How to Build a Crime Board on Detective Board Maker

To build a crime board on Detective Board Maker, open the site in your browser, start a free board, pin notes, photos and articles to the corkboard, connect related clues with red string, then save and share the board as a public link. This works for true-crime research, story planning, tabletop campaigns and study; the site says it is free to start and runs in the browser, though it does not publish details on accounts, storage limits or what "free to start" includes beyond that.

Before You Start

• A browser and your material. The tool runs online, so gather the notes, images and article links you want on the board first.
• A clear question. A crime board works best when it answers something specific, such as "who knew the victim before the event?" or "which clues contradict the official timeline?"
• Optional reference. The site's Discover Boards section shows public boards (938 at the time of the page snapshot) across fiction, true crime, mystery, historical and conspiracy categories. Browsing a few is a quick way to see how others lay out a case before you build your own.

Step-by-Step: Your First Board

1. Start a free board

Open detectiveboard.io and choose the option to start a free board. The site describes this as the entry point for building a corkboard-style board in the browser. Expected result: a blank board you can add items to.

2. Pin notes, photos and articles

Add your evidence as items on the corkboard: written notes for facts and theories, photos for people, places or objects, and articles for source material. Keep each item to one idea so the connections later stay readable. For example, pin a separate note for each witness statement rather than one long summary.

3. Connect clues with red string

Use the red-string connections to link items that relate to each other. Connect a suspect to a location, a note to the photo it describes, or two statements that conflict. The string is the reasoning layer of the board, so connect only relationships you can explain.

4. Save and share as a public board

Save the board when the layout is done. The site supports sharing a case as a public board, which is how the boards in Discover Boards are published. Check what is visible on the board before sharing, since a public board can be viewed by others.

5. Verify the result

Reopen the board or its public link and confirm that all items and connections appear as intended. If something is missing, add it again and re-save.

Common Snags

• Too many connections. If every item links to every other, the board stops showing a theory. Start with the strongest links and add the rest only when they support a specific claim.
• Mixing fact and theory. Label speculative notes clearly, for example with a "theory:" prefix, so a reader can tell evidence from inference.
• Sharing too early. Because boards can be public, finish and review the layout before publishing the link.

What the Board Is Good For

The site lists four main uses: true-crime research, story planning, tabletop campaigns and study. The public boards reflect this range, from game lore maps and heist plans to fictional case files and investigation notes. Pick the use that matches your material, then build the board around the one question you want it to answer.