 6 for the evening. Right adjacent to Room 7, of course, which has also been sealed since the… event.

She didn’t actually enter immediately, however. Instead, she occupied a bench outside, and sure enough, The Light Bulb Man walked up. No, I’m not sure why we all only recognize him as The Light Bulb Man, and no, we can’t think of anything else to refer to him as. They sat and conversed for a while; the discussion seemed quite routine—how was your day, here’s the strange things I witnessed on mine, that sort of dialogue.

Graveyard Shift (12am-4am)

The Televangelist entered Room 3. It didn’t take long before he became aggressive with the vending machine. And I don’t mean he was just pressing the button repeatedly with force. He was attempting to either crawl inside it or drive it into the wall. I pulled him away and managed to soothe him. He confessed that ‘everything recently’ was just overwhelming him, and he apologized for losing his temper.

I reminded him of the Stellar Motel’s ‘you break it, you buy it, or beat it’ policy.

Things escalated rapidly between the Tabloid Reporter and The Light Bulb Man. They ceased their conversation, nodded at each other, and then they barely made it through the door before things became loud and explicit. No need to speculate on that one. Not merely friends or casual co-collaborators, it seems.

Morning Shift (4am-8am)

Union Treasurer returned for Room 2 this morning.

The Televangelist revisited the vending machine, this time with cash instead of fury. While procuring his drinks, he noted that the Union Treasurer and the Recently Divorced were ‘apparently inseparable until the end’. They mostly argued, the Televangelist said, about money and ‘dead-end investments’.

Then, in comes the Union Treasurer not ten minutes later, seeking an additional pillow, and he claims the Televangelist and the Recently Divorced were recently at each other’s throats concerning finances. The Recently Divorced had seemingly wronged the Televangelist. Huh. Not really how I anticipated that situation would unfold.

Conversations became less graphic near Room 6, but remarkably, they grew louder as the duo engaged in a shouting match. I couldn’t discern anything, but it was undeniably furious behind that closed door.

Night 4

A tense evening right from the start – the Vice Detective checked into Room 6, and this time in a professional role. I understood that it indicated we wouldn’t be welcoming many extra visitors tonight.

Evening Shift (8pm-12am)

I placed the Psychic Medium as far from the Detective as possible, in Room 1.

When the Detective swung by to ask me some questions (‘No sir’, ‘no sir’, ‘yes sir but only if you compensate management a fee’), he hinted that he was going to monitor the Medium, just to be cautious. Not his area, but he mentioned that she and the Recently Divorced had been very close, ‘inseparable indeed’. The present seemed calm, he said; they just frequently argued about the past and the future.

I thought the Recently Divorced and the Union Treasurer were inseparable. Hmm.

Graveyard Shift (12am-4am)

The Light Bulb Man was Mr. Vice’s new neighbor, in Room #5.

The Psychic Medium hurried in and out of the front office to extinguish a small fire in their room. Based on the odor, you’d imagine an entire potpourri shop had ignited. The sprinklers didn’t activate, though, so she contained it in time.

The Light Bulb Man and the Vice Detective used to appear quite close. They certainly communicated frequently, which is typical for LBM since he’s so friendly by nature. Then supposedly Vice attempted to pin something minor on LBM merely to boost his statistics, and they’ve been glaring at each other since.

Morning Shift (4am-8am)

Mr. ABC was a pre-dawn addition to Room 4.

I spotted what resembled two regulars wandering past the Psychic Medium’s door, but they must’ve caught a scent of Mr. Vice, prompting them to just keep going. About half a dozen unfamiliar faces entered and exited separately throughout the shift, however. It was rather quiet; I assume she was merely honing her craft.

Mr. ABC and The Light Bulb Man clashed, resulting in some property destruction; Mr. ABC hurled a chair that struck a wall, and a side table was shattered when LBM slammed ABC into it. I’m fairly certain ABC instigated it, so I charged him for the damages.

As I processed his bill, however, he was complaining about how The Light Bulb Man and the Recently Divorced had been seen quarreling over someone else. A child, apparently? Not that I trust a Fed to be truthful, but it’s worth noting.

Night 5

Evening Shift (8pm-12am)

No more on-the-clock Vice Detective, so he must have obtained what he wanted. Mr. ABC into Room 2, Room 5 for The Tabloid Reporter.

The Reporter entered just as Mr. ABC was heading to his room and mentioned that he and the Recently Divorced apparently knew each other from way back. The peculiar thing is, Mr. ABC has been frequenting here for ages, but the Recently Divorced was, well, recently divorced. The first time they met here, they didn’t seem to recognize one another.

The Psychic Medium was a guest in the Tabloid Reporter’s room shortly after. Just as loud, just as explicit as the prior night with The Light Bulb Man. Pillow talk truly does serve as a prime tabloid resource, I suppose. Or perhaps the amusement is the main attraction. Why not?

Graveyard Shift (12am-4am)

Mr. ABC checked out.

Then a lamp was extinguished from the Tabloid Reporter’s window. I quietly added the repair fees to her bill. I wasn’t inclined to get entangled in this evident pattern at 2am.

I don’t believe the amusement is the central theme.

Morning Shift (4am-8am)

The Tabloid Reporter checked out. Until the end of the shift, it was the type of quiet that was soothing until you paid too much attention to it. Then it became rather unsettling.

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No-Tell Motel from Bannerless Games, penned by Kevin Lowry with illustrations by Shawn McGuan and layout by Kelsea Zwerneman, edited by Amber Logsdon, is a solo player murder mystery roleplaying game. You are the overnight

You are an attendant at the Stellar Motel, responsible for addressing the requirements of the guests, safeguarding their confidentiality, and monitoring the surroundings. However, you now have a homicide to contend with, and the only way to uncover the perpetrator is to be an unnoticed observer.

To engage in the game, you require a standard deck of playing cards (jokers set aside, with a slim possibility of needing to reintegrate them later), a six-sided die, and a method to track the arrivals and departures of guests along with your observations; room logs and guest profiles are available at no charge. To initiate the setup, divide the card deck into two sections, one containing all the face cards and aces, and the other consisting of the numbered cards. The face cards and aces represent your Guests. The numbered cards denote various events or pieces of information.

You deal four face cards to determine which Guests were present on the night of the murder. As your colleague (Barry, in this scenario) recounts their version of events, you place numbered cards atop the Guests. As the narrative unfolds, you are stacking cards on each Guest as if engaging in a game of, well, solitaire. By the conclusion of the story, the Guest with a total value closest to 21 (with ties going to the lower value) is identified as the murder victim.

The gameplay is divided into Nights, which are further separated into three Shifts (or Rounds, with three turns each, to use another terminology). After shuffling all the cards back into their respective piles following your coworker’s tale (except for the Victim, who is placed aside), you commence a Night by dealing six Guest cards face down. These represent the six available rooms at the Stellar Motel. You then roll the d6 to determine how many Guests check in, placing them face up in any of the rooms of your choosing.

At the start of every Shift, you draw a number card for each Guest. Clubs represent observations or reports of a Guest’s conduct. Diamonds pertain to them becoming involved with a neighbor or, if they lack one, you. Hearts indicate that they are entertaining a guest, in which case you reveal the room card to identify who their guest is. Spades offer insights into their history with the Victim, and are essential for determining who the murderer might be (more details on that shortly).

At the start of the second and third shifts, you will roll the d6 once more. If the number rolled matches a room with an occupant, that Guest checks out at the beginning of the shift. Conversely, if it corresponds to an unoccupied room, a new Guest checks in, selected from the deck. You then conduct the new shift just as you did with the initial one. Once all three shifts conclude and it is 8am, all remaining guests in the motel check out, and you summon the maids (and maintenance crews); all cards are shuffled back into their designated decks, you finalize any notes, and then you proceed to the next night.

When those Spade cards are drawn, they will accrue a specific amount of Motive to that Guest’s record. They had some form of interaction with the victim, which is raising your suspicion. However, it is quite probable that you will encounter repeats. Each time you draw a particular Spade card again for a different Guest, it will add Motive… but simultaneously also inject a point of Doubt, since now you have similar ‘evidence’ implicating multiple individuals. Mechanically, a Guest must possess 6 Motive before you can contemplate approaching the authorities with your suspicions – although it should be noted that you do not have to; you may continue playing – but if you accuse someone amidst Doubt, there’s a risk they could turn out to be innocent, leading to severe repercussions all around.

For your reference, by the end of Night 5, the dossiers are as follows:

• Tabloid Reporter: 2 Motive
• Mr. ABC: 2 Motive
• Union Treasurer: 1 Motive
• Televangelist: 1 Motive
• Psychic Medium: 1 Motive, 1 Doubt
• The Light Bulb Man: 1 Motive

As for the remainder of this Solitaire Storytelling rendition of the mystery, and for the exact manner in which the game culminates… you’ll have to wait for the concluding installment next weekend!

You can locate digital versions of No-Tell Motel on DriveThruRPG and itch.io. Physical editions can be found at Bannerless’ official site or through IPR (either online, at a convention (my acquisition occurred at PAX Unplugged), or at a local game store that sources from there).

Looking forward to seeing you check back in…