Family Detective Lab
The Three-Pillar Scoring System
“How much you helped the rest of the people playing is part of the score. The whole team has to win.”
The premise
Every cooperative board game has one win condition: the team wins, or the team loses. This framework adds two more dimensions, weighted equally to the win itself. A team that “wins” but does not help each other and does not play the topic well does not earn a full score. A team that “loses” but consults brilliantly and treats the topic with integrity earns more than zero.
The three pillars
Each pillar is exactly one third of the total score. Full possible score: 30 points (10 / 10 / 10).
Pillar 1 · Solve
Did your team actually crack the case?
- ·WHO matched correctly — 3 points
- ·WHERE matched correctly — 2 points
- ·HOW matched correctly — 2 points
- ·RED FLAG spotted before reveal — 3 points
Pillar 2 · Help
Did your team take care of each other?
- ·Cross-Discipline Consults given — 1 pt each, max 4
- ·Consults received and used — 1 pt each, max 2
- ·Teammate spell-check — 1 pt each, max 2
- ·Hazard rescue — 2 points each
Pillar 3 · Integrity
Did your team treat the topic with the care it deserves?
- ·Truth — every claim sourced & tiered (up to 3 pts)
- ·Awareness — traps & hazards handled correctly (up to 3 pts)
- ·Curiosity — “I don’t know yet” or open questions (up to 4 pts)
The Floor Rule
A team must score at least 4 points in every pillar to claim a qualifying case victory. You cannot win Family Detective Lab by being good at only one thing.
Not qualifying is a feature. It is the game's way of saying try again, play differently next time, and notice what you missed.
Win states
| Pillars | Total | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 4 / 4 / 4 | 12 pts | Qualifying Win |
| 7 / 7 / 7 | 21 pts | Honor Roll |
| 10 / 10 / 10 | 30 pts | Perfect Game |
| 10 / 0 / 10 | 20 pts | Lone Wolf — Did Not Qualify |
| 0 / 10 / 0 | 10 pts | Heart of Gold — Did Not Qualify |
Any pillar at 0 disqualifies, regardless of total.
Tonight's MVPs
Two MVPs per game — the kid who consulted the most (Help) and the kid who asked the best questions (Integrity). Never just the kid who solved fastest.