Somatry / Field guide
The Somatry detective glossary
A quick reference for the language of a case file. These definitions explain how terms are used in Somatry and in the investigation guides, without revealing a case solution.
- Somatry
- Somatry (n.) The science of what the dead leave in writing. This is an invented definition created for Somatry: Cold Case Mystery. It describes the game’s focus on investigating fictional cold cases through written records, messages and evidence.
- Case file
- The collection of records you read to investigate a mystery in Somatry. It can include messages, interviews, logs and reports.
- Cold case
- In Somatry, an unresolved fictional case reopened for investigation. The game presents 50 cold cases across three cities.
- Evidence
- Information in a case record that supports or challenges an explanation. A detail matters because of what it establishes, not because it sounds suspicious.
- Flagged evidence
- A detail you preserve by pressing and holding in the game. Only flagged evidence can go into your report.
- Alibi
- An account of where a person was at a relevant time. Compare the account with the other records before deciding how much it supports an explanation.
- Contradiction
- Two claims or records that cannot both be correct as you currently understand them. Check dates, sources and context before treating an apparent mismatch as a contradiction.
- Killer
- The person responsible for the death you are investigating. Identifying the killer is one of the four answers in a Somatry report.
- Method
- How the death was caused. Method is a separate report answer from who did it, why it happened and when it happened.
- Motive
- The reason behind the crime. A possible motive must be connected to the case evidence; a reason alone does not establish who committed the crime.
- Moment
- When the crime happened, as asked in the Somatry report. Compare time references across the file to test your answer.
- Consult
- Guidance from a colleague when you are stuck. Each Somatry case includes three Consults, never for sale.
- The Bureau
- The Coldmere City Records Investigations Bureau, abbreviated CCRIB. When you submit a report, it tells you how many answers are right, never which ones.
Put the terms to work with reading evidence, building a timeline, or preparing a report.