# The Christmas Star

Case file SR-01. Christmas Eve, 1934. A Swiss chocolate king hires a whole luxury train to carry his family up into the snow, and at midnight he will name his heir. When the train comes out of the Silberhorn tunnel at 23.47, he is dead in his private car.

- Players: 2–6
- Time: 120–180 minutes
- Difficulty: hard
- Age: 18+

On Christmas Eve 1934 Konrad Hartmann, founder of the Basel chocolate house Hartmann & Sohn, hired a whole luxury train to carry his family up to his hotel in the snow. At midnight he meant to name his heir: the grandson who had come back from America after twenty-two years. When the train came out of the Silberhorn tunnel at 23.47 he was dead in his private salon car. His executor has gathered the papers of that night and asks you two things before he reads the will on New Year's Eve: who killed him, and whether the young man is his grandson.

## What's in the file

- 3 envelopes, opened one at a time
- 29 papers: reports, letters, statements and photographs
- About 35 pages to print at home, on A4 or US Letter
- Hints and the full solution, read on screen

## Inside the envelopes

### Envelope 1: Basel to Chur

- Briefing letter
- Crime-scene photograph
- Conductor's sheet
- Technical drawing
- Witness statements
- Logbook pages
- Evidence photographs
- Punched tickets
- Typed notes
- Map

### Envelope 2: The Christmas Dinner

- Letters × 2
- Paper game
- Diary pages
- Photograph plates
- Evidence photographs
- Typed notes
- Telex
- Witness statements
- Small papers

### Envelope 3: The Silberhorn Tunnel

- Letters × 2
- Typed notes
- Witness statements
- Logbook pages
- Evidence photographs
- Receipts and tickets
- Medical report
- Timeline sheet

Content: One death, told in the reports; signs of a struggle in the scene photograph, never a body or blood; wine, kirsch and cigars

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Written and illustrated with the help of AI tools, from our own story, prompts and edits, and checked by us.