Welcome friends and fellow mystery aficionados!
You asked, and we listened! Playing With Murder is thrilled to announce the launch of Jazz Age Jeopardy, an evening of intrigue and mayhem set in the Roaring Twenties. Get ready to break out your best flapper styles, fedoras, feather boas, sequins, tuxedos, and cigarette holders!
Inspired by The Great Gatsby, this incredibly detailed party gets underway at The Cat’s Meow, a bootlegging jazz joint owned by the dapper Felix Fontano, son of the notorious rum-runner, Frank Fontano. The guest list includes a number of lively characters: musicians, sophisticates, artists, silver screen stars, and hoodlums — all brought together by the promise of high class entertainment and the lure of prohibited booze.
The 1920s is one of America’s most fascinating time periods, when fashion, technology, music, and morals were changing at lightning speed. Between the end of World War I and the Great Depression, progress clashed with Prohibition as new music, new slang, new dances, and new rights for women were the order of the day. Women gained the right to vote, jazz music and dances like the Charleston and the Tango scandalized the nation as they were danced by young men in cuffed trousers and young women sporting short hair and shorter hemlines. People flocked to watch silent film stars, and the first “talkie” movie premiered. Although illegal, alcohol still flowed freely behind the closed doors of speakeasy establishments, supplied by mobster who rose to power during this time.
Jazz Age Jeopardy captures all the glamour and seediness of the Prohibition Era, featuring characters from all walks of life engaged in scintillating schemes, unlikely affairs, and behind-the-scenes plot twists. When a murderer is discovered in their midst, suddenly an evening of frivolity becomes a high stakes investigation as the characters scramble to avoid getting the police involved and having their reputations tarnished (not to mention the potential for jail time or being targeted by the Mob!) by being discovered in an illegal – if swanky – club.
Suitable for 15 to 24 players, this mystery offers tons of intrigue, as well as the opportunity to live out all of your 1920s fantasies while enjoying dinner, drinks, and cutting a rug on the dance floor!
How long does the game usually last? I'm looking to host a reception with the game being a part of it. My time frame is about 45min-1h. As I saw you do not have a shorter version, can it be done in this time frame?
Stacey,
There should be no problem with your co-hosts playing characters as well. Thanks for your inquiry and be sure to let us know how it turns out!
I am hosting a murder mystery party for 10 guests but I have 8 people (myself included) who will be helping to put it on (18 altogether). Can all 8 co-hosts be a character? In other words, will we have enough players to play Jazz Age Jeopardy?
Rahma,
That's a great question, and one that I'll be adding to our FAQ page. All of our deluxe parties are designed to accommodate a range of guests, which means that some of the characters are optional. The complete kit clearly explains which characters are optional and which are required.
We don't make the information about which characters are required and which are optional available for public viewing on the site because that would serve as a spoiler for any prospective guest who is browsing the page – obviously, any character listed as "optional" is not the one who is guilty of the crime, so the site and packages are designed to only share that information with the host or hostess of the party.
Thanks for your interest, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
My question is about the number of people who can play this. Do i need to have equal numbers of guests for all characters? there are 24 on the character list, but it says that its suitable for 15-24, so i could have 15 people and not use all of the characters? how would i know which ones not to use?