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Set Sail for Disaster
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set on a cruise ship.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
On a cruise ship
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
A balmy, nighttime tropical cruise turns violent…
The Backstory
Your players have been invited on a pleasure cruise by Captain Michael Von Ammon. The guest list includes a number of the Captain’s friends, family members, and business associates, as well as the crew of the Captain’s sixty-foot yacht, the Elizabeth May. Everyone is expecting an evening cruise replete with dinner, drinks, and dancing – they aren’t expecting foul weather, the murder of someone on board, or a sudden shipwreck on a deserted island in the uncharted Caribbean.
Murder!
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening, Act One, the events take place on the Elizabeth May, Captain Von Ammon’s ship, a sixty-foot pleasure cruiser manned by the Captain, the Ship’s Engineer (played by the Host/Hostess), and a handful of wait staff. As the evening progresses, a tropical storm rolls in, casting a somewhat ominous pall over the festivities. As the hour grows late, lightning strikes the ship, the lights go out in the cabin, and the partygoers hear a scream and a thud. When the players light candles they will find that someone has taken advantage of the momentary darkness to kill another person on the ship. The mystery is afoot!
The Perfect Crime?
Unfortunately, the partygoers will have no immediate opportunity to determine the identity of the killer; the ship has been struck by lightning, blowing most of the mechanical systems. Worse yet, she is taking on water, and the storm is intensifying. Amidst the crash of the waves and the roar of thunder there can be heard a rending shriek as the hull splinters. The partygoers are tossed about and lose consciousness.
Solving the Mystery
Act Two opens with the characters regaining consciousness on the shore of a small island, amid the wreckage of the ship. Miraculously, everyone has survived (except, of course, the victim, whose body has been lost at sea). It looks like there is enough left of the ship to put together a makeshift raft, and there are enough resources on the island to feed the group for quite a while ‘but everyone is nervous at the knowledge that there is undoubtedly a murderer in their midst. Now the players must work together to collect sufficient food and water, build an escape boat from the wreckage of the Elizabeth May and try to identify the murderer!
There are 22 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of Drew Henson, the Ship's Engineer. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 22 guests.
* = Optional character
- Michael Von Ammon (The Captain): The well-to-do owner of the Elizabeth May, Captain Von Ammon is wealthy, successful, and well respected by all.
- Elizabeth Von Ammon (The Captain's Wife): A society lady of excellent breeding, Mrs. Elizabeth Von Ammon is highly cultured, beautiful, and well mannered. She is happily married to Captain Von Ammon and lives a lifestyle that is envied by many.
- Dr. Jessie Parker (The Doctor): Dr. Jessie Parker is a highly regarded plastic surgeon who caters to the wealthy and famous. Why Dr. Parker was invited on this cruise is something of a mystery to the other guests.
- Mortimer Stout (The Banker): Mortimer Stout is a financial genius who has a better understanding of accounting than he does of people. He is a longtime business associate of Captain Von Ammon.
- Shelly Summers (The Actress): Ms. Shelly Summers is a popular B-movie actress whose keen mind belies her somewhat ditzy demeanor.
- *Kris Laramie (The Author): Kris Laramie is a best-selling author and critic, known both for a sharp tongue and a love of the bottle.
- Jonathon Whipple (The Philanthropist): Jonathon Whipple was once a feared and respected businessman, known for his cutthroat approach. In recent years, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to charity, leading many to believe that he is seeking to atone for some dark secret.
- Miss Alexandra Crane (The Debutante): Miss Alexandra Crane has only recently become part of the local social scene. Hailing from an old and powerful East Coast family, she is an impulsive young lady who enjoys horseback riding, dancing, and theater.
- *Ashley Jones (Boat Staff): Ashley Jones is one of Captain Von Ammon's hired hands, there to make certain that the ship (and the party) run smoothly.
- Jake Morrison (The Gambler): A close friend of the Captain, Mr. Jake Morrison is something of a loveable scoundrel; his greatest pleasures in life are fine wine, fine women, fine cigars, and the lure of the poker table (in no particular order).
- Bridget Belle (The Model): Equal parts sugar and spice, Bridget Belle is elegant, trendy, and sharp-tongued. A very successful swimsuit model, Ms. Belle is quite used to men doing whatever she requests.
- *Kelly McCorvin (Boat Staff): Kelly McCorvin is one of Captain Von Ammon's hired hands, there to make certain that the ship (and the party) run smoothly.
- *Lane Garrison (Boat Staff): Lane Garrison is one of Captain Von Ammon's hired hands, there to make certain that the ship (and the party) run smoothly.
- *Taylor Sattenworth (Boat Staff): Taylor Sattenworth is one of Captain Von Ammon's hired hands, there to make certain that the ship (and the party) run smoothly.
- Percy Kane (Boat Staff): (Played by the guest who played the victim in Act One) Percy Kane is one of Captain Von Ammon's hired hands, there to make certain that the ship (and the party) run smoothly.
- Drew Henson (The Ship's Engineer): (Played by the Host/Hostess) Drew Henson is the engineer of the Elizabeth May, in charge of keeping the yacht sailing smoothly and the crew at their posts. The Engineer doesn't normally mingle much with the Captain's friends, preferring to stay below decks with the machinery and the security system.
- *Claude LeQue (The Cook): Educated at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Claude LeQue is Captain Von Ammon’s personal chef. He rules the ship’s kitchen with an iron hand.
- *Milton Sanford (The Gourmet): A gourmet and food critic, Milton Sanford makes a living writing an occasional regular column for Epicure Monthly, a little-known culinary journal.
- *Jimmy Grimes (The Janitor): Jimmy Grimes is the caretaker and Janitor aboard The Elizabeth May. It is his responsibility to keep the ship free of dust and dirt and to assist The Engineer in maintaining the yacht’s engine.
- *Franklin Smith (The Architect): A well-to-do architect and old friend of the Von Ammon family, Franklin Smith has gained several very lucrative contracts through The Captain's generous use of his contacts.
- *Regina Guissepe (The Bartender): Polite, professional, and very discrete, Regina Guissepe is the bartender aboard The Elizabeth May. She makes a killer Bloody Mary and knows how to keep a secret.
- *Phyllis Howe (The Lawyer): Phyllis Howe specializes in corporate law and copyright issues. She became friends with Elizabeth Von Ammon after meeting her at an art show.
- *Ophelia Saint (The Artist): Ophelia Saint is an up and coming artist who has earned a degree of fame for her otherworldly sculptures.
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.
What's Included
Set Sail for Disaster is a 113-page 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 as special goals and information unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- 6 pages of full-color props and clues, including tokens representing the wreckage of the Elizabeth May, salvaged electronics that will help the players solve the mystery, and numerous food and water tokens for use during a scavenger hunt
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Set Sail for Disaster, you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Four 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.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult. While there is no explicit material, the party does contain references to the following:
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Gambling
- Alcohol use
- Murder
Note: We have a “clean” version of Set Sail that omits all risqué elements and is suitable for adults or teens. This version is included at no additional charge with your purchase.
Difficulty:
This party is moderately complex to set up. We recommend a venue with at least two rooms and a sufficient area to hide clues for the scavenger hunt.
This party is average difficulty.
Nfulkmd –
Headline Murder Cruise Fun
Nickname Nfulkmd
Menu Highlights Bruschetta, chicken wings, crockpot meatballs, charcuterie board, caprese kabobs,
Theme Highlights Cruise backdrop. I made some origami towel animals and had them scattered around the rooms. Used the audio files included
We had a blast on the Set Sail for Disaster Murder cruise. We had 18 guests and that was the perfect number. We knew 2 of our guests would be late so they had to arrive “via helicopter” as the ship had already set sail! Some of our guests REALLY got into their parts. We had bought a cruise ship backdrop, which I wish we had hung higher so it was more visible in the photos. I got it off amazon for a decent price. I bought some other sailing and beach related decorations, too. Food was simple with chicken wings, charcuterie board (I made myself!), and trays of bruschetta. This was my 2nd Playing with Murder party and everyone is looking forward to the next one!
Nancy, Teen Librarian –
Headline Tropical Disaster Fun!
Nickname Nancy, Teen Librarian
Ella Johnson Library hosted its third annual Murder Mystery event on a Friday after hours at the library. Teens had to register ahead of time and pick up a character sheet, so they could come in costume the night of the event. Over 20 youth came for a pizza dinner while they mingled in character. After the murder, survivors of the shipwreck had to figure out who the murderer was while also trying to survive on a tropical island.
The owner and author of this company, Ken Blumreich, was able to give us modified roles that were appropriate for a teen audience. The event was a spooktacular success thanks to Playing With Murder!
Cheri –
Headline Set Sail for Success!
Nickname Cheri
We had a great time with this. It was all spelled out for us and the group loved the scavenger hunt as well. It got very competitive in a fun way and I loved that my guests dressed the part. I actually did this for 97 people and the on lookers really enjoyed the 24 that acted out their parts. I simply incorporated in a longer mingling time. I will be doing another one. Thanks guys.
Library Party –
Headline Library Event: Murder Mystery Party
Nickname Library Party
Menu Highlights I served cupcakes and juice.
We put this event on as a library program. The patrons enjoyed it. I didn’t serve dinner and it took about an hour in total. Assigning characters through the registration process was time consuming and difficult. If I did it again I would assign characters at the door.
There were more adult relations that I’d hoped for in the backstory of Set Sail for Disaster. I wish there was a better way to preview the script.
KGEBison –
Headline Beware! Not a "Clean" storyline.
Nickname KGEBison
This is certainly not for a conservative or church group. I bought this, very excited to do this with our group and was quite disappointed that we can’t use it. It seems like it’d be a lot of fun and really cool with the extra bonus puzzles/games. I’ve hosted about 1-2 a year for the past 13yrs, and I’m always nervous trying new companies. Sad to not be able to trust this one. Warnings or “Clean” labels are great to have on these, so they don’t have to be purchased before discovering a waste of $36 and lots of time.
Love2Plan –
Headline It was the party of the year!!
Nickname Love2Plan
Menu Highlights I decided to keep the menu simple since there is so much to do to keep the party moving. We had BBQ pulled pork sliders, Tropical Meatballs, Cheesy Potatoes (All 3 made ahead and in crockpots), Fruit salad, cabbage salad, Cheese and veggie tray with misc. dips and crackers as appetizers. I served Birthday cake for dessert since it was a birthday party. We also had a fun "Bar Cart" Beer, Wine, Sangria & Peach Bellini's were the drink of the house. I also put the "chef" character to work in the kitchen and he helped me serve the food and had fun pretending he had made the meal, quite entertaining. I had one of the "Boat Staff" girls doing the dishes too. Fun!
Theme Highlights I made portals with gold paper plates and clear plastic plates and had those on the walls, they were a big hit. I also made a jumbo anchor out of foam board and covered it with tin foil. A captain's wheel was set up too. I made it out of foam and attached it to a stand I had. I went with a navy & gold color scheme and used lots of candles and sea shells to decorate the tables. I painted found some wooden anchors and painted them too. I included some pictures below. For the tropical island the dollar tree was my friend. Lots of things there to hang from the ceiling and around the room.
We picked this theme to celebrate a friend’s 50th Birthday. The birthday gal chose to be the bartender and loved this role since it meant that everyone came to interact with her to get a drink! We had a great time! The kit was very helpful. It gave step by step instructions on how to do everything. I appreciated the tips for how things should play out. We had a little trouble with the scavenger hunt, guess I hid the clues too well. I turned the lights off on our “Island” to make it more challenging. I also used little blue glass marbles to simulate the water and kids plastic play food. Since it was spring time and not dark outside yet, we went out to our dark garage for the storm. The audio storm was great and the “murder” went off without a hitch. Our party attendees had lots of fun with their characters. Another reason that a picked Set Sail for Disaster was that I didn’t think people would have trouble coming up with costumes. And they didn’t, everyone looked great and didn’t have to spend much to dress the part. My only complaint about this kit was the moral character of several of the characters. I don’t want to spoil the motive so I won’t say anything else about that. We are a conservative family with mostly conservative friends, but everyone had fun with it anyway. I suppose if people are easily offended they shouldn’t be attending murder mystery parties anyway.
Tls014 –
Headline Dinner, drinks, friends, secrets, and murder!
Nickname Tls014
Menu Highlights Lasagna, salad, and garlic bread, served with sweet tea and alcoholic ocean water for beverages.
Theme Highlights We used navy blue sequined table runners with silver center pieces and nautical confetti on the tables. We also hung nautical themed paper lanterns around the room.
I did this party for my 30th birthday and we had such a fun time! I will say that there are several romantic interest happening in this story and we played with mostly family so that made for a few awkward moments! Haha but everyone was a trooper and it ended up being a great story to play!
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested!
Rebecca –
Headline Successful Charity Fundraiser
Nickname Rebecca
We played Set Sail for Disaster to raise money for a charity called Child Rescue New Zealand. We had 40 participants and played the game in a large school staffroom. The game lasted about 2.5hours in total with a break for dinner. From what we have heard back from people is that everyone had lots of fun and really enjoyed the night. People came dressed to impress as their characters which added to the atmosphere of the experience.
SJMags –
Headline Lots and lots of excitement and laughs!
Nickname SJMags
Menu Highlights We made fun mocktails (since not everyone is 21+) with orange juice and mangos and lemonade. It really paired well with the tropical yacht theme. We went out for dinner before so we just had finger food and snacks during the mingling.
Theme Highlights The Dollar Tree store has EVERYTHING you need. I got blue streamers and decorations and a nice tablecloth there. I got nautical rope and plastic champagne glasses. I spent like $20 in total and the decorations were fantastic and such a hit. I also was able to purchase candlesticks to set the mood! For costumes we decided to dress more like our characters and less formal. This was a hit! The doctor came in scrubs and the debutante in a long pink dress. I would recommend doing away with the formal attire and dressing more like your character. The engineer went for more of a ship’s mechanic look and it was a hit!
My college tennis team and I were down in Florida playing matches over spring break. One of our free nights we decided to have a Murder Mystery party. I spent about 2.5 weeks preparing for this. We hosted it in my coach’s condo and it lasted about 4 hours. Since we only had the condo there was not enough room to complete the scavenger hunt so instead we played games to compete for tokens. Overall the whole party was a hit. We are a women’s tennis team so a handful of ladies had to play male roles but they were great sports about it.
La Mon –
Headline Fun night for all the guests!
Nickname La Mon
Menu Highlights We assigned characters to each of the guests, giving lesser roles to those attendees that were not confirmed to attend. Since it was NYE, we had shrimp cocktail for starter, followed by prime rib, twice baked potatoes casserole, green beans and carrots. For dessert - cheesecake and GF chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel icing.
Theme Highlights We set up a photo site to get guests photos as the went in for dinner.
We had a NYE party for our fellow condo dwellers. Even though some of the attendees were strangers, they all showed up in character. Because the weather didn’t cooperate, we decided to forego have the scavenger hunt.
DaniMich –
Headline Dream Christmas Party
Nickname DaniMich
The event went on with a hitch! It was a great time for our Christmas Party. All of my friends had fun playing their characters and trying to figure out who the murderer was. It was entertaining watching them trying to place the blame on each other and getting confused with the information that was revealed.
Jenny –
Headline Great fun & happy times!
Nickname Jenny
Menu Highlights Gazpacho Soup Starter Fillet Steak with delicious Pepper Sauce Chocolate Mousse with strawberries and cream
Theme Highlights Lots of fairy lights on a boat in the Zimbabwean bush
We own a houseboat in Kariba, Zimbabwe and this is why I chose Set Sail for Disaster – holding thumbs not too disastrous to start. We were all elderly bridge players getting together. It was really fun and very different from our normal setting. Everyone joined in playing their roles and Jonathon Whipple still asks for his cane, that he lost, every time he sees me. Everyone was also pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t too much dressing up. We are a much older age group, so a younger age group playing the game would be completely different atmosphere, I should think. Hopefully we will play again next year!
Drew Hensen –
Headline Great fun!
Nickname Drew Hensen
Menu Highlights See above.
Theme Highlights See above.
Set Sail for Disaster was a smash hit! Our yacht club cruised in to the Delta Marina in Rio Vista, CA. We decorated the covered patio area to simulate the ship’s dining room for Act 1, then changed to the desert island for Act 2. Went through Act 1 Friday evening with a catered dinner, storm & the murder/shipwreck, intermission overnight, then began Act 2 Saturday at 9am. We used all the sound effects, (used a high power LED work lamp for the lightning), all the roles were assigned in advance so players had time to prepare. We had about 40 people there. The murderer got away with it! Staying organized was key to a smooth flow of the scenario, and I also had help with the light and sound effects. My Bose Soundtouch 20 was plugged in to my laptop. Awards were given on Saturday after dinner at The Point Restaurant at the marina, accompanied by tumultuous applause.
Ruth –
Headline Set Sail for a Birthday Disaster
Nickname Ruth
Menu Highlights Crab cakes, spanikopita, crostini and caprese salad. Daquiris, Mojitos and Hemingway Specials were the house drinks. we also served Manhattans, my partner's favorites. The person playing the bartender also brought Bloody Marys'.
Theme Highlights I built a playlist on Spotify loosely based off of other tropical/island themed playlists. https://open.spotify.com/user/blaze2242/playlist/32qudrC7uri41DcJo9yeDy?si=lYtNfeCXT12nGI_-u0A6xA A lot of Latin and vintage music. We placed a large atlas out on the table, some tropical party lights, and handed leis out to guests as they arrived. I sent out the character sheets and didn't use the images from the files on purpose because I didn't want people to feel like they had to dress the way the cartoon image was. I wish that the characters had been a little less gender stereotypical. The women in particular were pretty trope-ey. The two gender neutral characters were great, but I wish there had been more. All the other gender neutral characters (besides the Author and the Doctor) were boat staff, and I didn't want to use those out of respect for my friends. If I could give this 4.5 stars I would because of the frustration with the gender stereotypes.
Video Eugene
This was for my birthday, hosted with friends, at my apartment. We had 15 total guests. We used all of the parts in the kit except the ‘boat staff’ and the janitor. I was glad not to use the janitor because I was worried giving that part to someone might be a little insulting. I also was glad to avoid using the boat staff parts because it seemed a bit rude to invite people to my birthday party and then ask them to be serving.
Everyone had a wonderful time dressing up and getting into character. My boyfriend played the Captain and helped me organize the scavenger hunt.
We had finger food on the table and a bar for drink making. We used my living room and kitchen mostly, and spread out to the upstairs sitting room which had a balcony in order to spread out.
There was some confusion about the scavenger hunt, I recommend having an example of what the clues look like so people know what they’re looking for.
Gary –
Headline Murder on May Long
Nickname Gary
Menu Highlights Because we were at the lake we kept things simple. Appetizers were small bowls of party mix passed out by the boat staff. and chili in a bread bowl for the main. Squares for desert, again passed out by the boat staff
Theme Highlights All of the invitations were emailed. Lots of participants dressed the part. They were given about 6 weeks notice, so they had plenty of time to prepare. This definitely help set the mood.
For us the start to our summer is the May Long Weekend at the lake. The party was a hit! We had 33 guests and everyone said let’s do this again.! We had guest ranging from 14 to late 50’s. We added a couple of characters for the younger group as they did not know some of the others that well and I wanted to make sure they felt part of the process -this also worked well . The fun part for me as the organizer was picking the parts to complement each person’s personality.
Kristy –
Headline Set sail
Nickname Kristy
We bought the expansion game in the clean version. I did edit a bit of it, but it ended up working great. This was my first mystery party, and we ended up with about 65 people. You need quite a big space for mingling. Everyone has told us how much fun they had, so I definitely recommend this for a great evening. It took us about 2 hours, but it probably could have lasted longer.
Barbara –
Headline Set Sail for Disaster
Nickname Barbara
Menu Highlights This was a last minute idea so had to go with what we had planned
Theme Highlights We turned lights on and off used the ocean storm sound effects that came with it and a strobe light. Everyone was traveling except my husband &me so they had to improvise
It was Christmas and my granddaughters and I decided while playing the game Clue that we should do one of these Mystery parties. We had 18 people and order the SET SAIL FOR DISASTER because one of the uncles lives on a yacht. I spent the day putting it together with their help as all the others were coming and going. We were in FL also so the game was perfect as they love watching Gilligan’s Island also. Some things were a little too adult for the two youngest but it went ok. We only gave everyone about an hour to get ready and it was amazing how they put together costumes and got into the story. They all have commented on how much fun it was.
Jess Berryhill –
Headline Island Christmas
Nickname Jess Berryhill
Menu Highlights We did a Christmas pitch in with appetizers.
Theme Highlights We did pretty minimal decorating, but our students did a great job of dressing up!
We had fun! We did this as our student ministry Christmas Party and we were able to receive the clean copy of the script. Two big thumbs up on that one.
Valerie –
Headline Murder on the High Seas of the Hamptons
Nickname Valerie
This party was a blast! Everyone go into it and thank God for the kit, because we pulled it all together in 48 hours! Really fun and well done, Super nice customer service as well.
Chelsea –
Headline Set Sail For Disaster!
Nickname Chelsea
Our business fraternity did this as one of our social events, and it turned out great! The script says that act 2 should take place in a different place than act 1, however staying in the same place works fine. Everything took place in my living room except for the scavenger hunt. I hid things for this in my back yard. Instead of using the paper tokens for food and drink tokens and scavenger hunt items I actually used physical items. Everyone found pieces of wood, tarps, and such to build a physical raft. It was a great team bonding experience.
Alex –
Headline Continuing the Tradition
Nickname Alex
Menu Highlights I wanted to help set the scene down to every last detail, so we had a cruise ship style buffet! I served shrimp cocktail and seafood ravioli. The guests brought other amazing appetizers and delicious desserts. I also served a blue alcoholic drink I called “ocean water” soon to be renamed by the guests to “death juice.”
Theme Highlights I made a fun playlist with plenty of jimmy buffet, slightly stoopid, and other beachy songs to help set the mood. I also used a sound machine with a thunder storm setting. I bought a couple of cruise ship portholes that I stuck to the walls of the foyer. However, I made a lot of the decorations by hand, such as a flotation device and maritime flags. My favorite way we set the mood were the costumes!! My friends outdid themselves again! I encourage creativity by buying rewards for the best dressed and best actor or actress! Some people even committed to accents the entire night!
I hosted a Murder Mystery party aboard the Orient Express last year for Halloween, and everyone could NOT stop talking about it. So, of course, I had to carry on the tradition! We had a difficult time deciding between the cruise ship kit or casino night kit, but we finally decided on “Set Sail for Disaster.” I was so excited that this year’s party lived up to everyone’s high expectations again this year!
Amy Bell –
Headline Set Sail for Disaster
Nickname Amy Bell
Menu Highlights We decided to do our party as a "friends-giving" themed meal where we shared in the typical Thanksgiving style food. We made a turkey and ham and everyone else brought side dishes to share.
Theme Highlights I found some nautical style decor at Hobby Lobby and we had a beach scene set up on the TV. The sound clips that came along with the kit were helpful but otherwise I had a "white noise" app making ocean waves as background noise. In the lower level of the house we set up Act 2 with beach decor and a sandy beach backdrop. It was fun to find little things that went with the theme and tried to make it as detailed as possible! We did our party during the height of the mannequin challenge craze, so we did one just for fun at the end of the night. Check out the youtube link of our video! :)
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q4oXUj230&app=desktop
We hosted our first murder mystery dinner the week before Thanksgiving. There wasn’t anyone who had done a murder mystery before so there wasn’t really anyone who knew what to expect. Quite a few guests really went all out which made it that much more fun! People came dressed and ready to participate and we had the BEST time!
Colleen –
Headline Mayhem Murder & Mystery
Nickname Colleen
Menu Highlights Salmon chicken & locally sourced vegetables
Theme Highlights Hall decorated in Nautical theme with Driftwood center pieces on tables added a nice touch. Plus Full size Acrylic Marlin. Real Ferns Sand dunes made from sacks sprayed with sand & seaweed. Palm tree against a tropical Island backdrop.
SET SAIL FOR DISASTER MURDER MYSTERY.
http://www.playing with murder.com
We are a small seaside Village on the West Coast “Set Sail For Disaster” was a perfect fit and not difficult to stage. I am so glad I chose it for our fundraiser.
With not a lot of time to recruit performers to play the parts I managed to fill all the important Roles with minor changes to script. The Lawyer and some boat crew had to be cut. The Lawyer one of the main characters in the “Who Dunn It” We made sure the Lawyer was mentioned by the players to give out clues.
Instead of Scavenger hunt we used props for our players to scavenge on the deserted island and bring their finds to Ships Engineer Drew Hensen. That worked really well.
Our Murder Mystery players were a mix of first time performers as well as some who had previous experience performing Murder Mysteries. They all did a fabulous job getting into their roles and were amazing. All you need is a group of people who enjoy being involved and are definitely not shy. You will have dinner guests not only trying to solve a murder but also laughing at player’s attempts to throw you off course.
Our volunteers spent weeks gathering driftwood seaweed, logs, shells, ropes, fishing nets all kinds of flotsam & Jetsam to add to the nautical theme.
Thanks to “playing with murder.com” for a wonderful script that easily adapted to any number of players. We were very happy with the script and also sound tracks, when played through a better sound system rather than a laptop we had much better volume.
We are very pleased with the response to the event and are now a little closer to bringing a Family of five to settle in our small community.
Many thanks.
Jessica –
Headline Set Sail for Disaster Pool Party
Nickname Jessica
Menu Highlights We just had everyone bring a side item and drinks.
Theme Highlights We have a pool with gazebo so we decorated the area as if it were an actual cruise. Signs, red carpet, port holes, etc. We also did a mug shot backdrop for pictures!
We just wanted to have a fun summer party and try out a murder mystery for the first time. To say it was a hit would be an understatement. Everyone loved the party! The kit was so detailed and everyone came dressed up and ready to go. The highlight was when people started accusing others and stayed in character the whole time!
Sarah Black –
Headline Bollywood on a Boat
Nickname Sarah Black
Menu Highlights We had curry to match our theme
Theme Highlights The party took place at a rented beach house which was already kitted out in a nautical theme!
We decided to go all out and change the theme to Bollywood on a Boat- the PWM crew were really helpful and sent my the word document of the script so I was able to change some things in the script to match the theme! It went very well- everyone enjoyed the scavenger hunt and the drama of the murder! The audio sounds in the background were amazing and really added to the effect!
Ian –
Headline Set Sail for fun
Nickname Ian
Menu Highlights Since it was a corporate event on a budget, we played the game over lunch which was sandwiches.
Theme Highlights Used port holes, a ship wheel, tropical music. I made a sub-challenge for the boat staff to carry drink trays all game filled with water.
I used this game as part of a corporate all-staff event for about 35 people and it worked out quite well. Overall the game package is well set up and easy to follow and I would recommend it as an fun reasonable priced, relatively easy and bit difference activity for a fun team building exercise. For our day I only assigned the characters the day of the event and we prearranged to have a few props available for folks to get into character. Since our numbers were so high, we had double characters which added a fun and interesting twist. We used the expansion pack "investigators" for a few folks who were uncomfortable with the thought of acting. The scavenger hunt was fun and I added some extra puzzles for an escape room style lock puzzle.
Boxcar Cafe –
Headline Sail for success!
Nickname Boxcar Cafe
We had over 20 people come out to the cafe for this murder mystery. Many of the attendee’s really got into character and quite a few of them came dressed in costume. The mystery’s inclusion of props\scavenger hunt was a huge hit with guests and they had a great time searching around the cafe for the clues\props. This mystery was very well structured, easy to run and a lot of fun. We will definitely be picking up more mystery games from you folks in the future.
Sarah –
Headline Set Sail for Disaster
Nickname Sarah
Had a fantastic time. I hosted this as a part of an oral auction for a local charity. We had 11 guests. Everyone played their parts well, we had a wonderful dinner, and all had a very fun time. I would definitely recommend this for any potential buyer.
Heidi –
Headline Cruising for fun with friends
Nickname Heidi
Menu Highlights We decided to fit a wine tasting into the mystery, since my husband (the host) loves to cook and try new things. the Idea worked well with the theme especially as it's set on a private cruise ship. there was a good mix of seafood to add to the theme of cruising.
Theme Highlights the highlight of the night was how our guests really got into their role and arrived in costume, and great costumes they were. though a few knew each other, everyone really stayed on game. it was fun!
We held a murder mystery party to spice up just having dinner with friends. It was wonderful; the Playing with Murder team made sure we had a suitable game for our group’s makeup. Everyone had such a great time. there were lots of character options to match to our guests’ personalities, and the information, background details, sound tracks etc. really ‘made’ the murder mystery so much more easier for everyone to ‘get into’ and enjoy the fun. The character who got murdered was a surprise to our guests, and the role sheets provided enough clues to keep the questioning moving along while we tried to guess ‘who done it’. And the result was a surprise. All in all its a well-packaged, complete party kit to make a fun evening for 12 or more guests.
Ann –
Headline Set Sail for Disaster
Nickname Ann
Menu Highlights I stayed with totally finger food and catered for glutton free, dairy free and vegetarian with one vegetarian unable to have onion or garlic. It was a very hot late afternoon so we got through a lot of drink, punch and juice and lemonade. I don't think anyone went without.
Theme Highlights The costumes were the real highlight and the final bit with the clues was so well acted. The mixing and mingling in character was really hilarious.
We had a ball. I organised this as a family party with 3 generations of ages (7 -79). We used all but one character – so quite a crowd. All the younger ones were boat crew and as I had a running smorgasbord dinner, they were kept busy carrying food, clearing plates and rubbish etc – they loved being so important and involved.
We started by welcoming everyone on board at the front gate where they were given their name badge and character sheet for Act One. The path through the small gate to the back deck became the gang way. The Captain was on the deck and drinks and nibbles were served there. But unfortunately the neighbours were going to take out a very large tree on our boundary right where we were so we had to move that inside. (Started getting sawdust in the punch bowl. Luckily though they realised what we were up to and so more for safety reason stopped which was really good of them. Although we told our guests we were having mast repairs !
It was a beautiful evening so using inside outside was a great idea with the food in the middle.
The family really got into the spirit of things with some amazing costumes and stayed in character really well. I helped the younger ones with their fact sheets so their parents didn’t know what they were doing. The scavenger hunt was great as that was another major task for the boat staff. I put all the clues into little plastic eggs and scattered them around the front garden and driveway.
I would certainly recommend this as a real fun way to get together.