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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 - 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.
BI Mavericks –
Headline Hilarious and Riotous
Nickname BI Mavericks
Menu Highlights This game was awesome for a remote team building event
Theme Highlights I asked everyone to really get into the role that they were playing and it made it so much more fun!!
Our event was a work team building event. It was great everyone really loved the suspense and played their roles well. It wasn’t too long so people stayed focused on solving the murder!!
Chris V. –
Headline Church Choir CAN Act!!!
Nickname Chris V.
Menu Highlights We simply ordered Olive Garden take-out and had the choir members bring desserts to share.
Theme Highlights Our cast dressed for their parts and stayed in character even while we were eating! As far as I know, they MAY NEVER stop "acting"!!!
We presented this mystery as our year-end choir party “event”. Everyone had a GREAT time and the “characters” really got into their parts! Who knew we had such acting talent in our church choir?
Julie –
Headline Perfect
Nickname Julie
Theme Highlights We used scary Halloween decorations and had props for our guests.
We had a family birthday party for my 12 year old daughter. Everyone really enjoyed the mystery and really got into character.
Pleasantview Sharon –
Headline Good family fun
Nickname Pleasantview Sharon
Great family game! We spent 3 days in the country with 20 members of our family including 3 10-year-olds, 2 12-year-olds and 2 primary school kids. The adults took the roles and the kids took us to court! It was a lot of fun for all of us and we would do a mystery again.
AK –
Headline Youth Christmas Party
Nickname AK
Theme Highlights We pretended it was a Christmas Family Reunion as we had dressed festively and decorated accordingly.
Youth group Christmas party (age 12-17). Had 20 youth so we split into 2 groups. The group I led struggled to focus, but I’m not sure whether that was the group itself or the storyline was just slow.
We previously did “There Might be No Christmas” last year and it went amazing… it was everyones highlight. “Malachai Stouts Reunion” seemed more like practicing reading a skit and the youth were confused how to respond when it was written in 2nd person.
Apparently the other group had more success and focus. So I would recommend using this only for more mature or older youth or adults.
Verdict– Still worth the $30 but I’d do more research next time.
Val –
Headline A night of intrigue
Nickname Val
It was a dinner party, it went great. Everyone dressed up and brought food and drinks. We read the descriptions aloud and then got into the mystery after dinner.
Whitney –
Headline An Absolute Blast!
Nickname Whitney
We used our Murder Mystery as our holiday party for our Church Small Group. We had an absolute blast. Everyone got into character. We chose not to play it around the table, as suggested, but mingled while we ate/drank during each round.
Ariheg –
Headline Fun for all abilities!
Nickname Ariheg
We played Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion with a group of 10 residents in a residential care home. We had residents aged 29- 65 with varying abilities. While our residents needed some support, it was very successful. The story played out with ease and all our residents enjoyed playing the part. It was an amazing night. Residents really got into it. The story was easy to follow and the instructions were clear and concise; which made it very easy to support. We decorated the room and ate a fancy dinner. We brought each resident in the hall to explain their characters to them and the night flowed with ease. We have had nothing but rave reviews from each participant and lots of requests to host another! The story was very affordable as well, making another murder mystery party possible. Even our residents who are non-verbal were able to play along as detectives. Highly recommend!
Jane –
Headline The evening was a success.
Nickname Jane
We hold a game night at our church periodically. We decided to try our first Mystery Night theme. Attendance ranges from 10-25, so we needed a family-friendly plot that would work with a flexible number of players. Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion was a good fit. The evening was a success. During the intro the host told the characters that it was ok to “embellish” their lines a little; to “have fun with” their roles (in other words, "opened Pandora’s box") The ad libbing was non-stop. As were the laughs, the groans, and the overall good time. We will be ordering another party kit for future events.
[email protected] –
Headline Wine and appetizers
Nickname [email protected]
My local political group had a wine and appetizer party at a wine bar. It was a cash bar with the club supplying the appetizers. About midway during the party I had my characters, who were preselected by me, sit at a long table to read their parts. I gave the audience ( investigators) a file card and a pen to write their answers. At the end of the presentation we gave out prizes for the correct answer from the investigators. Everyone that was there just had loads of fun and keep asking me to do another!
Emily –
Headline Great 18th Birthday Game
Nickname Emily
Video Seminole
We played Malachi Stouts family reunions at an 18th birthday party. It was very fun, and all the guests seem to love it. The only complaint was that the clues seem to point to one or two characters in particular, which made guessing a bit predictable. Overall, it was great fun and quite clean for the whole family to play.
Jamie –
Headline 16th birthday party
Nickname Jamie
We were excited to try this, it was a fun story line, and seemed easy enough to do. Unfortunately, we found it fairly easy to solve. I would have loved for it to be a little more complex,
Virgie –
Headline Family get together
Nickname Virgie
Family Reunion: such fun with family of children and teen grandchildren. Kids and adults had fun playing parts and trying to solve mystery.
Tanja –
Headline Exciting
Nickname Tanja
Video CHICAGO
I was hosting a jewelry party so Malachai Stout’s was perfect. The guests that discovered the murderer got a free set of jewelry. I had 16 players who partnered up It was an afternoon party that lasted three four hours. it was fun, exciting with loads of laughter. Selling a lot of jewelry was a plus. They cant wait till the next one.
Jane G –
Headline Mystery party
Nickname Jane G
Family get together. 14 participants. This format was the worst we’ve ever done. A thin story line with barely any clues. I rewrote the episode adding three more clues and an additional character. Even so it lasted less than an hour. The killer just confesses since there is not enough information for people to guess.
Poor choice.
Myra –
Headline Hysterical
Nickname Myra
Performed at women’s club meeting which runs about an hour and has about 45 members. I read the intro and introduced the cast of characters. The rest of the members were investigators and could ask questions between each act. The characters all improvised their parts and started accusing each other of all sorts of dysfunctional things. It was so funny, we couldn’t stop laughing. We performed it again for a senior group and it was equally funny, but different. At the end, we asked the audience to vote on who the murderer was. It really didn’t matter since some of the clues got mixed up or changed. It was one of the best meetings we ever had.
Monty –
Headline Youth Group Adventure
Nickname Monty
We are a youth group organizing a fun Friday night events weekly! The kids are between 10 – 16 and we have as many as 14 participants! We chose a 30 min murder mystery! It was superfun! Only problem was that some of the language in the descriptions were hard for the youth to use. I would have loved a simpler version. A highlight, were the name-tags, the girls loved seeing who they were!
Gina Ables –
Headline TNT 50+ Ministry
Nickname Gina Ables
Our 50+ ministry has a monthly meeting and we decided to do a dinner mystery theater! Everyone jumped in to ask questions to try to figure out the mystery. Everyone was sooo convincing and no one guessed the murderer!
Hollie –
Headline Halloween party!
Nickname Hollie
I wanted to plan something exciting for our little family Halloween party (Halloween isn’t that big yet in Australia and I wanted to make it fun!) and I came across this website… I am so glad I did!
The murder mystery game was a complete surprise to all guests so everyone had to improvise in their roles which made it absolutely hilarious! Guest ages ranges from 20 to 65 and every one of us had an absolute ball! This story was heaps of fun to play. We can’t wait to try another!
Teens Leader –
Headline Surprised!
Nickname Teens Leader
We had approx 12 teens and adults present for this murder mystery morning. It was part of a Christian caravan park holiday program and it went really well. I did not have much time at all to plan, probably about 1 day. But the pack was so straight forward and self guided that there was no issue at all. I prepared some costume props for each character and that was all! The teens were about 14 and initially weren’t excited when they heard it was a murder mystery. During the game they paired up in teams or played alone and by the end they all said they were surprised how fun it was. Including set up and game play it took about 45mins to an hour. We actually played outside in a park and it was no trouble. Highly recommend!
Shylo Edmund –
Headline Staff murder mystery party
Nickname Shylo Edmund
We had a staff murder mystery party at laser quest Toronto east. We had so much fun people where really into there characters people and made them there own.
Shylo Edmund –
Headline Staff murder mystery party !!
Nickname Shylo Edmund
We had ran a party at our work (laser quest Toronto east !) it was amazing our team is really creative and really expanded the personal of each character. Some people almost started fight!!(acting) in the end everyone had stomach cramps from laughing so hard!!
Katrina –
Headline Employee appreciation week
Nickname Katrina
We had murder mystery day and employees played characters while everyone else tried to solve it! We decorated and created a fake crime scene! Was perfect and everyone had a blast!!!! Easy to follow and put together these 30min murder mysteries!
Susie Orr –
Headline Malachai Family Mystery
Nickname Susie Orr
Neighborhood progressive dinner with 8 couples. Found the body at one house. Introduced characters at 2nd house. And enjoyed the clues and character discussions and questions at 4th house
Characters enjoyed dressing the parts. The investigators had many questions
Kim –
Headline Malachai Stout's Family Reunion
Nickname Kim
I am an activity coordinator for a retirement home. This is the first mystery game we have played for an activity. I wanted something different to do for our Mardi Gras party, and I was hoping this would do the trick. And, boy did it! I changed the location of the mansion to outside of New Orleans to go along with the party theme. It was a great time for all, and my residents want to do it again. They really got into their characters and there were a lot of laughs. I have to keep the time down from the longer stories due to the fatigue factor of the residents if an activity is too long. So, this story was perfect. We are definitely looking forward to doing another one in the future. Thanks!
Youth Group Leader –
Headline Murder Mystery Night
Nickname Youth Group Leader
We played at a Youth Group meeting. Since it was our first attempt at this sort of activity, we followed the directions given. I was not sure whether to play along and not read any spoilers or read all the material before playing. I chose to try to play along with the group. The group absolutely loved the event and we will plan another night like this. One downfall for us was one player did not read their directions thoroughly. Ironically, it was the guilty party and it did impact the eventual outcome. I am not sure if this could have been addressed discreetly if I had read all material before starting. We had players that are naturals at this type of event and they made their characters come to life for us.
Tim –
Headline Christmas Family Reunion
Nickname Tim
This was for a department Christmas party with 80 in attendance. It was a huge success. 8 friends came to play the roles. Voting at the end was nearly evenly split between all characters -they were that good selling their story. We will definitely do another one,
Luree –
Headline The Dinner to End All Dinners!
Nickname Luree
Four couples, all friends, gather monthly for dinner together. This time we did something different — and turned it into a Malachai $tout family reunion, complete with murder and family accusations. None of us had ever participated in a murder mystery dinner before, so not only was it a howl of fun for everyone but everyone said this is a jump-off point for future murder mystery dinners. We also loved the fact we could sit around a dinner table and march through the game without having to move. The fact that it was also fast-paced, requiring about an hour of rollicking fun and intrigue, was added incentive to plan this evening’s entertainment for everyone in the first place.
Dee –
Headline Murder Mystery Birthday!
Nickname Dee
We had an absolutely great time playing Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion! It was for a 12 year old’s murder mystery family birthday party with ages ranging from 11 to 80. The process was very simple from ordering online to playing. I wanted a game to add to our party, but not one that takes the entire evening. The 30 minute mystery was a perfect murder mystery game that doesn’t involve pre-party planning to organize and play. Easy to follow instructions from ordering to playing.
We will definitely order another game in the future.
Donette –
Headline Murder at the Mansion
Nickname Donette
At our over 55 senior community we used the Malachai Stout Family Reunion script for our April dinner theater. Keeping everything simple, we selected 8 actors to portray the family members with a narrator to guide the investigation.
Over 40 people attended, seated at 8 tables, one for each character in the story. As the play opened the actors sat in front to deliver the first round of information, then an intermission allowed everyone to enjoy appetizers and discuss what they had heard. After each round, the actors returned to their tables for the main course and dessert. After the "investigators" had the full story, they began to deliberate on the identity of the murderer. The narrator then called on each table to give their conclusion before asking "will the real culprit please stand up."
This was a highly successful event for our residents and it was very easy to plan because there was no need for prolonged rehearsals. The downloaded script was clear and concise with enough direction to be helpful but with lots of flexibility to adapt to any situation or size group. There was a very useful script layout to indicate how to stage the program without revealing the secret to the reader.