Gone Before the Morning Tide: A Medieval Disappearance Mystery Game

Gone Before the Morning Tide is our first disappearance mystery — an AI-narrated detective game set in a 1387 English harbour town. Not every crime ends in death, and this one starts with a question: where is Brother Aldric?

The Setting: Dunhaven Harbour, Suffolk, 1387

The merchant cog Saint Eadmund's Grace lies moored at the harbour of Dunhaven, a small English coastal town in Suffolk. Brother Aldric of Ely, a cartographer-monk bearing a priceless sea chart, has vanished from his cabin overnight.

The chart — said to detail safe passage through the treacherous Dunhaven shoals — is missing with him. The harbour-master has sealed the vessel and the quayside until the port bailiff arrives at midday. The harbour chain is raised. No one may leave.

A Different Kind of Mystery Game

Gone Before the Morning Tide breaks from the classic murder mystery formula:

• No body, no weapon, no cause of death. Instead of working backward from a killing, you're working forward from a disappearance. Is Brother Aldric dead? Kidnapped? Did he flee with the chart voluntarily?
• The answer changes everything. In a murder mystery, you know a crime happened — you're just finding who did it. Here, you don't even know what happened. The nature of the crime itself is part of the puzzle.
• Medieval social dynamics. A monk, a ship captain, and a harbour merchant don't speak to each other the same way. Social hierarchy, religious authority, and superstition all play a role in who tells you what — and what they leave out.
• Time pressure from the tide. The harbour chain lifts at midday when the bailiff arrives. If you haven't solved it by then, your suspects scatter.

Historical World-Building in an AI Mystery

The medieval harbour setting is rich with period-accurate detail that the AI narrator weaves naturally into gameplay. Guild rivalries, church politics, and the economics of coastal trade aren't just flavour — they're clues. Understanding the world helps you solve the case.

Start investigating Gone Before the Morning Tide →