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Casino: Dead Money
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set in Las Vegas casino.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
A casino
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
Don’t walk away from the table. Run.
Backstory
The guests have been invited to an evening of gambling and entertainment at the Lady Lux, a casino owned by the wealthy Dona Mancini. The guest list includes a number of gambling enthusiasts—from high rollers to novices—as well as the performers, dealers, and other staff employed by Dona Mancini. Everyone is expecting an evening replete with games of chance, dinner, drinks, and maybe a show—they aren’t expecting a power outage, the murder of a member of the surveillance team, or a lockdown that prevents them from leaving the casino.
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening (Act One), the events take place in the gaming area of the Lady Lux, a casino and night club owned by the wealthy Dona Mancini. The partygoers will have the opportunity to eat, drink, and play games of chance. The evening will progress as a largely normal party (though there will be some degree of intrigue built into the characters’ actions).
Suspicious Death!
At the midpoint of the evening, the power goes out in the casino. When the generator kicks in and the lights come back on, someone screams—the sound coming from somewhere outside the gaming area. Upon investigation, the casino staff find that a person has dropped dead in the employee restroom. Was it foul play? The tension escalates when the partygoers realize that the casino’s security system has locked them in the building—possibly with a murderer in their midst! The Casino Operations Manager—played by the Host/Hostess and aided by the armed Security Manager—directs the guests into a back room and demands that everyone hand over their cell phones. The characters are uneasy but have no choice but to comply. When everyone has filed into the other room, the second segment begins.
Act Two opens with the characters huddled together in the surveillance room. Surrounded by screens and monitors, every nook and cranny of the casino is on display. They are frightened and suspicious of one another and of the casino staff, who suddenly seem less than friendly—and maybe more than a little shady.
Solving the Mystery
The group’s goals are threefold. First, they must determine whether the victim died of natural causes. Second, if foul play is suspected, they must determine who amongst them had the motive and the means to have carried out the deed. Third, they must find a way to alert law enforcement to the fact that they are being detained against their wills, preferably before any members of the group decide to administer justice themselves.
Assuming they are able to accomplish these goals, the players will also want to claim their winnings.
There are 24 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Casino Operations Manager, a character who keeps the party on track and helps to advance the action. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 24 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- Gino Cabella (The Security Manager): Gino Cabella is well dressed, soft-spoken, and cold-as-ice. He worked for Don Mancini for many years.
- Jake Morrison (The Gambler): A gambling addict and loveable scoundrel, Jake Morrison’s greatest pleasures in life are fine whisky, fine women, fine cigars, and the lure of the poker table (in no particular order).
- *John Maynard (The Security Guard): Effectively a rent-a-cop, John Maynard couldn’t cut it on the police force and security work seemed like the next best thing.
- *Larry Chastain (The Businessman): A businessman from Rhode Island, Larry Chastain is in town to meet with clients and have a little fun.
- Lorenzo Calderone (The Bodyguard): Lorenzo Chalderone is Dona “Toni” Mancini’s handsome, young bodyguard.
- Louie Lepinski (The Driver): Louie Lepinski is Michael Von Ammon’s chauffeur and confidante.
- Michael Von Ammon (The High Roller): The well-to-do owner of the pleasure yacht the Elizabeth May, Captain Von Ammon is a rakish playboy type and well liked by most.
- *Mortimer Stout (The Banker): Mortimer Stout is a financial genius who has a better understanding of accounting than he does of people.
- *Vincenzo the Amazing (The Magician): Vincenzo the Amazing astounds the casino’s audiences with deft acts of prestidigitation and awe-inspiring illusions every Friday and Saturday night.
Female Roles
- Anna Luciano (The Mistress): Anna Luciano was Don Mancini’s mistress when he was alive. She is a sultry beauty, and men flock to her.
- *Bette Fitz (The Waitress): Attractive but not as young as she once was, Bette is a little rough around the edges after years of hard work, harassment by customers, and chain-smoking.
- Dona Antonietta “Toni” Mancini (The Widow): Widow of Don Mancini, Dona Antonietta was willed the Lady Lux casino after the Don’s untimely death. After years spent running the casino by her husband’s side, she is a shrewd businesswoman who is not to be trifled with.
- Kat Bloomberg (The Surveillance Manager): Kat Bloomberg, the Surveillance Manager for the Lady Lux, handles all of the surveillance hardware for the casino.
- *Marvella Malcolm (The Magician’s Assistant): Assistant to Vincenzo the Amazing, Marvella Malcolm is the eye candy of the stage act.
- *Nancy Plimpton (The Saleswoman): Nancy Plimpton, a saleswoman from Dallas, is in town for a training seminar.
- *Regina Guissepe (The Bartender): Polite, professional, and very discrete, Regina Guiseppe has a sympathetic ear into which the loose lips of imbibing patrons can pour their stories.
- Shawna LaBeau (The Showgirl): Glamorous, bawdy, and with legs for miles, Shawna LaBeau performs with a Rockettes-like dance troupe at the Lady Lux.
Male or Female Roles
- *Casey Parker (Dealer): A university student equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Casey Parker has worked at the Lady Lux for two semesters.
- *Chris Lund (Tourist): Chris Lund is a tourist on vacation with partner Pat Thompson. Chris and Pat have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
- *Jesse Martin (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Jesse Martin has worked at the Lady Lux for two years.
- Lee Strauss (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Lee Strauss has worked at the Lady Lux for a number of years.
- *Mo Berry (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Mo Berry has worked at the Lady Lux for the past three months.
- *Pat Thompson (Tourist): Pat Thompson is a tourist on vacation with partner Chris Lund. Pat and Chris have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
- *Louie Lepinski (Driver): Michael Von Ammon's chauffeur and confidante, Louie has also moonlighted as a driver for the casino's Security Manager on occassion.
- Carla Lewis (Cashier): (Played by the guest that played the victim in Act One) Responsible for handling all the money and records of patrons' debts and credits, Carla Lewis is familiar with the regular patrons as a result of handling their frequent transactions.
- Vic(toria) Angelo (The Casino Operations Manager): (Played by the Host/Hostess) Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the casino, Vic Angelo answers directly to Dona Mancini, the casino’s owner.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
This party kit is a downloadable PDF file that you print at home. It includes the following features:
- An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable and easy to run
- Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party
- A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format
- Instructions on how to run the party for a large group
- Nametags and character sheets for each player – the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well special goals and gossip unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- Voting sheets
- Awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Murder in Manhattan you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Two mp3 audio effects for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use these audio clips to best effect
Follow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role.
- A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players).
- Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.
Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
There are 24 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Casino Operations Manager, a character who keeps the party on track and helps to advance the action. Read the “How To Play” section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 24 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
Gino Cabella (The Security Manager): Gino Cabella is well dressed, soft-spoken, and cold-as-ice. He worked for Don Mancini for many years.
Jake Morrison (The Gambler): A gambling addict and loveable scoundrel, Jake Morrison’s greatest pleasures in life are fine whisky, fine women, fine cigars, and the lure of the poker table (in no particular order).
*John Maynard (The Security Guard): Effectively a rent-a-cop, John Maynard couldn’t cut it on the police force and security work seemed like the next best thing.
*Larry Chastain (The Businessman): A businessman from Rhode Island, Larry Chastain is in town to meet with clients and have a little fun.
Lorenzo Calderone (The Bodyguard): Lorenzo Chalderone is Dona “Toni” Mancini’s handsome, young bodyguard.
Louie Lepinski (The Driver): Louie Lepinski is Michael Von Ammon’s chauffeur and confidante.
Michael Von Ammon (The High Roller): The well-to-do owner of the pleasure yacht the Elizabeth May, Captain Von Ammon is a rakish playboy type and well liked by most.
*Mortimer Stout (The Banker): Mortimer Stout is a financial genius who has a better understanding of accounting than he does of people.
*Vincenzo the Amazing (The Magician): Vincenzo the Amazing astounds the casino’s audiences with deft acts of prestidigitation and awe-inspiring illusions every Friday and Saturday night.
Female Roles
Anna Luciano (The Mistress): Anna Luciano was Don Mancini’s mistress when he was alive. She is a sultry beauty, and men flock to her.
*Bette Fitz (The Waitress): Attractive but not as young as she once was, Bette is a little rough around the edges after years of hard work, harassment by customers, and chain-smoking.
Dona Antonietta “Toni” Mancini (The Widow): Widow of Don Mancini, Dona Antonietta was willed the Lady Lux casino after the Don’s untimely death. After years spent running the casino by her husband’s side, she is a shrewd businesswoman who is not to be trifled with.
Kat Bloomberg (The Surveillance Manager): Kat Bloomberg, the Surveillance Manager for the Lady Lux, handles all of the surveillance hardware for the casino.
*Marvella Malcolm (The Magician’s Assistant): Assistant to Vincenzo the Amazing, Marvella Malcolm is the eye candy of the stage act.
*Nancy Plimpton (The Saleswoman): Nancy Plimpton, a saleswoman from Dallas, is in town for a training seminar.
*Regina Guissepe (The Bartender): Polite, professional, and very discrete, Regina Guiseppe has a sympathetic ear into which the loose lips of imbibing patrons can pour their stories.
Shawna LaBeau (The Showgirl): Glamorous, bawdy, and with legs for miles, Shawna LaBeau performs with a Rockettes-like dance troupe at the Lady Lux.
Male or Female Roles
*Casey Parker (Dealer): A university student equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Casey Parker has worked at the Lady Lux for two semesters.
*Chris Lund (Tourist): Chris Lund is a tourist on vacation with partner Pat Thompson. Chris and Pat have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
*Jesse Martin (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Jesse Martin has worked at the Lady Lux for two years.
Lee Strauss (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Lee Strauss has worked at the Lady Lux for a number of years.
*Mo Berry (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Mo Berry has worked at the Lady Lux for the past three months.
*Pat Thompson (Tourist): Pat Thompson is a tourist on vacation with partner Chris Lund. Pat and Chris have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
*Louie Lepinski (Driver): Michael Von Ammon’s chauffeur and confidante, Louie has also moonlighted as a driver for the casino’s Security Manager on occassion.
Carla Lewis (Cashier): (Played by the guest that played the victim in Act One) Responsible for handling all the money and records of patrons’ debts and credits, Carla Lewis is familiar with the regular patrons as a result of handling their frequent transactions.
Vic(toria) Angelo (The Casino Operations Manager): (Played by the Host/Hostess) Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the casino, Vic Angelo answers directly to Dona Mancini, the casino’s owner.
Extra Players
*Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
Jenny –
Headline : Murder and mirth
Nickname : Jenny
My murder mystery was a housewarming/ birthday party. Everyone received their character sheets in advance so they could prepare and dress up. From the moment they all arrived there was laughter. There was none of the awkwardness that can happen when people don’t know what to say. This was a great way to make everyone comfortable. My son ran the event so all I had to do was die and then work out who killed me!
Shubach –
Headline : Gambling, Food & Murder, What more could you want!
Nickname : Shubach
Menu Highlights : It was easier and cheaper for us to order through a local restaurant. We served BBQ, mac & cheese, green beans, potatoes, slaw, rolls and Banana Pudding. Last year I cooked and it was really nice not to have to worry about it
Theme Highlights : We rented our town's community building which ended up giving us a perfect set up. My husband made gaming tables which added the perfect touch. We had games on one side and tables for people to eat at on the other. Instead of giving paper certificates to the winners I ordered gold plastic statues (Amazon) and added the titles to them. They were also given 100 grand bars. I made Koozies for the guest as favors. One side had Lady Lux Casino. This was a huge hit. For the surveillance room - I took pictures after I was done setting up and sent them to our local Walgreens and ordered collages of the pictures to make it look like live feed.
My husband and I hosted our 2nd Annual Murder Mystery. The first one was Murder in Manhattan. (Also Highly Recommended) Dead Money couldn’t have been any better! We had 28 people participate. Everyone got into their character, dressed up in costume, and had so much fun. For Casino games we had Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Texas Hold’em. My husband actually built casino tables. We assigned parts a month out to give people time to prepare for the characters. All dealers were told that they had to know the game and would be teaching the players. But I also told them to make it their own so if you wanted to maybe put a spin on it to make it easier they could. That seemed to make it go great! I highly recommend this to anyone wanting fun, interactive evening! Everyone was already asking what theme we were doing next year before the party was even over.
Amy Bell –
Headline : A real Las Vegas experience!
Nickname : Amy Bell
Menu Highlights : We had a first course of appetizers, finger foods and other easy to eat foods while people mingled around the casino. We always have a thanksgiving style meal as well, so people were able to take their plates to the tables to continue the gambling and fun!
Theme Highlights : I purchased a variety of decor that made the casino feel real! There were walls of slot machines as well as a Las Vegas skyline backdrop for a photo booth. We had some mood lighting with red and green lights, as well as flashy gold tasseled walls. There were some additional slot machine style games set up on iPads for people to play. Everyone wore costumes to dress their part which is always so fun to see!
We had our annual “Friendsgiving” murder mystery night with Casino: dead money. We went all out with casino decor, one attendee make a full size craps table to enhance our experience! We also had dealers at blackjack tables playing games as well.
msspider66 –
Headline : Fun Casual Murder Mystery
Nickname : msspider66
Menu Highlights : We fill a three gallon drink dispenser with a signature cocktail. This time it was Blue Hawaiians. Not in theme, but easy and good. Food is a potluck. The best advice I have for food and drink is to keep it simple.
Our party was filled with Murder Mystery party veterans but this was our first “Playing With Murder” game. It was a last moment choice so our décor and costumes weren’t as elaborate as they have been for past ones.
Pros
– Very quick and easy to print and pull the game together.
– I loved the certificates, but I wished there were bank ones so we could use them for other prize categories that we have. The ones I made up on my own weren’t nearly as good as the ones that came with the game.
– It seems like it would be a great game for people who have not played before. Enough to keep them busy without being overwhelming.
– The character set up allowed me to swap out roles for people unable to make it with ease.
Cons
– Seemed a bit simple for some of my guests, but like I said everyone attending has multiple mysteries under their belt. I thought the clues made it too easy and people didn’t have to work hard to get them
– My guests were disappointed in the lack of character details. I agreed they were lacking some depth. My guests tend to really get into their roles.
– The change of venue between the two act was awkward. We play in a few rooms of a house over the course of one night. It would have been better without the change.
Notes
– We made the mistake of not running casino games during the first part, my fault. Having the dealers run a few games will add to your evening.
– There were parts when the guests had to do and say things that were not in their info. I printed “mini” scripts with their cues. I gave them to the person a few mins before they had to do them. It worked out really well.
– I also made a detailed timeline with everything that was going on. I had my cohost read the parts that the host should read. I narrated what was going on.
Overall it was a fun night. I would definitely suggest trying this game, especially for newbies to the wonderful world of murder mystery parties. From a hosting point of view it was easy. I look forward to trying other Playing With Murder games.
Katy W –
Headline : 25th Birthday Casino Murder Mystery
Nickname : Katy W
Menu Highlights : For my party, we mostly had a snack and appetizer bar for guests to snack on while they were playing the game. The menu item that was the biggest hit was the baked brie!
Theme Highlights : We had a roulette table (with jell-o shots) set up for folks to play roulette. We also had a roulette shot wheel. The house was decorated like a casino and we had decorations throughout. I am super bummed I forgot to take any pictures (I was so busy hosting!)
I had so much fun hosting the Casino Dead Money murder mystery party to celebrate my 25th birthday! We had close to 30 people in attendance, but everything still ran smoothly and everyone had a lot of fun living out their characters! Everyone came dressed in full attired and taking on the persona of their characters. Overall it was a fantastic night!
ScienceGrrl –
Headline : Complicated tiring night but everyone had fun
Nickname : ScienceGrrl
Menu Highlights : Meatballs, kebobs, spinach artichoke dip, and fondue for dessert
Theme Highlights : Even the dogs dressed up as high rollers and participated by very eagerly inspecting the body of the victim.
The storyline is good but the character sheets are poorly written. I’ve used another kit from here that didn’t save same problem so maybe just the Casino one. But characters were not informed of their relationships with others. Gambler didn’t know he had an accountant so when the accountant was talking to him about finances he was confused. He also wasn’t aware he had dated the showgirl previously. A few other character sheets had similar discrepancies. This is also way harder setup as some characters were told to stick to Blackjack table so they didn’t get up and mingle. Bc I had blackjack, roulette, and poker set up as three stations, it was hard to get a feel for how well people were talking and sharing as the host. My last murder mystery was a dinner party scenario so much easier. Overall, the murder did not get solved but I also had a group of people that didn’t want to just randomly accuse each other so part of that was me picking a lot of my friends who had never done such an event before.
Victoria –
Headline : JACKPOT OF FUN AND GAMES
Nickname : Victoria
Menu Highlights : Our hostess had pulled pork for sandwiches and everyone else brought the side dishes, appetizers and desserts.
Theme Highlights : We bought Casino back drops and games. We had poker, roulette and blackjack. Found a slot machine bank we gave as one of our prizes . Everyone dressed their parts very well, I thought.
I purchased DEAD MONEY for my ladies golf group of 16. We have a tournament every year with a theme. So this year I did the Murder Mystery Party. Everyone really played along well.
AmandaRose –
Headline : Party of the Year!
Nickname : AmandaRose
Menu Highlights : finger foods, appetizers and the mini nacho bites using tortilla scoops were a hit!
Theme Highlights : I purchased a few decorations and set up a roulette table and blackjack tables which were well utilized throughout the party.
I have hosted other murder mysteries and simply wanted to get all my friends together. I chose the casino theme and it was so great!! Everyone really got into character and had a great time mingling and playing the casino games. Everyone still talks about it and the event was a few months ago. They keep asking when the next one will be!
Maria Shaw –
Headline : Murder at its Best!!
Nickname : Maria Shaw
Menu Highlights : We had mini sliders, stuffed shells along with appetizers and our specialty drink was Jingle Juice.
Theme Highlights : I purchased decorations on line. I hung a large back drop of Las Vegas up along with some casino decorations. We had gaming tables and each guest received chips to gamble with. Everyone came dressed in character. I set up the surveillance pictures on my TV and laptop to resemble the security room.
Hosted Casino Dead Money for a group of friends to celebrate the holidays.
We had Black Jack, Roulette and Craps being played through the evening. Everyone came dressed their character and had a blast. This is the second Murder Mystery we hosted, the writer is awesome!!
Maria Shaw –
Headline : Great night of mystery & murder!
Nickname : Maria Shaw
Menu Highlights : I had appetizers, baked finger sandwiches, stuffed shells. I made Jingle juice as the drink of the evening bring it was during the holidays.
Theme Highlights : I hung a large back drop of Las Vegas purchased on line along with some casino decorations. We had a roulette, craps & black jack table for our casino games. I used casino noises in the background from my phone. This year I sent the invites via email along with their character. I stress nothing can be shared with anyone. Cannot say enough positive things about this company. They provide you everything you need.
We held a Casino Murder Mystery for friends. Everyone came in costume and had a great night of laughter, friendship, games and cocktails.
This is my second murder mystery we hosted and this writer I s the best.
Nik P –
Headline : Who Done It?!
Nickname : Nik P
Menu Highlights : Drinks, drinks, drinks! We found a shot roulette wheel online. SO MUCH FUN!
Theme Highlights : We got a couple felt table covers and slot machine wall hangings from online. We also used Bluetooth speakers around the house playing both casino music and casino chatter sounds. There’s a couple hour+ long sound videos on YouTube if you just search “casino sounds”
What a hoot! We had an outrageously fun time hosting this murder mystery! We decorated the house using items purchased from party city and amazon and provided drink and small bites such as sliders, veggies, and roast beef pinwheels. Just make sure that your dealers know a little something about gambling, we make the mistake of thinking they wouldn’t need to know gambling rules but our other characters were very much into the “scene” and it would’ve been more helpful if the dealers knew what they were doing.
themistress –
Headline : I gambled for my 18th birthday
Nickname : themistress
Menu Highlights : Cupcakes with card suit chocolate melts
Theme Highlights : We decorated the area to look like a casino (following a red, black, white and green color scheme)
We used this kit for my 18th birthday party and it was a huge hit! We set up several casino games around my house (roulette, craps, texas holdem, blackjack), and my friends completed their objectives while getting some money!
Syd –
Headline : Dead Money - a huge hit!
Nickname : Syd
We did the Dead Money party for Halloween this year! It went incredibly well. The package is very comprehensive and sets you up for success. Having a group that is dedicated to their characters is essential. Everyone’s costumes were incredible and everyone stayed in character all night! Additionally, we had casino games set up for people to play, which really enhanced the party.
K.M.D. –
Headline : Amazing time had by all!
Nickname : K.M.D.
This was my first time hosting a murder mystery and my guests’ first time attending one. Everyone had a blast and is STILL talking about it several months later!! The materials provided to me, as the host, were easy to understand. The character profiles were fantastic and the guests stayed in character for the whole evening as they were having so much fun playing their alter-egos.
I had a bunch of casino games and decorations left over from another event and it was fantastic to have them. I had someone recently ask me why I went so all out to hire the bar staff and dealers. They were part of the game!
UniGal –
Headline : As one of my guests put it: Best MMP ever
Nickname : UniGal
Menu Highlights : I didn't spend much time on tailoring the food to the theme. I made the event a potluck so I could spend more money on setting the scene. I did, however, get casino themed plates and placed a clear appetizer plate on top with a playing card in the middle of the two.
Theme Highlights : Bought a 40-foot casino slots machines poster, hung strings from cleaning with cards suits on them, made a roulette table from scratch, and bought black and red balloons
The party was phenomenal. Everyone played their role well. I made the clues based on the pictures of each clue so that the guests could find the clue then I could give them the information on it. I didn’t like that there was only one red herring. Another guest was also suspected, however, the package indicates he/she is an optional character. Therefore, it made the murderer quite the suspect and an easy catch. A little over half of the guests guessed the murderer correctly.
Stacey –
Headline : A new family tradition
Nickname : Stacey
Super fun!! Went off without a hitch!!
Erin –
Headline : LCS Divisional Event
Nickname : Erin
Menu Highlights : We had casino themed desserts and bar specials.
Theme Highlights : We used a conference room at our hotel to set up a mock casino, complete with 4 Blackjack tables that I borrowed from our local casino. I used the audio files to run in the background. All of the primary characters came dressed in costume, which really added to the party. I ordered a 40' Casino Slot Machine wall decoration from Amazon.ca to add to the décor.
I hosted this party as the entertainment component of a 2 day divisional event for approximately 80 of us! This party far exceeded any of my expectations – 24 of us played primary roles and the rest of the guest were investigators. It amazed me on how people picked up on the clues and figured out the murderer, as well as the motive. Everyone really enjoyed themselves!
ambra –
Headline : murder mystery dinner
Nickname : ambra
It was a great party, we were 18 people participating and everybody really enjoyed it, the character were super funny and everybody dressed up. I always buy the murder mystery dinner from this website because up to now they are the best games you can find online and with a great price. This one in particular was one of the best game played together with the zombie one.
KJS –
Headline : Surprise 60th Murder Mystery Party
Nickname : KJS
Menu Highlights : We ordered food from Wegmans which included fruit tray, veggie tray, meat & cheese tray, pita sandwiches, chicken salad croissants, and a few desserts. We also set up a bar of spiked punch, alcohol choices, and options for mixed drinks & non-alcoholic drinks.
Theme Highlights : We moved out most my living room furniture and set up 4 casino game tables. We had a blackjack table, roulette table, 5 card draw table, and Texas Hold Em table. I created cheat sheets so that people could easily see where and how to make bets and the order of highest value hand to lowest value hand. We got casino vinyl décor and wrapped it around the entire room to look like an actual casino. We gave each guest $120 of fake money (looked super real!), and they could exchange their money for chips depending what they were playing. We even created fake security cameras in the corners of the room. Everyone loved the room décor and told us it really helped "make the party" more extraordinary.
We celebrated my mother’s 60th birthday party by inviting all her closest friends and family. We allowed participants to reply if they wanted a "main" character or a "low key" character. This game was great because characters can act or dress as much or as little as they want and the game still goes very well! Everyone who was nervous about attending and acting complimented us at the end of the night about how laid back and easy it was to participate. We spent half the time playing casino games, took a break for the "murder" & birthday cake, and then spent the remaining time figuring out the murderer and then returned to casino games. It went very well and I can’t wait to do it again with my own group of friends!
Karen H –
Headline : Casino Murder Mystery
Nickname : Karen H
Menu Highlights : Food was fun - casino style food, and lots of drinks on tray passers!
Theme Highlights : Music theme - Best of Las Vegas, all casino decorations, games, etc. handmade invitations! 20 guests, all in costume!
This party was a blast! We had 20 of us and we followed the game as written, and it was so fun! Everyone got into the spirit of the night, dressed up in costume and had a so much fun. We created a casino setting, with blackjack, roulette and a craps table, and had dealers and waitress as outlined in the game, so the environment was lively and active. I recommend this highly to anyone wanting a fun, interactive evening! I rate the game 5 stars… and we are already planning our next one!!!
Jennifer –
Headline : Thrilling Casino Mystery
Nickname : Jennifer
Menu Highlights : We kept drinks simple for all, adults had beer, wine and mixers. Under age had lemonade or soda. The random snacks were all red themed from licorice, mini candy bars in red wrappers to jelly hearts and kisses. Appetizers were baked bacon crackers, a brownie dip with fruit, nilla wafers & marshmallows, also mini fruit pizzas with strawberries & blueberries, and a few different chips/dip and popcorn...it was a birthday so ice cream cake followed! It was after dinner so we also used all different sized candy packaged for “gambling” in spots for kids to make it more fun than poker chips.
Theme Highlights : We decorated with a casino feel, had a few different tables for card and dice games also a checker table and roulette. We bought some fun casino wall banners and had a photo station with backdrop to capture the character moments!
We threw a double birthday party using the Casino Dead Money Murder Mystery and it was great! Everyone dressed their parts & had a blast…plus they were shocked to learn who the murderer was. From beginning to end it kept everyone in suspense and laughing at the roles each were playing.
Jan –
Headline : Murder at the Casino
Nickname : Jan
Menu Highlights : Italian food
Theme Highlights : Casino
We have not done the Murder Mystery yet. Intend to do later in the year as the Holidays are too busy. Plan is to do teams with a total casino feel, with Black Jack tables, poker, Roulette wheel, etc
Shylo –
Headline : Lady Lux casino
Nickname : Shylo
Menu Highlights : We set up a “buffet” table with finger foods, fruits and veggies.
Theme Highlights : We made lots of signs and put them around the house Bathroom Casino ATM Buffet Surveillance room Lady lux
We planed I have a Halloween Murder mystery dress up party. It was amazing everyone showed up in costume and had a blast
Kristen H –
Headline : Everyone was Shocked!!
Nickname : Kristen H
Menu Highlights : The signature cocktail was “John Deadly’s”...instead of John Daly’s! Tea/lemonade mixed with Vodka. And Jell-O shots! These were easy for the bartender & waitress to serve to the patrons!
Theme Highlights : We had two gambling tables (with a crowd of 20, we really needed 3 tables, but it was still fun with 2). We spray painted wooden letters to spell out Lady Lux Casino—easy and cheap!
We hosted 20 guests for our very first murder mystery party. For the most part, the party-goers had never participated in one. I think the most important part is to make sure your party-goers are excited and want to be in character! We had so much fun with the theme and luckily had attendees that totally embraced their characters! Everyone was shocked at the end to see who did it and only one person guessed it right! So much fun, directions were easy to understand & follow, and all the characters had a great time getting to know one another!
Mary –
Headline : Great party
Nickname : Mary
I used the murder mystery for my annual Halloween Party. This was the fourth one I have done. Everyone said it was the best yet. One person said we would have to end our parties because there was no way to top this one.
Taha –
Headline : Casino: Dead Money
Nickname : Taha
I threw the murder mystery party for 16 graduate students at my dorm! The party was tons of fun and the guests enjoyed the casino games that were set up. Everyone also loved the theme and getting into character. This is the 3rd murder mystery party I’ve organized and is probably my favorite so far!
Sam –
Headline : There's been....a MURDER!
Nickname : Sam
Featuring fellow graduate students, we took this story and took it back time with a 1920’s Monte Carlo theme (with modern day technology of course). Overall the party was a huge hit and we were able to build in additional roles for 55 guests!
Having sound effects and supplementing with LED lights that we could change and black out really made the night. Everyone had a great time!
Matthew Beyranevand –
Headline : Holiday murder mystery
Nickname : Matthew Beyranevand
Menu Highlights : General apps during the event and then a dinner after we finished.
Theme Highlights : Ordered a lot of casino supplies to make it realistic. We have done a few murder mysteries before so people went all out with costumes and personalities.
Great times. I took it to the next level bybinstesd of doing print out clues I actually used real items and real videos and text messages. Was a lot of work but took the mystery to the next level.
Shannon –
Headline : Casino night
Nickname : Shannon
Menu Highlights : We served meatballs, sliders, and wrapped cocktail sausages. We had chips and dip, cheese and crakers. We made a cream cheese into a square with black olives for a dice. We had individual banana pudding cups. And brownies cut into rectangles with cream cheese icing for a domino look. We served adult punch and typical drinks.
Theme Highlights : We went with the complete casino theme. We made huge dice from boxes. Had swirling color lights and strobe light in front. All the quests dressed in wonderful costumes.
I threw the party for my boyfriends birthday. It was a small party of family and friends. Everyone loved the theme and playing their part.
Carol Evans –
Headline : Dead Money
Nickname : Carol Evans
Menu Highlights : We served canapes and cocktails. Bette & Regina looked after all the guests (wouldn't hesitate to employ them)
Theme Highlights : We put casino freeze all round the room, set up gaming tables and a bar area. The whole evening was really good fun. I think the whole point of them is to act out a bit of fun. Enjoyed by everyone.
Sisters Birthday
Most of the guests had not done a Murder Mystery before and weren’t initially keen as they thought you had to read scripts etc. However, most people got into character real quick (everyone likes a bit of role play). Bette, Mortimer, Anna and Michael (who decided as he was rich he would become Mikael) for the evening all acted their parts brilliantly. Highlight had to be trying to convince Gino he had the wrong colour flower on the whole evening.