
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,357
- BGG rating
- 7.9
LA-1
- 1–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2025

Rules assistance for Ace Detective: Strange Tales
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ace Detective: Strange Tales is an expansion for Ace Detective released in 2013 for 2–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Richard Launius and its main mechanics are Storytelling.
An expansion first published for Kickstarter that includes themed cards to bring "Noir Fantasy" into your game of Ace Detective. Drawing upon images from the covers of Weird Tales Magazine and other old magazines from the early 1900s, Strange Tales introduces ghosts and other strange phenomena for a total of 28 new Story Telling Cards and 2 New Detectives as well as 8 Suspect Secrets. Suspect Secrets are a new mechanic to the game. Strange Tales may be published for retail in 2013 as a boxed expansion to Ace Detective
Ace Detective: Strange Tales supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ace Detective: Strange Tales is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ace Detective: Strange Tales for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ace Detective: Strange Tales has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ace Detective: Strange Tales belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Murder / Mystery, and Horror. Its main mechanics are Storytelling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ace Detective: Strange Tales are: Richard Launius. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ace Detective: Strange Tales as an expansion for Ace Detective. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Ace Detective to use it. Check that your edition of Ace Detective is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.