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The Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign
£49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set in a haunted castle.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
A haunted castle
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult / Teen
Players:
There are 12 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 8 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Narrator, a gamekeeper and guide who is there to run the game. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 12 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- Baron Venedict Castaign: Lord of Shufflemoore Manor and the nearly forgotten Barony of Shufflemoore Woods, Baron Castaign is a somber, silent man, prone to melancholy and introspection.
- Desmond Othas: A peasant who ekes out a living cutting wood and performing rough carpentry in the Barony of Shufflemoore Woods, Desmond wears rough clothing and carries a hand axe.
- Winston Phipps: Butler and manservant to Baron Venedict Castaign, Phipps is a formidably competent and icily professional butler.
- Edgar: Caretaker and groundskeeper of Shufflemoore Manor, Edgar is an ill-kempt, lazy drunkard whose primary goal is to do as little work as possible while still collecting the pittance the Baron pays him.
- *Curtis: A Gypsy juggler and husband to Maven, Curtis is an outgoing entertainer always ready and able to put people at ease with his clever wit and well-timed jokes.
- *Mitchell Miller: A simple farmer who ekes out a livelihood in the Barony of Shufflemoore Woods with his wife Susannah, Mitchell has fallen on hard times with the disappearance of his daughter Krista. He has come to Shufflemoore Manor to petition the Baron's aid in locating his daughter.
Female Roles
- Esmerelda: A Gypsy girl and occasional dancer who travels the land with her brother, Curtis, and his wife, Maven, Esmerelda is bright and vivacious, a lively sort of person who always has a cheerful comment and smile, even for strangers.
- *Maven: A Gypsy seer and wife to Curtis, Maven is wise and mysterious. She always seems to know more about people than she is inclined to let on.
- *Susannah Miller: A soft-spoken woman, Susannah is the wife of the farmer Mitchell Miller. She has recently lost her young daughter, Krista, and is heartbroken and distraught.
- Luella: One of the maids of Shufflemoore Manor, Luella is a cheerful young woman who has aspirations of traveling to some place more cosmopolitan and compelling than Shufflemoore Woods.
- Constance Castaign: The sister of the Baron, Constance Castaign is a dour and devoutly religious spinster.
- Tatanya: A hunter and tracker of some skill, Tatanya is a taciturn woman, more at home in the wild than in a baron's castle. She dresses in rugged clothing and carries a pistol, something of a novelty for a woman in this time and place.
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.
This party kit is a 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 special goals and gossip unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- Voting sheets
- Awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Murder in Manhattan you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Two 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.
Lisa Robles –
Headline : Tons of fun solving escape room style puzzles
Nickname : Lisa Robles
Theme Highlights : Had a Halloween themed party.
Amazingly fun time! Lots of laughs and great team building! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the story line.
Lila –
Headline : A night of fun and mystery!
Nickname : Lila
I organized this game for my friends. It was a group of 20 people. The characters were quite entertaining and detailed. The Hosts Guide was quite helpful for me as a host. I would recommend starting the preparations for the game early, since some aspects of the game are a bit complicated to organize. The tasks were engaging for the players and I found that even though it was quite longer than a traditional murder mystery, the players were enjoying every minute of it. I must say that the gypsies stole the show!
Akittner –
Headline : Complete disaster!!
Nickname : Akittner
Menu Highlights : This takes weeks and weeks to put together and just not fun at all.
Theme Highlights : Way too difficult unless you have plenty of money to buy additional decorations and sound effects etc.
We had a party for my daughter’s 20th birthday. This was so difficult to put together. It really was awful!! There were no explanations for things Dash too cumbersome, too difficult to keep people interested – just a complete disaster and not worth $40 at all.
Shields –
Headline : Headline: Rookie party goers figure things out!!
Nickname : Shields
Menu Highlights : Evening cocktail - Bloody Mary
We hosted a murder mystery party on Oct 30 and it was a hit!! The kit I downloaded was very thorough in the instructions and supplies! No guess-work or experience was required. I give this company a “strongly agree”; 10/10; thumbs up; smiley face.
Gemma H. –
Headline : A little long!
Nickname : Gemma H.
I organized this evening for a friends birthday event (and as a present.) We are in Paris so I had to translate everything which is a little arduous but that’s life!
This game is much more complex than previous murder games we have played and as such quite a bit longer. I would recommend taking the shortcut and bypassing a zone or two as it cuts out a few scenes. I found that the narrators text was very long indeed in some parts and would also recommend abbreviating them a little.
I think overall, we preferred the simpler games on this site, as more implication from the players and less description from the organizer. Still very good though!
Barbara B –
Headline : A very memorable night!
Nickname : Barbara B
Menu Highlights : I made a few vampire inspired shooters for the adults along with the usual wine and charcuterie board. For the meal, I took inspiration from another review and made lasagna. It was easy to prepare early in the day - giving me more time to prepare as guests arrived.
Theme Highlights : Decorations were easy since it was Halloween. I just went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of skeletons and rats. For props I had reserved a fogger on Ruckify but the renter cancelled the day before. I went to Home Depot and was lucky to find a fogger at 1/2 price. I tested to see if it worked, but didn't realize how powerful it was. The first room was so full of fog, we could hardly see (and set off the fire alarms). Lesson learned, play around with the fogger ahead of time to find the appropriate settings! I made the portcullis with two old baby gates. The top one was fixed but the bottom one was hanging so it could swing up with the rope. For the moat, I used two blue exercise mats and a bunch of dollar store rats. For lighting I used microdot light strings (From Costco) taped to the floor to show the narrow ledges in the tunnels. I had downloaded the music but had trouble getting it to play on loop - I should have played around with it more beforehand.
We held the “Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign” as an alternative to trick or treating on October 31st. We had a group of 10 people ranging in age from 11-47. Our group had more men than male characters but it was easy to change “Tatanya” to a male role. My youngest was Luella and if I had to do the party again, I would make Luella an older player. Luella’s character does not actively participate in solving the problems – so the young player felt left out. The highlight of the night was when the neighbours showed up (predetermined time) with dollar store laser lights (I had tied 2 lights together to look like red eyes) that they shone through the windows while they scratched and banged on the doors – pretending to be the wolves plaguing the Barony. It scared everyone and really set the mood for the rest of the night!
Alena –
Headline : Still Works Remotely!
Nickname : Alena
We had a great time playing The Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign! Even though this version wasn’t written to be played remotely, we did our party through Zoom, skipping Act One, and it worked really well! I created slides illustrating each room and photoshopped in the items and interactive pieces of the room. We had 10 people playing, and that worked out pretty well. The guests said they had a great time!
birthday blowout –
Headline : Too many players, not enough roles
Nickname : birthday blowout
We had purchased this game to play with a group of 25 adults, as the expanded game said it has up to 30 players. Unfortunately, once we read through the expanded game information, we learned that after the first 12 players have been cast, any additional players are “fly on the wall detectives” who don’t interact with any of the other characters. Needless to say, this game did not work for our party, so we went with a different game. We will be using the Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign for a get-together instead, when we have a more intimate crowd.
Haley –
Headline : Anticlimactic
Nickname : Haley
Menu Highlights : Pizza and sushi
Theme Highlights : Lots and lots of skeletons and bones. Candle tapers and black lights. Coffins and shackles.
As a experienced murder mystery dinner party thrower, I was so looking forward to this game. I sent up elaborate decorations and really set the mood. I walked through this game twice prior to guests arrival. Unfortunately, it just didn’t go well. The game is more complex than traditional murder mystery games and with a large group, it was too overwhelming. It was overall a disappointment. I really wanted to enjoy this game. I will stick with the 30 minute dinner party from now on.
LivviPearson –
Headline : INCREDIBLE
Nickname : LivviPearson
Menu Highlights : As narrator, I made 3 different soups and then each character brought something that their character was likely to make.
This set made for a fun night! The instructions were easy to follow and the clues kept all the guests thinking! The different characters were so fun to play up and do costumes for! One thing I wish was different was for there to not be so many rooms. A few rooms would be nice, but this set had “12 rooms”. Makinh switching quite repetitive.
Boredandhot –
Headline : 30 is too many
Nickname : Boredandhot
Menu Highlights : Potluck
We played with about 30 people of varying levels of sobriety and maturity. It was pretty chaotic. Couples were asked to “share” a character or be an investigator. Tried to share a character with my boyfriend, but drew the investigator card anyway. As you can see in the description, investigator is a non-role. It’s like “playing” a video game with an unplugged controller while your brother actually plays. Moving through a house, even a sizeable one, with 30 people is loud and crowded, making it hard to actually try to solve anything. It was basically shuffling from room to room while trying to avoid being groped by the “vampires.” Spent most of the night being bored, hot, annoyed, and having no idea what was going on because it was just constant noise. Most of the people in the group said they had a blast though, so maybe I’m just being salty. But in my opinion, playing with a large group is a bad idea unless you have a group that’s committed to following the rules and being respectful.
Deborah –
Headline : Thanksgiving tradition
Nickname : Deborah
Theme Highlights : We used the MP3 downloads, most were in costume, used props. Our efforts were definitely 100percent!
This script is really for advanced players & especially the host or hostess. He/she should have theatrical experience. The scenes were well described, the characters also developed well in the download materials. However to get the full experience we had too many people with no experience. We used props & still had a hard time. Also it was very long, which was stated in the materials, having never done this before I did not know what to expect. Going to try the 30 minute sit down mystery this time!
Olathe Youth –
Headline : This was the BEST night!
Nickname : Olathe Youth
This was everything we wanted and more. Our Youth Group had so much fun! It was exciting, and you will not be disappointed by choosing this Murder Mystery. Overall, this was an awesome time!
Trinity Lutheran Church Youth Group –
Headline : Awesome Group Event
Nickname : Trinity Lutheran Church Youth Group
The Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign was more of a team building event which worked great for our High School Youth Group. The character sheets were well laid out with costuming suggestions and enough information for everyone to get into their character. I loved the strengths and weaknesses assigned to each character and how those were used by the group to overcome obstacles with in the mystery. We were able to easily adapt the set-up suggestions to our church to make the most of the story. Some rooms were more elaborately decorated and some were very simple. The Catacombs were so much fun!
Midwestgal –
Headline : Many hours spent on understanding and set up
Nickname : Midwestgal
This was a very hard party to put together compared to other murder mysteries. It took multiple rooms, and so much studying of the script to pull off. My guests said they enjoyed it but preferred the traditional style of a murder mystery. I missed playing a role in the party. This is probably the 5th or 6th murder mystery party I’ve thrown for our Annual Halloween party.
Nancy –
Headline : Fun Night
Nickname : Nancy
Last night we celebrated our annual Halloween party. We used The Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign. This was our first ever murder mystery. It was for a group of 15 kids. I added more villagers and vampires to fit our group, but mostly kept the storyline the same. The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves and playing in the dark made it exciting for them. I added a scavenger hunt to the beginning and the kids loved it. You need a big space for this game be prepared for that.
Annabel –
Headline : The Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign
Nickname : Annabel
Having previously purchased and run two other playing with murder events I was a little surprised when I read through the full game. To work effectively it was considerably more complicated than the others! However, my bunch of mixed gender 14 year olds loved it and mostly solved all the puzzles. it did take coordination to keep resting the spaces as the moved around the house and garden. The weather even put on an authentic storm for us which added to the complication. All round a great party but definitely best to allow time to think through all your locations and have an adult in reserve for resetting spaces to allow kids to find clues fresh.
Charles of Philadelphia –
Headline : Costumes, Acting, Murder Mystery, Escape the Room!
Nickname : Charles of Philadelphia
Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O-DN-6sBbw
This murder mystery is one of the coolest ones out there. I feel like it almost deserves to be in a category of its own because it combines the dungeon master narrator and combat elements of d&d, escape the room puzzles, the scares of a haunted house and costume dinner party. This should absolutely be the mystery you choose if you are ready to put in the extensive time and effort necessary to prepare. I knew what I was getting into from other people’s helpful reviews so I didn’t mind at all when I ended up putting in probably 20 hrs preparing over the span of a month including 2 late nights leading up to the event. My housemate also put 8hrs into building the catacombs out of the junk in our basement (see the picture and video). Totally over the top prep but the screams of both guys and girls when they went through was so worth it 😀
Having the assistant was crucial to keeping the plot moving forward seamlessly. You simply don’t have time to inform the dead guests what they should be doing while still narrating for the main group.
I coordinated with murderers over group text and told them their cue for the attack in the library and tunnel 2 when the lights went out. They were supposed to poke their target in the neck with two fingers. It worked perfectly and not even the victims could tell who had done it to them.
In the end we lost all but 3 of our humans to the perils of Shufflemoore Manor. But Venedict, Constance, and Mitchell were saved by the protection of the Day Chapel!
Everyone absolutely raved about how much fun they had and we stayed up until 4:00AM recounting the night from each of our perspectives. A lasting memory was made!
Sophia Robinson –
Headline : Creepiest thing ever, but AWESOME!
Nickname : Sophia Robinson
So me and my drama class went into the dark, creepy basement of the church we practice in, and had all the lights off, one lamp in the "great hall" and various windows/black lights in other rooms. Our group had quite a few people, and I was Tatanya. This is amazing and highly recommended!
Lauren Sedbrook –
Headline : Terrible Castle of Baron Castaign
Nickname : Lauren Sedbrook
The party seemed a little daunting at first to plan but it worked out great . Overall, highly recommend for someone in search of a good challenge. We have had other parties that were boring and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. This story kept everyone engaged and the ending was satisfying.
Other notes: After the murder, we let the murder victim “haunt” people pretty much any time the rest of the game instead of how it was indicated and it turned out to be so entertaining! The victim can also help the narrator of some extra fun. We did not do the catacombs and did a party game to suppliment the goal of the area instead; it did not seem worth the effort.
Sean –
Headline : Social event
Nickname : Sean
Would advise you have people read through every character before you start. Do not have anyone play the irrelevant french maid.
Party Committee – Kelly & Roxi –
Headline : Fun Times @ Shufflemoore Woods
Nickname : Party Committee - Kelly & Roxi
We did this as a Team Building Event. It was a lot of prep work but worth every minute of it in the end! The planning committee was very excited about the event and our co-workers caught the fever as well. We didn’t reveal a lot about the characters to the team, only to the individual and so the surprise of everyone walking in with their costumes was awesome! Everyone participated to the full extent, taking their roles seriously and playing their parts to the fullest. It was interesting to see how the team worked together to evaluated what was going on to deduct the best course of action. We would definitely do another mystery party, but maybe not one that is quite this extensive.
Nancy- Teen Librarian –
Headline : Murder Mystery Event at Ella Johnson Library
Nickname : Nancy- Teen Librarian
Ella Johnson Library hosted their second 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. Once the first murder occurred they had to go room to room in the castle picking up clues and hoping to survive to "dawn". To accommodate for the large group, owner and author Ken Blumreich kindly developed a new character bundle for us so everyone could have a role. Thank you!
Sarah –
Headline : Son's 15th party
Nickname : Sarah
We hosted this party for my sons 15th birthday. We had 8 boys and they had a fabulous time, were still talking about it the day after. They were genuinely pretty scared as they made their way through the creepy castle.
We had lots of fun transforming the house into the castle and sourcing and preparing props. It was a lot of work, about 3 days, but worth the effort for the fun that was had
It took me 3 readthroughs and 2 walkthroughs to really get the order of events and scenarios in my head and this was essential, because I couldn’t read from the booklet in the dark. I enlisted the help of another adult to play Luella and the wolf and direct the unfortunate guests who died as to their next actions, I could not have done the party as smoothly without a helper – I’d say it’s essential rather than optional if you want things to unfold seamlessly.
The boys will remember this night for many years to come – the event of the year they called it!
One thing to be aware of is that the party doesn’t easily adapt to fewer guests, because the character sheets then refer to non-existent characters. So I had to read through everything carefully and write out the inconsistencies. This would have been heaps easier if the download was available in both word and PDF format.
Sean –
Headline : Re. Social event
Nickname : Sean
Left a review previously but this review isn’t so much about the game rather the company / author. They reached out to me to ask for more information why the party didn’t go well. Most impeccable customer service I have ever seen. I’ve never seen a company so meticulous about the customers enjoyment of their product.
Parent of 14 yr old daughters. –
Headline : 14 yr Birthday Party with Teen Girls Everywhere
Nickname : Parent of 14 yr old daughters.
My wife and I left the house as more than a dozen teen girls entered.
Everything was planned, arranged, cooked, etc, by my teen daughters. (Ages 14 and 15).
I don’t know any details, except everyone apparently had an extremely fun time.
My 14 year old teen doesn’t post reviews, so I am posting something simply because I am happy the activity was a) fun b) able to be managed completely by my teenagers friends.
Money well spent.
Michelle –
Headline : Sixteenth Birthday Party
Nickname : Michelle
The teens loved the story line and the puzzles. They wished it had been a bit harder to solve in some parts, and I wished that there was more of an outline format for each room so that I could follow it easier on the spot without having to read through the paragraphs. I read the script twice before the party, but felt like I almost had to have it memorized to have it run more smoothly. I think an outline would have helped. Also, If I had know that a key component of the storyline was what it was, I would have chosen a different storyline. (cant say more without spoilers.) Also, would do it at a church or somewhere larger than my home next time. Overall, super fun, even with the glitches. The sound tracks were great.
One thing I would have LOVED was a printer friendly version without all the border decorations on every page. I had to purchase new ink half way through. And, no one but me sees those pages anyway. It would be nice to have the option to print minimally.
I also created my own certificates for awards that could hold their photo.
Johan Vercueil –
Headline : Halloween Party
Nickname : Johan Vercueil
It was our monthly get together for our close circle of friends and we had heard so much about this Murder Mystery event. We were all so excited to give it a try and it was AWESOME!!!
Every one came in costumes and made up extra quirks to their back story and really stayed in character the whole night! During the game it started pouring cats and dogs which added more to the enchantment of the game and everyone had such a great time.
my only one downside was that the dungeon set was a little hard to prepare. The instructions werent as clear as i would have liked but we got through it and my friends enjoyed to the MAX!
Wish i could have uploaded more pictures to at least give a small inkling of how much we enjoyed that night but unfortunately for some reason it will only let me upload one picture:(
We will definitely try another story!
Nicole –
Headline : So much fun we did it twice!!!!
Nickname : Nicole
We decided to throw a murder mystery party for fun. In looking at the many possible parties online I came across this one. It was actually not my first pick until I tried the sample button and was able to see how it was set up. I knew it would be more work but also way more fun. My husband helped me set up our whole house for the party. I was going to rely mostly on imagination but my husband doesn’t do anything halfway. The first half of the party wasn’t overly decorated just streamers across the ceiling for the great Hall and flameless candles everywhere. But we went all out with the dungeons and catacombs. We purchased skeletons and bones the day after Halloween because everything was half off. And we scattered them through my laundry room for the dungeons. The catacombs were put together with dollar store plastic table clothes, binder clips and fishing line coming down from the rafters in our garage. We also had a fog machine going in the catacombs and with only three flameless candles for light it was creepy. We also had the vampires jump out at people through the catacombs to add more fright. We had so much fun that we did it again the next weekend with my family. Everyone thought it was the coolest murder mystery ever.
Nicole –
Headline : So good we did it twice.
Nickname : Nicole
Our friends wanted to do a murder mystery for fun and so that meant I was in charge. I searched for a good party when I came across this one. I read the sample and was hooked. My husband doesn’t do things halfway so he transformed our whole garage into a maze using dollar store black plastic table clothes, fishing line and binder clips hanging from the rafters. We also have a fog machine so we filled the catacombs with fog and had the vampires jump out at the guests at places. We only used flameless candles for the event to set the mood. The portcullis was made from cutting holes in a dollar store plastic table cloth. We did it with our friends and loved it so much that we did again the next weekend with my family.