If you haven’t hosted a murder mystery party game before, the experience can seem a bit daunting. It’s really not as difficult as it may seem at first glance – murder mystery games are very easy to set up. But until you have one or two under your belt, these few tips should make your life a little easier.
#1 First steps
Take your time. The games themselves are pretty wordy and take some time to absorb. You don’t have to memorize everything, but it certainly helps to know where everything is. So take your time. Print everything out and read it at your leisure. You don’t need to understand everything right away, so skip anything that is confusing and come back to it later.
At some point you will have to start preparing the game. You will need envelopes for each character, in which you will place the background of the character and the necessary rules. It’s usually two or three sheets of paper, plus possibly some item and ability cards. I usually reread the characters while stuffing the envelopes – it reminds me of who they are and what clues and abilities they start with.
You’ll also probably find it helpful to have a full set of game notes on hand. So after you’ve filled out the packs, you’ll need to print another set in case you need to refer to something during gameplay.
I like to have everything complete (envelopes stuffed and packed, invitations sent out) at least a week before the party. That reduces the likelihood of last-minute rushes. They still happen, but with most of the preparations already completed, I find the last minute rush easier to manage.
#2 cast
There are two ways to throw a murder mystery party game. You can issue in advance or do it on the day. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
The big advantage of casting in advance is that your guests can prepare for the role. They can find appropriate costumes and accessories and help contribute to the atmosphere of the game. The main downside is that if someone you’ve criticaled (say, the assassin) cancels at the last minute, then you need to recast. And that may mean that someone has a rather inappropriate costume for her new role.
If you decide to throw the day, you should encourage your guests to dress in an appropriate style. This may mean that you lose a bit of atmosphere, but it means that you are not trusting anyone in particular.
A third option is to combine both. Tell a few people ahead of time which characters they will be playing, and leave some for the last minute to cover all eventualities.
Then there’s the casting itself: how do you really decide who gets what character? There is no hard and fast rule for this, as no one knows your friends like you do. I have chosen both characters completely randomly and according to who appeared. Both seem to work.
(Of course, you could ask your guests what kind of character they’d like, but then you risk someone being disappointed when they can’t, for whatever reason, cast you in their preferred role.)
I don’t recommend submitting the entire character background upfront. If you do that, you risk having your guests (particularly close friends and associates) start playing before the night! They may accidentally reveal secrets and inadvertently spoil the evening. You also have an even bigger problem if someone quits: you can’t give their character to someone else (because they know stuff about their first character), so you’d have to try and find an additional person from somewhere.
#3 Restoration
First things first: While some murder mystery parties are designed around a sit-down meal, others are not. Instead, players need the freedom to move around the room, hide in corners, and talk privately with each other. They can’t do that if they’re sitting down with a three-course meal.
If you want to provide a meal, you really have two options. The first is to provide the food in advance. Invite your guests early, feed them, and then (over coffee) hand out your characters. The problem with this is that the dinner parties I’ve been to go on into the evening. And rarely have I wanted to do anything more than digest afterwards. Having a sit-down meal in the middle of a mystery game doesn’t work either – it breaks the atmosphere and forces someone into the kitchen and away from the game.
The second option is to offer finger food: slices of pizza, a cold buffet, sandwiches, or whatever takes your fancy. Finger food is ideal – it can be made ahead of time (with minimal effort in most cases) and guests can “nibble” as they please. You can also ask your guests to contribute to the food to help you with the workload.
The drink is something else entirely. It is absolutely essential to provide enough soft drinks or water. Murder mystery games are conversational, and your guests will soon be very thirsty. So stock up on soda, water, coffee or juice or whatever you think people will want to drink.
Whether or not it serves alcohol is a matter of personal preference. Too much alcohol almost always ruins a game, so it must be moderated carefully. A little alcohol can sometimes overcome a player’s inhibitions and get the game rolling.
#4 Atmosphere
Murder mystery games get a lot better if you put in some effort to create the right atmosphere. The right atmosphere helps each with their character and can turn an entertaining evening into a truly memorable one.
Here, then, are some tips for creating a good environment.
Costumes: Perhaps the strongest way to create a great atmosphere is to encourage your guests to wear an appropriate costume. (The costumes also look great in the photographs.) If your guests find it difficult to find a costume (not everyone has the time or money to look for a good costume), a token effort, perhaps a hat or coat, can also work wonders.
A Sense of Space: Where you hold the murder mystery game can affect the atmosphere. If you are lucky, you will be able to find a suitable location for the game. However, murder mystery games are rarely that lucky and are usually held in homes. However, with a little planning, you can create a feeling of space.
Anachronisms – For vintage games, you may want to hide or remove anachronistic elements. Computers, lava lamps, and other light equipment can be moved to a spare room. As for heavy furniture and appliances, such as televisions and stereos, try to hide them with a cloth or blanket.
Props – Some murder mystery games involve items like auction items or books for sale. As far as the game is concerned, these are usually represented by strips of cardboard or paper; however, if you have access to suitable accessories, why not use them? Two caveats. First, if it’s important to the mystery that no one knows who has a certain item, it might be better to keep it as a piece of card rather than a bulky prop. Second, and I can’t stress this enough, never use weapon attachments. Period. It’s too dangerous – anyone passing by may not realize you’re just playing and if they see someone brandishing a gun they’ll call the police. It’s really not worth the risk.
Sound: Period music or sound effects can be used to create an atmosphere. Large libraries often have a music section, with a wide selection of sound effects.
Food – If you are preparing food, you may want to provide something appropriate for the setting.
#5 Driving problems
As written, murder mystery games cannot answer all eventualities. Your guests are likely to be very imaginative people. They’ll have ideas no one else has thought of, and there’s only one person they can turn to: you.
Unfortunately, that means you’ll be asked questions throughout the night. You can’t predict some of the things you’re going to be asked, so I don’t even try. My motto: expect the unexpected.
I tend to use three simple rules when it comes to answering player questions.
It’s fun? Often when a player asks a question, they already have an answer in mind. If it sounds funny (which often means dramatic), she’s likely to say yes.
It’s fair? When trying to gain an advantage over another character and achieve their goals, players sometimes come up with hints that would alter the game for everyone else. In this case, I either say no, or I add enough requirements to make it very difficult to succeed. And then I’ll give the other players plenty of chances to fail.
make it up Your guests haven’t seen the entire murder mystery document. They don’t know if the game is supposed to go in a particular direction or not. Games generally go in whichever direction players take them, but that’s okay. Since the players don’t know that there is no “correct” way to run a murder mystery game (they are always different), I can make up whatever I think is reasonable. And you can too: your guests won’t know the difference.
Remember that the host is impartial, you should not take sides. If someone wants to do something that will put them at a significant advantage over another character, you shouldn’t necessarily prohibit them, just make it difficult. Make them work to that advantage.
PS: The more time your guests have to read their characters and the rules, the better. I suggest allowing at least 20 minutes before the start of the game so people have time to absorb the information. That should also give them time to settle. You will have fewer questions if you give everyone a chance to read their characters in peace and quiet.
And finally
Once you’ve run through a murder mystery game once, all of the above will seem like common sense. And it is: Running these games really isn’t hard. They require some work, but it’s worth it. So go ahead – run your own murder mystery party game and have fun.
