Record the event as well as the time
A timestamp alone is not a timeline. Keep the date, source and event together so you can tell what each time refers to. In a message thread, the time of a message may differ from the time of the event being described. In an interview, someone may be remembering an earlier day.
You can do this comparison in your own notes as you read Somatry’s files. This is a reasoning technique, not a claim that the game includes a separate timeline tool. Keep direct records separate from a person’s recollection and leave unknown times marked as unknown.
A worked example: three records, one open question
The example below is invented for this guide. It does not describe a Somatry case or reveal a solution. It shows why the order of records is useful even before you have a theory.
Suppose a message at 18:05 says someone is leaving, a named gate entry appears at 18:20, and an interview claims the person was home before 18:10. There is a question about the sequence, but not yet enough information to conclude who committed a crime. You still need to check what “leaving” meant, what the gate entry identifies, and whether all three sources refer to the same date.
| Time | Record | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 18:05 | Message “I am leaving now.” | States an intention; does not by itself prove a departure. |
| 18:20 | Gate log A named entry is recorded. | Check the gate, date and identity recorded. |
| Before 18:10 | Interview The person claims to have been home. | A recollection to compare with the other records. |
Keep time windows honest
If a record says “after six,” do not silently turn that into 18:01. If an interview only places an event in the evening, keep that wider window. Precision that the evidence does not support can make a weak theory look stronger than it is.
Arrange confirmed events first, then compare the uncertain ones against them. Look for a claim that cannot fit alongside a reliable record. A gap between two events is an unanswered interval, not proof of what happened inside it.
- Keep dates attached to times.
- Distinguish a message being sent from an event happening.
- Preserve approximate times as ranges or uncertain entries.
- Check the source before treating two entries as incompatible.
Use the sequence to test your report
Somatry’s report asks for the killer, method, motive and moment. A sequence can help test the moment and whether a proposed explanation fits the rest of the file. It cannot establish every answer on its own.
After proposing an answer, read the timeline in both directions. Start from the earlier records and follow the sequence forward, then work back from the event you are trying to explain. If an assumption is doing all the work between two points, look for another record before treating the connection as settled.