This post expands on Step 1 of my How to Host a Murder Mystery Party Guide by going into further detail about the five important decisions you must make before a murder mystery game for your party.
Let’s take a closer look!
STEP 1: Choose Your Game
The most important part of hosting an exceptional party is making sure that you have chosen a game kit for your party that meets your specific needs!
Your 1st choice to make is where you want to host the party. This will determine how many people you can invite and will create advantages and limitations for the party.
Of course, not every home or apartment is well suited to entertaining. You may experience issues with:
Insufficient space
Inconvenient layout
Insufficient parking
Common reasons to host here:
Fundraisers
Team building exercises
Work parties
Your organization’s space may be available even if your party is not for the organization. It’s worth checking!
At Your Organization
Many people host parties at workplaces, churches, social clubs, and other organizational spaces.
Advantages:
Plenty of space and multiple rooms
Good parking, restroom facilities and other conveniences
Often free of charge
Disadvantages:
Could have an undesirable atmosphere, such as a pronounced industrial or institutional design
Decorating limitations
Must work around dates & times the space is available
At a Rented Space
Some party organizers choose to rent a venue for their party, such as a bed and breakfast, hotel, or conference center.
Advantages of rented space:
Choose a venue suited for your particular event and guest count
May be spaces available that already have atmosphere you want
Disadvantages
Can be expensive
Some locations have special rules or restrictions related to this sort of activity
Guest Count
Your 2nd choice is how many people to invite. The space you choose will affect your choice, but it’s also based on what experience you want. Different group sizes present different advantages and challenges.
Small Size (10 guests or less)
Having a small number of guests is often ideal because it’s easier to manage all the moving parts of the party.
Advantages:
Expenses are limited
Much easier to organize the party and assign roles
Individuals have bigger roles in the game
Many pre-made mysteries available for this size group
Disadvantages:
The most important drawback is that if someone ends up cancelling at the last minute, it is likely that their absence will have a big impact on the flow of the party.
There are a few ways to run parties with this many guests:
Simultaneous Games – Divide the room into groups that each play their own game
Group Characters – Each character is played by multiple people who work together
Cast & Observers – A small group of guests play the characters, while the rest observe their interactions as “detectives”
Large Size (26+ guests)
You may be considering throwing a murder mystery party as part of a larger event, such as a fundraiser or family reunion. This changes the ballgame as you will have much more work to do, but the payoff can be an extremely entertaining night for everyone!
Advantages:
Endless opportunity for intrigue and back stabbing
Solving the mystery itself will pose a substantial and worthwhile challenge for the participants
Large events are always exciting and memorable for the group
Disadvantages:
Need a much larger space; this may entail renting a location
Cost will increase substantially, especially if you are serving food
Individuals can get “lost in the shuffle” in a large group. It’s crucial to have everything well planned out and organized in advance!
Your 3rd choice is whether you want an Interactive or Scripted game.
Interactive – Guests move and mingle freely with each other
Scripted – Guests read from script when prompted, often seated at table
Interactive Games
Interactive games provide each guest with a sheet that explains their character’s details (goals, secrets, etc.). They then mingle and play their characters however they like!
Advantages:
More mingling and interaction
Encourages impromptu acting & humor
Guests have leeway in playing
their character
Larger numbers of
characters possible
Good for experienced players
Disadvantages:
Host must oversee party more carefully
Typically take more time to complete
Not the best option for groups of shy people that don’t know one another
Because scripted games provide more direction, they are good for:
Children
Large groups
First-time players
Shy players
Groups that don’t already know each other
Scripted Games
Scripted
parties feature character cards that contain scripts that are read
verbatim at certain points during the party (either in response to another
player, when prompted by the host, or simply in a pre-set order.)
They are often played while seated around a table.
Advantages:
Provide specific instructions for the
guests, which is helpful for more shy or inexperienced players
Easier to keep the mystery on track and running smoothly
The 4th choice is whether you want a Downloadable or Boxed game. Downloadable mystery kits have become very popular because of their convenience, but boxed kits are still a good option, too. Alternatively, the very bold may even consider writing their own party.
Downloadable Party Kits
More and more murder mystery parties are being made available in an electronic format, since everything in a party kit can be printed (instructions, character sheets, nametags, voting sheets, etc.).
Advantages:
Instant access to your party after purchase
Endless reusability
Generally less expensive than boxed sets of comparable size
Simpler to customize and edit
Many themes to choose from
Supplemental media (sound files, e-vites and more)
Disadvantages:
The only real disadvantage to electronic mysteries is that they require you to print them yourself, which does add some small additional expense.
If you are of a creative mindset, or if you just can’t find anything that matches your particular mystery party needs, you can always consider writing your own script! This can be both challenging and time consuming, but if done right it can be very rewarding. While the intricacies of creating your own party are beyond the scope of this guide, there are several resources online that will help get you moving in the right direction. A good starting point for writing your own simple murder mystery can be found here.
Theme
The 5th (and final) choice you must make is the backdrop do you want for the party.
Role-playing characters from a different time period, background or geographical location is one of the most exciting elements of hosting a mystery party. Much of the night revolves around the theme, and there are literally hundreds of options to choose from!
Here is a list of the most popular murder mystery party themes:
Theme
Description
Example
Casino
Host runs casino games (e.g., blackjack, roulette) during the party. Fake money, of course!
Now that you have weighed the pros and cons, it’s time to review your options and make your choices.
Venue:
Home
Organization’s Space
Rented Space
Guest Count:
Small group
Medium group
Large group
Game Type:
Interactive
Scripted
Game Format:
Downloadable
Boxed
Theme:
Which time & place will you recreate?
Choose Your Game
Use your decisions from Step 1 to help you choose the game for your party. There are many script options out there. A quick Google search will bring up countless vendors for every type and format of game.
Playing With Murder sells both interactive and scripted games in downloadable format.
If you would like to start your search here, we invite you to browse our games.
Otherwise, if you want to save your search for later, the next two steps will give you more of an idea of what to expect when hosting your party.
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