The Great Canine Follicle Debacle

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:

1. Gather a group of players
2. Distribute character sheets
3. 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.