Editing Unwritten: System Reference Document/Discovery and Investigation (section)

===Avenues of Investigation===

====On-the-scene investigation====

The most obvious example of an investigation is where you arrive on the scene where something has happened and try to divine the details. Skills and aspects that allow on the spot observation will help you find clues on the first look. Clues in this kind of investigation will most likely be the description of details that are significant and out of the ordinary. These will usually presented as the details themselves without much context.

=====Advantages in Investigations=====

You can create advantages by doing preparation work. Setting up additional equipment and doing research ahead of time make an excellent basis for rolls and a way to bring in skills that may not have direct investigative uses into play.

Costs for success can include accidentally destroying evidence, otherwise cutting off access to other clues, or angering others involved in the situation. 

Clues may or may not be aspects, but an advantage action could make one more relevant by making it a situation aspect. Reserve the aspect and it will continue to be useful, maybe in subsequent investigations.

====Questioning====

People may have witnessed important events or may know critical details. Exactly how that plays out depends on the questions that the characters are asking and how they are doing it. If the characters are simply asking the locals general questions, then they can just state that without needing to go into detail. Questions and answers can be done in vague terms. Clues from a first look would reveal details one could discern from the person’s dress or demeanor. 

Additional details will come from the usual process of questions and digging for more information. How they exactly get there will depend on the tack the characters take with the NPC. Clever role-playing should be rewarded with clearer answers and possibly the revelation of extra clues.

The ramifications of the discussion should linger with the characters. Not only are the characters digging for information, they are establishing relationships with others. Notably dramatic and entertaining interactions should lead to the questioned character becoming a returning character. If the PCs are nice to a downtrodden native of an Age, that native may be more likely to help them later on. However, if they subject someone to an intense interrogation, they may have earned an enemy.

This is also an excellent excuse for character development. How the PCs act and react in these discussions will go a long way toward rounding out their characters. These should also be kept in mind during interludes when looking at a character’s aspects. A character’s actions might prompt the player to adjust an aspect to reflect allies or enemies made, for example.

=====Advantages in Questioning=====

The characters involved can use advantage rolls to butter up, outwit, or intimidate others and use invocations to get people to talk. Character aspects on all sides of the interaction are ripe for invocation. Compels are also appropriate, more so in these cases than in other types of investigation.

Previous clues can be used as leverage in trying to get someone to talk. You can use an Advantage action to bring up the clue successfully and use fate points and free invokes to press your advantage. GMs, roll with the invocations and be creative on fumbles and costs. 

=====Contests in Questioning=====

It’s possible that you might end up trying to get information out of an unwilling subject in a more confrontational way. This could be an intense bit of back and forth, or it could be a full on interrogation. One way to model this is through a contest between you and the other person instead of an investigation. Run the questioning as various exchanges based off of social skills. You should be describing what you are doing and including bits of dialog with each exchange.

If you win the contest, then you get the information out of them. You might be able to push the contest a few more rounds in order to get more advantage actions in, if the GM is willing. If you lose the contest, then you aren’t getting any information out of them; they’ve won the battle of wits. Even if the subject is confined and can’t get away, you can’t go back and press the issue. You’ll have to change the situation enough (get a new bit of information, find some different leverage, wait a chunk of time) before you can go back in.