Total:
$0.00
Log In
Total:
$0.00
Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion
$39.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set at a family reunion.
Format:
30 Minute Mystery
Setting:
Stout's ancestral home
Time:
30+ minutes
Ages:
Adult / Teen
Players:
Play with Printed Sheets or the App
Hosts have the choice of playing the game with printable documents or using the PWM Party Assistant app
View app gameplay guide
Play In-Person or Over Video Chat
You can host this game in-person or over video chat. The game is built to be run either way!
Everyone predicted a bad reunion. Few expected murder…
Background
Your guests are going to be playing the roles of the largely dysfunctional members of the Stout family, who have gathered at their ancestral home for a family reunion, hosted by the elderly Malachai Stout. None of the Stouts have ever gotten along particularly well with each other, but the promise of a substantial inheritance has encouraged them to at least put on their friendly faces and attend Malachai Stout’s occasional gatherings.
Murder!
Now, however, something awful has happened. This morning, when you came downstairs for breakfast, the door to Malachai’s bedroom was ajar, and Malachai’s lifeless body was crumpled upon the bed, his contorted purple features a mute testament to the fact that he had been smothered in his sleep. Further, the wall safe in Malachai’s study has been opened, and the precious Stout family jewels are missing!
Solving the Mystery
The obvious course of action would be to phone the police or travel to the nearest town, but last night’s storm has knocked out the phone lines, and the tremendous rain has washed out the mountain road to town. It appears that it will be up to the guests to solve the mystery of Malachai Stout’s murder!
There are 8 primary characters in this game. Read the "How to Play" section for instructions on how to play this game with more than 8 people.
* = Optional character
- Grandma Winifred Stout: Stately and stern, Winifred Stout, Malachai's wife, isn't the sort of grandmother who bakes cookies for the little ones; she's more the sort to scream at them to stay off the furniture.
- Penelope Clarington: Icy cold and snobbish, Penelope Clarington, Malachai's daughter, is far more concerned with maintaining proper appearances than anything else.
- Harrison Clarington: Penelope's husband Harrison is a drunkard and a cad. He never got along with either Malachai or Winifred, and he's only here because Penelope insisted.
- Mortimer Stout: Malachai's son and eldest child, Mortimer is stuffy, conservative, and driven primarily by his own financial interests.
- Monica Stout: Mortimer's trophy wife, Monica is a bubbly, talkative, sweet-as-saccharine woman who has always done her best to stay on good terms with all of her in-laws.
- Sabrina Stout: Mortimer and Monica's only daughter, Sabrina is a spoiled-rotten college student who is more interested in partying than in anything to do with her father's side of the family.
- Uncle Edwin Stout: Malachai's brother and the black sheep of the family, Crazy Uncle Eddie was never quite right after the war. He has lived on the Stout estate with Malachai and Winifred for years, keeping almost entirely to himself.
- Sebastian Seward: Malachai's long-suffering and much-maligned butler, Mr. Seward is responsible for keeping the Stout household running smoothly and putting up with nearly endless mistreatment from Malachai and Winifred.
Extra Players
- *Investigator: If you have more than 8 players, 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.
What's Included
This game kit includes:
- Hosting guide – A guidebook that takes you through all the steps for running the game
- Character sheets – Information sheets for eight unique characters and one generic "Investigator" character
- Name cards – Printable name cards that can be placed in front of players for in-person games (optional)
- Introductory handout – A brief description of the game that can be sent to your guests ahead of the event (optional)
- Invitation template – Printable template that can be used to send paper invitations to your guests (optional)
Our line of 30 Minute Mysteries is specially designed for fast setup and easy play, whether your playing in-person or virtually over video chat.
All you need to do is:
- Gather a group of players
- Distribute character sheets
- Follow the party guide instructions
If you’re playing in person, you have the option of printing out the hosting script and character sheets, or you and your guests may view them on your electronic devices.
Best of all, the party facilitator can choose whether they join in the game and solve the mystery along with the other guests!
Playing the Game
While this mystery has 8 primary characters, it is designed to accommodate any number of additional players. See the “Expanded Game for Large Groups” section below if you have more than 8 players.
Each of the players will be assigned a character and given a character sheet that explains who or what their character is, what information their character knows, and how their character should respond to events that occur during the game.
The game will progress in rounds.
Round One will start with the party’s host or hostess reading a script that explains the nature of the mystery that is afoot. After the introduction is read, each player at the table will share a piece of information from their character sheet, which will often be met by a response from another player.
Round Two begins with the host sharing a clue that should shed further light on the mystery. After the clue is revealed, the players will once again go around, providing another piece of information.
Round Three, the final round, begins with the host sharing the last clue. The players then go around the table a final time, sharing their last piece of information.
By this point, the players should have enough information to piece together a theory about who was responsible for the crime. Everyone will vote for the culprit, which the host will then reveal. Any player or couple who correctly guessed the identity of the killer is declared a winner.
From start to finish, the game typically requires half an hour to complete.
What Do I Need in Order to Play?
Our 30 Minute Mysteries are specifically designed to not require very much in the way of supplies. All you need is:
- Playing area
- In-person – Table to sit around or large playing area where the guests can sit in a circle
- Virtual – Video chat room (links to 3rd-party providers like Zoom included in game)
- A group of players (minimum 8 people)
- Access to a printer or electronic device (so you can distribute game materials)
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have more than 8 players, there are three ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Using this method, eight guests play the primary characters while the remainder of the guests each play the Investigator role. Players in this role 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.
- Teams – Each primary character can be played by 2 or more people that work together as a team. This works well if you’ve invited several couples to your event, but also works if you break up your guests into eight larger teams of 3 or more guests.
- Multiple Groups – If you have 16 or more guests, you can break them up into groups of 8 players and run multiple instances of the game on their own. This method is best for large events (e.g. fundraisers) where each table of people can play through the game independently. This method goes well with the Investigator method, which allows you the flexibility to add more than 8 people to any group.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult/teen. There is no explicit material; the party does contain references to the following:
Murder
Difficulty:
This party is simple to set up and can be played with minimal or no preparation.
This party is average difficulty to solve.
Mark Chavez –
Headline It was a blast! Well received!
Nickname Mark
Menu Highlights The play was held in conjunction with our annual chili cook-off. Each table of guests not only voted on their favorite chili(s), but also tried to guess "who done it."
Theme Highlights Three sets complete with accessories, artwork, furniture, etc. Everyone was in costume. Scripts weren't memorized, so cast members creatively hid their scripts (newspaper, magazine, cellphone, laptop, the butler's tray, etc.)
We put on the play at our church, St. Augustine’s of Canterbury, Elkhorn, NE. With a modified script, we had 3 scenes (bedroom, sitting room, dining room) set up in our Event Center. The play was set in Nebraska, with a ranching theme.
Anonymous –
Headline College Student Icebreaker
Nickname Audrey
WOW! What a fun night! We purchased the Malachai Stout Family Reunion package for a group of ~55 people (majority college students, faculty, staff, and our Dean), and EVERYONE involved had a blast. We played the game in teams, assigning each table 1 character. It can be difficult to engage 18/20-year-olds in icebreakers where professional staff are present, but this activity allowed everyone to have a genuinely fun time while maintaining structure and active conversations. We will be returning for our next event! The team at Playing with Murder also did a wonderful job of answering all of our questions and helping us determine the best game for our group. 10/10!
[email protected] –
Headline What a Hoot! Worked so very well for our Squad
Nickname Greers in Kentucky
Menu Highlights N/A
Theme Highlights In the pavilion outside in the middle of the Family park. We were at a family reunion.
We were celebrating our 40th reunion in Kings Mountain, KY. We had over 200 people over the course of the weekend. We did the murder mystery on Saturday night. I volentold the characters they had to help with the show. We had 50 people watching. I got a couple of props from Dollar store and Goodwill (Hats, glasses, shirts, purses, tray for butler) and it was plenty to meet the intent. We “performed” the skit and then let everyone put their guesses in for the murder. We gave little magnifying glasses to the kids when it was over. Too busy to get pictures but the family will be talking about it for a long time.
We did it all last minute, that is how that group roles and it was perfect. Plan to do a kid one for Halloween.
Anonymous –
Headline Great fun!
Nickname Misha
Menu Highlights Lasagne, bento cakes, ceasar salad
Theme Highlights We made it a royal and rustic theme and everybody dressed fancy
We had a splendid time. It’s a short mystery which you can drag out by having intervals between acts as well
Lauren –
Headline Great for youth night
Menu Highlights We catered in Olive Garden for our dinner party.
We had a great time doing this with our youth group and the kids loved it. They want to try a longer one next time. Definitely a crowd favorite and so easy for the adults to set up and run.
Yuen Man Tsang –
Headline Fun activity with a group of teens
Nickname Teresa T
We played this at a winter retreat with a group of teenagers. The script was easy to follow and the kids loved the game. The students with the 8 character roles put in a lot of effort to get into character. The rest played the role of investigators and they put in so much effort to note all the details, clues to find the murderer. We had a fun time and would love to try other murder mystery stories at our next event.
Brianna –
Headline Perfect low key party
Nickname Brianna
Menu Highlights Champagne ;)
Theme Highlights New years themed
This was a perfect new years eve party game! We played this last year and rung in the new year as a family playing this game! For a family who’s not super into acting everyone got into this because it was easy and fun to do!
AmitaS –
Headline Successful Event for Small Group of Teens
Nickname AmitaS
Menu Highlights Ordered pizza before hand so they could talk about how they wanted to play (team up for roles or have "extras" be investigators; pick their roles or randomly draw names for roles). Played the game for about 50 minutes. Then had s'mores.
Theme Highlights We just did a casual show-up-and-play (no prep on their part or my part)
Had a dozen high schoolers over (some knew each other; some did not) and they sat around the dining room table. The “extras” played investigators. I was worried they wouldn’t feel included, but they were asking questions and jumping in the discussions. It was great!
Amy –
Headline Such a blast!
Nickname Amy
I ran this game for a Staff Wellness event that I put on for my program, including about 25-30 people. Everyone was saying afterwards that it was the sleeper hit of the day! I split the game into two groups, and had them play at separate tables on opposite sides of our large gym. It was so fun to watch some of our staff get very into it, and the staff who chose to play as Investigators had a blast watching their coworkers really ham it up. In the end both teams were able to guess the murderer, and they loved being able to vote on who they thought had the best performances.
Personally, I really enjoyed how easy the kit made setup for me, I just had to print some packets and make some nametags and it was really simple from there. At the same time, staff were complimenting how well organized the game seemed, as the instructions made it feel quite put-together!
Overall, we had so much fun with this, and are definitely looking forward to doing another one at our next wellness event!
Roxie –
Headline Seniors enjoy a murder mystery!
Nickname Roxie
Menu Highlights none
Theme Highlights none
We presented the play to a group of 20 other people at one of our senior centers fellowship dinners. The entire group was actively involved. They asked questions and then voted on who they thought the murderer was. Only 1 person guessed correctly.
One problem was the cast had difficulty reading the scripts. (The responses to the original lines were missed often)
Overall a good time and will do another one in the future.
Lu –
Headline Great fun and laughs!
Nickname Lu
a gathering of friends willing to dress up and play along with the murder mystery.
We enjoyed light finger foods and great laughs.
Holly –
Headline There's been a muuurder...
Nickname Holly
Everyone played their part and it went off without a hitch! Can’t wait to do an adult murder mystery party!! Hands down best party idea ever!!
Octogenarian Deb –
Headline The most fun I have ever had at a birthday party.
Nickname Octogenarian Deb
We held this event in a private function room at a local hotel to celebrate my 80th Birthday. Because there were over 20 guests we had a set menu and and an oblong table arrangement with a gap down the middle that allowed us all to see each other clearly.
We also changed the ‘scene of crime’ from Malachai’s house to an hotel and added the following extra characters:
Sarah Snatchet: Lawyer; partner in legal firm Squeezum and Snatchet, invited by Malachai to witness his new will. (She takes charge of the investigations)
Denzil Dalty: owner of the Snowdrift Mountain Hotel
Molly: Chambermaid at the hotel. (she finds the body)
Colonel Bullstrode: Guest at the hotel
Murial Bullstrode: The colonel’s downtrodden wife
Mr & Mrs ‘Smith:’ Adulterous couple having a ‘dirty weekend’ at the hotel.
Lance Fink: obnoxious ‘in-your-face’ journalist with the Daily Tabloid (invited by Malachai with the promise of a scoop)
Roxy Devenish: photographer with same paper.
Lola La Roche: Malachai’s secret mistress
Unnamed tramp: who has wandered in off the street in the hopes of scrounging a meal.
We wrote a short script for each of these characters and incorporated them into the game.
The night was a huge success. the extra characters blended in really well and as my family are all blessed with a great sense of humour some of the ad libs were hilarious.
The dining room staff were really impressed and are even considering running similar events themselves.
FINANCEGAL –
Headline FUN
Nickname FINANCEGAL
Holiday party/retreat
We had so much fun role playing these characters and doing something new. So many laughs were shared and it was so fun to see people come out of their shells and have a great time.
Wine & Crime Party with Friends –
Headline Wine & Crime Party with Friends
Nickname Wine & Crime Party with Friends
Menu Highlights Everyone brought either a bottle of wine and an appetizer to share or both. We had snacks and drank wine while we tried to determine who killed Malachai Stout.
Theme Highlights We had crime scene tape up with evidence markers.
WOW!!! My friend Amy & I hosted the party. We had about 16 people. Everyone had so much fun acting out their parts. As you can see from the picture’s we had put out evidence for it to be as visual as possible.
We will be doing the canine follicle debacle at work. He had to be kid friendly no murder.
Meredith –
Headline Great Activity for English Class Mystery Unit
Nickname Meredith
I’m a high school English teacher, and I used this as an activity to introduce our unit on Agatha Christie’s *And Then There Were None*. My students loved it, and did a nice job of getting into character. There was some slight confusion occasionally, because there were points at which it seemed, from my host notes, that everyone was done speaking, but it turned out that they still had lines to say; overall, though, it was much fun, and I’m looking forward to doing it again next year!
Skippy –
Headline A few theatrical stars in the making!
Nickname Skippy
A post COVID get together with enough flex that we handed out character sheets on the night to ensure everyone had enough energy to want to participate. A mix of teenagers and adults over a pot luck dinner.
TheLostStout –
Headline Murder Mystery Birthday Party
Nickname TheLostStout
Played this for my wife’s 31st birthday and everyone loved it! I was worried everyone would think it was too cheesy but everyone surprisingly got really into acting their parts. As for the mystery itself, it’s pretty funny and it does take some sleuthing skills to figure it out. We will definitely buy more of these mysteries for future parties!
Word of warning though, be cautious when setting up the packets if you don’t want to know who the murderer is. I accidentally got a peak of the culprit 🙁
Vic –
Headline So much fun!
Nickname Vic
Menu Highlights I made Creme Brulee. Sugar, eggs, cream, vanilla. It needs to sit overnight, so it won't take up time the day of the party.
Theme Highlights Everyone has so much fun. It was hilarious seeing everyone take in the characters personalities
We had enough people for everyone to be one character. It took about 45 min Once we got the hang of it, it went quicker. There’s definitely a learning curve. The next one probably won’t take as long. So much fun. Invite friends who are not afraid to take on different roles.
Vic –
Headline Definitely a fun time!
Nickname Vic
Menu Highlights Creme Brulee
Theme Highlights Didn't do much to set the mood. We just sat around the table, but that was enough. The game is fun in and of itself.
We had a lot of fun playing. Everyone got into their character well. It lasted about 45 min. Only 2 of the 10 people guessed the right character.
The game is very simple to play. It is only a 30 min game, but when you add your silliness, laughing, and improvise, it takes longer (so really, the longer it takes, the more fun you are having).
Mpw –
Headline Church Youth Group Solves Mystery
Nickname Mpw
Church Youth group event
Elizabeth –
Headline Would play again with a few tweaks!
Nickname Elizabeth
The event was done with a large group, each table was supposed to play the game individually. That didn’t work out as well as planned. We should have spent more time going over how to actually read the character sheet. I will that the script was better denoted about who talked when, and which bubble they were supposed to read. The overall layout would have worked a lot better if there were more helpers, and we allowed more time for clarifying questions, and a walk through of gameplay. There was some in-house editing that needed to be done for our game to be appropriate for our venue.
AP –
Headline GREAT FOR ALL AGES
Nickname AP
We had a NYE murder mystery party and everyone had a blast and wanted more! Will have to make this a tradition 🙂
eugshae –
Headline Annual Thanksgiving Event
Nickname eugshae
Menu Highlights Thanksgiving Dinner
Theme Highlights It is an annual tradition to have a game for the kids, this was the first year we had a game for the adults, so next year I will make it even bigger!
We had a mix of people and I was unsure of the response, but even the dullest of the crowd members had a blast!
Asia –
Headline made for an awesome 16th birthday party!
Nickname Asia
I bought this party package for my daughter’s 16th birthday party. Everyone dressed up, and we sat in a room in character and went through the whole script. It was really fun, though I did have to improvise a bit and add things on the fly. The printouts were helpful, and didn’t take too long to read. I think we’ll try the longer version next time!
Dannette –
Headline Amazing Virtual Party
Nickname Dannette
We had a virtual team party at my job. Everyone was so into this so much so, we are doing it again for our virtual holiday party. Great event to have fun with in these uncertain times. Our team was able to dress up and participate, very welcoming and easy to do.
Chameleon917 –
Headline Halloween party
Nickname Chameleon917
It was a quick mystery which it what we were going for, I feel like it was a little simple to solve but we all had fun!! Absolutely age appropriate for teens and adults.
*Sabrina* –
Headline A hilarious dramatic evening!
Nickname *Sabrina*
This was so fun! It gave my family something to look forward to all week long. We loved getting into our characters! Would definitely play again, using another plot of course!
BMMurphy –
Headline Virtual Murder Mystery
Nickname BMMurphy
Menu Highlights As we were all playing virtually so there was no menu... unless you consider the wine and whiskey we all drank!
Theme Highlights I did screen shots of the clues and shared my screen during that part of the game so all the players could see the clues up close.
I used this game to get a group of friends together via Zoom for virtual murder mystery party. Everyone really got into their characters, dressing up and taking on new accents to help bring their characters to life. It was a much needed escape from the stress of life and social distancing we are all trying to abide by. The beginning was a little chaotic but we all got into the swing of things by the second round.
OfficePartyMurder –
Headline Office drama draws all star performances
Nickname OfficePartyMurder
Menu Highlights Crackers, the finest cheeses, non-alcoholic bubbly, grapes, and some veggies with hummus
Theme Highlights Not only did staff arrive to work in costume, some staff also brought household decorations that would have fit in a stodgy old rich guy's house.
Lunchtime office event for staff, was easy to set up. Folks were a little nervous roleplaying but people got into the act once we got started.