MicroMacro: Crime City

Look closely. Follow the clues. Solve the crime.

Welcome to Crime City, a seemingly peaceful place where murder, robbery, blackmail and other suspicious activities happen with alarming regularity.

In MicroMacro: Crime City, you and your fellow detectives must work together to investigate a series of criminal cases using a huge illustrated city map. Search for hidden clues, follow suspects through the streets, reconstruct what happened and piece together the evidence to identify the culprit.

It's part detective game, part hidden-object puzzle and part cooperative deduction game — with an ingenious map that shows not only where things happened, but also what happened over time.

Winner of the Spiel des Jahres 2021, MicroMacro: Crime City is an accessible, highly interactive mystery game that's easy to learn but surprisingly satisfying to solve.

How to Play MicroMacro: Crime City

Each case begins with a crime that needs investigating.

Choose one of the game's 16 criminal cases, then follow the instructions on the case cards. You'll be asked to locate people, objects and events on the enormous Crime City map and use what you discover to answer questions about what happened.

But there's a clever twist.

The map represents both space and time. The same characters appear in different places at different moments, allowing you to follow their movements across the city.

You'll need to:

• Search the city map for clues

• Follow suspects from location to location

• Reconstruct sequences of events

• Identify motives

• Find evidence

• Work out what happened

• Answer the questions in each case

• Ultimately identify and convict the culprit

Sometimes you'll work through the case card by card. For an extra challenge, you can read the opening card and attempt to reconstruct the entire story yourself.

A Giant Map Full of Tiny Details

The star of MicroMacro: Crime City is its enormous 75 × 110 cm city map.

At first glance, Crime City looks like a busy illustrated city. Look closer, however, and you'll discover an extraordinary amount of detail.

People are walking through the streets, entering buildings, meeting other characters and getting themselves into trouble. By following them across the map, you can piece together events that happened at different times and locations.

It's this combination of observation, deduction and storytelling that makes MicroMacro feel unlike a traditional board game.

You'll constantly find yourself saying:

"Wait... where did that person go?"

Then five minutes later:

"I've found them!"

Solve 16 Different Criminal Cases

The game includes 16 cases to investigate, giving you plenty of mysteries to work through.

Each case presents its own questions and challenges. You'll need to pay attention to seemingly insignificant details because something you spotted several minutes ago could suddenly become the key piece of evidence.

Cases gradually encourage you to look at the city in different ways, making MicroMacro more than simply a game of spotting objects.

You're reconstructing stories.

Cooperative Detective Game

MicroMacro: Crime City is a fully cooperative game, meaning everyone works together.

There is no single detective who has to solve everything. Instead, players can divide up the investigation, compare theories and point out discoveries to one another.

One player might follow a suspect while another searches for the location of an important event. Someone else might notice a connection that changes the entire investigation.

The result is a wonderfully social puzzle experience where everyone can contribute.

Easy to Learn, Harder to Solve

One of MicroMacro's biggest strengths is its simplicity.

There isn't a complicated rules system standing between you and the mystery. Once you've understood how the case cards work, most of the game is simply:

Look. Think. Discuss. Investigate.

That makes MicroMacro: Crime City particularly appealing if you want a detective board game without a heavy rules overhead.

The challenge comes from your ability to spot details, remember information and connect the evidence.

Use the Magnifying Glass

Some clues are deliberately difficult to spot.

Fortunately, the game includes a magnifying glass to help you investigate the finer details of Crime City's enormous map.

And you'll probably need it.

The map is packed with tiny characters, objects and visual clues, making every investigation feel like you're genuinely searching a crime scene.

A Game That Rewards Looking Again

MicroMacro is brilliant at making you question what you've already seen.

You might find a suspect early in a case and think you've understood where they went — only to discover that you've missed an important event somewhere else on the map.

That's where the deduction comes in.

The game encourages you to constantly revisit the evidence and build a timeline of events.

Who was there?

Where did they go?

What happened next?

Why did they do it?

And where is the evidence?

Solve enough of the puzzle and the whole story suddenly clicks into place.

Why You'll Love MicroMacro: Crime City

🔎 It's a Completely Different Kind of Detective Game

MicroMacro combines a huge illustrated map with cooperative deduction to create an experience unlike a traditional mystery board game.

🕵️ Everyone Can Be the Detective

There is no complicated character system or specialist role to learn. Everyone can search the map, follow clues and contribute theories.

🗺️ The Map Is the Game

The enormous Crime City map functions as both a geographical map and a timeline, allowing you to follow characters through different events.

🧩 The Rules Are Simple

The challenge comes from solving the cases rather than remembering complicated rules.

👨👩👧👦 Great for Groups

With support for 1–4 players, MicroMacro works equally well as a solo puzzle or as a collaborative game for friends and family.

🏆 Award-Winning

MicroMacro: Crime City won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres 2021, recognising its innovative and accessible approach to tabletop gaming.

Who Is MicroMacro: Crime City For?

Detective game fans: If you enjoy murder mysteries, investigations and solving puzzles, there's plenty to love.

Puzzle lovers: The cases reward observation, deduction and lateral thinking.

Families: The straightforward rules make it accessible, while the mysteries provide plenty of discussion.

Couples: MicroMacro is particularly well suited to two people working together to investigate each case.

Solo gamers: You can investigate Crime City completely on your own.

Board game newcomers: There's very little rules overhead, allowing you to get straight into the investigation.

Experienced gamers: The unusual map-based investigation system provides something genuinely different from conventional board games.

Is MicroMacro: Crime City Good for Families?

Yes, but it's worth paying attention to the age recommendations on individual cases.

The current edition is rated 12+, and the cases are crime-themed, so some investigations may be more suitable for older children and adults.

The cases are marked with age-appropriateness icons, allowing parents to decide which mysteries are suitable for younger investigators.

What Makes MicroMacro Different?

Unlike a traditional detective board game, you don't move a token around a board collecting evidence.

Instead, the entire city is your crime scene.

The map contains multiple versions of characters at different points in time. By tracing their movements, you can reconstruct what happened.

This makes MicroMacro feel like a combination of:

• A hidden-object game

• A detective mystery

• A visual puzzle

• A timeline investigation

• A cooperative board game

• A crime-solving challenge

And because the map is so detailed, you can often discover things simply by looking closely.

How Long Does MicroMacro: Crime City Take?

A game of MicroMacro: Crime City takes approximately 15–45 minutes, depending on the case and how quickly your group solves the mystery.

Because individual cases are relatively contained, it's easy to play one investigation when you have a spare half hour or work through several cases during a longer game night.

How Many People Can Play?

MicroMacro: Crime City supports 1–4 players.

It's excellent at two players, where you can work together to follow suspects and compare theories, but it also works well with larger groups.

Solo play is also supported, making it a particularly flexible puzzle game.

What Games Are Similar to MicroMacro: Crime City?

If you enjoy MicroMacro, you may also enjoy games that combine deduction, mystery, investigation and cooperative problem-solving.

It's particularly appealing if you like:

• Detective board games

• Murder mystery games

• Cooperative puzzle games

• Hidden-object games

• Deduction games

• Crime investigation games

• Solo board games

• Story-driven games

• Family-friendly mystery games

• Games like Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

MicroMacro's map-based approach makes it particularly distinctive, though, so even experienced board gamers may find it offers something new.

Why Buy MicroMacro: Crime City From Roll The Dice?

At Roll The Dice, we love games that offer something a little different.

MicroMacro: Crime City is exactly that kind of game. It's easy to teach, highly interactive and creates those brilliant moments when everyone suddenly realises they've spotted the missing piece of the puzzle.

Whether you're looking for a detective board game, a cooperative puzzle, a game for two players or something different for your next game night, MicroMacro: Crime City is an excellent choice.

Game Information

Feature	Details
Game	MicroMacro: Crime City
Game Type	Cooperative Detective / Deduction Board Game
Players	1–4
Playing Time	15–45 minutes
Age	12+
Designer	Johannes Sich
Publisher	Edition Spielwiese
Map Size	75 × 110 cm
Cases	16
Cards	120
Main Mechanics	Cooperative Play, Deduction, Observation, Scenario / Mission
Game Style	Detective, Mystery, Crime, Puzzle
Awards	Spiel des Jahres 2021 Winner

What's Included?

Inside the box you'll find:

• 1 huge Crime City map measuring 75 × 110 cm

• 120 cards featuring 16 criminal cases

• 1 magnifying glass

• 1 rulebook

Everything you need to begin investigating Crime City's suspicious inhabitants.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MicroMacro: Crime City?

MicroMacro: Crime City is a cooperative detective board game where players investigate 16 criminal cases by searching a huge illustrated city map for clues and reconstructing what happened.

How many players can play MicroMacro: Crime City?

MicroMacro: Crime City supports 1–4 players and works particularly well as a two-player cooperative game.

How long does MicroMacro: Crime City take?

Each investigation takes approximately 15–45 minutes.

What age is MicroMacro: Crime City for?

The current English edition is recommended for ages 12 and over. Individual cases include age-appropriateness markings.

Is MicroMacro: Crime City cooperative?

Yes. Players work together as detectives to solve each case rather than competing against one another.

Is MicroMacro good for two players?

Absolutely. Two players can work together to search the map, follow suspects and discuss their theories as they piece together each case.

Can you play MicroMacro: Crime City solo?

Yes. The game supports solo play, allowing one player to investigate the cases independently.

How big is the MicroMacro Crime City map?

The map measures approximately 75 × 110 cm, giving you a huge city to investigate.

How many cases are included?

The game includes 16 criminal cases, represented across 120 cards.

Does MicroMacro have a story?

Each case tells a different criminal story. By following characters across the map and reconstructing their movements, you gradually uncover what happened.

Become a Detective in Crime City

Crime is everywhere.

The clues are hidden in plain sight.

And somewhere on that enormous city map is the answer.

MicroMacro: Crime City is a brilliantly simple detective game that turns observation and deduction into an incredibly satisfying cooperative experience.

Grab the magnifying glass, gather your fellow detectives and start investigating.

Can you solve all 16 cases?