Brindlewood Bay is a roleplaying game created by Jason Cordova which combines elements of Detective Fiction (specifically Murder, She Wrote) and Cosmic Horror Story. The players are a group of elderly widows and Amateur Sleuths known as the Murder Mavens who must solve murders around their titular hometown, in the process uncovering evidence of an Apocalypse Cult who threaten to bring about the End of All Things.
Brindlewood Bay contains the following tropes:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: The players are known as the Murder Mavens.
- Amateur Sleuth: The Murder Mavens are a group of mystery-loving widows who have taken up solving crimes.
- Apocalypse Cult: The Midwives of the Fragmented Void, a Hellenic death cult behind the murders the Mavens are investigating and are attempting to summon a force that bring about the End of All Things.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: The "Dale Cooper" move grants a Maven clues via strange, unsettling dreams.
- Fictional Document: The Murder Mavens are all fans of The Gold Crown Mysteries, a series written by Robin Masterson about globetrotting super-sleuth Amanda Delacourt.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: The "Sonny Crockett" move gives a Maven a noticeably flashy wardrobe.
- Lovecraft Country: Brindlewood Bay is a fictional costal town in Massachusetts, though it's much more warm and friendly on the surface than most examples.
- MacGyvering: The "Angus MacGyver" move lets a Maven do this once per mystery.
- Master of Disguise: The "Remington Steele" move turns the Maven into one.
- Mysterious Informant: The "Fox Mulder" move gives a Maven one of these who gives them information about the Midwives of the Fragmented Void.
- Older Than They Look: The "Tom Hanson" move allows a Maven to pass for someone much younger.
- Shout-Out:
- Each of the characters gets to pick a special "Maven Move" give the character a trait or ability based off the television or literary character they're named after.
- "B. A. Baracus" allows a Maven to negate harm to her and her friends once per mystery.
- "Frank Columbo" allows a Maven to gain an extra clue by getting under the skin of the rich and famous.
- "Dale Cooper increases a Maven's sensitivity to the supernatural and gives them prophetic dreams.
- "Sonny Crockett" gives a Maven Impossibly Cool Clothes which they can use to gain an advantage in certain situations.
- "Frank Dowling" gives the Maven a strong religious faith that lets them resist the Void.
- "Tom Hanson" makes a Maven Older Than They Look.
- "Milton Hardcastle" allows a Maven to gain extra experience by dealing out extrajudicial justice.
- "Jonathan Hart" gives the Maven a jet-setting lifestyle that makes them come across as more charismatic.
- "Angus MacGyver" gives the Maven the option of, well, MacGyvering their way out of a situation once per mystery.
- "Thomas Magnum" makes the Maven a personal friend of Robin Masterson, the author of The Gold Crown Mysteries.
- "Fox Mulder" gives the Maven a Mysterious Informant who will give the Maven information about the Midwives of the Fragmented Void.
- "Michael Knight" grants the Maven a trusty mode of transportation, though nothing as flashy as a talking car.
- "Rick & A. J." gives the Maven a sibling they have Sibling Yin-Yang with, whom they can call on for help.
- "R. Quincy" gives the Maven a medical background they can use to their advantage.
- "Jim Rockford" causes the Maven to receive an enigmatic phone message at the start of each mystery, asking the Maven to complete a task seemingly unrelated to the case, for which they will gain extra experience.
- "Scarecrow" causes a mysterious stranger to hand or drop off a Clue to a Maven once per session.
- "Colt Seavers" lets a Maven automatically perform a daring stunt once per mystery.
- "Gordon Shumway" gives the Maven a cat as a Loyal Animal Companion.
- "Remington Steele" turns the Maven into a Master of Disguise.
- "C. Auguste Dupin" lets the Maven deduce if something is about to happen.
- Each of the characters gets to pick a special "Maven Move" give the character a trait or ability based off the television or literary character they're named after.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Taking the "Rick & A.J. move gives the Maven a sibling who is their opposite.
- What Would X Do?: Once per mystery, the Murder Mavens can think about how Amanda Delacourt, the protagonist of the Gold Crown Mysteries, handled a situation similar to the one they're in, and automatically overcome the obstacle by following her example.
- X Meets Y: The creators specifically describe the game as combining elements from Murder, She Wrote and the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
