The GUMSHOE System Reference Document

As a result of the Hillfolk Kickstarter, GUMSHOE is now available under the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Unported License.

The document is a reference for game designers, and is not tuned to teach the game, or provide a playable game experience.

If you’re looking for a playable game, seek out such Pelgrane Press titles as Ashen Stars, The Esoterrorists, Fear Itself, Mutant City Blues, Night’s Black Agents, Swords of the Serpentine, TimeWatch, Trail of Cthulhu, or The Yellow King RPG. Or watch for games the users of this license will build with it.

Version History

Version 2, released 20th July 2017, includes TimeWatch, content added by Kevin Kulp, which appears as a result of a TimeWatch Kickstarter stretch goal.

Version 3, released 3rd February 2020, adds The Yellow King RPG content, the GUMSHOE One-2-One rules, and the QuickShock GUMSHOE rules, which appear as a result of a The Yellow King RPG Kickstarter stretch goal.

• Download the CC version 3 as a Word document here.
• Download the CC version 3 as a PDF here.