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There Might Be No Christmas
£39.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this mystery game, set at a the North Pole.
Format:
30 Minute Mystery
Setting:
The North Pole
Time:
30+ minutes
Ages:
Family / Children
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!
Santa’s presents are gone! We need them back tonight!
Backstory
Your guests will play the roles of various inhabitants of the North Pole, including elves, reindeer, snowmen, and other creatures from Christmas folklore. Santa Claus has summoned everyone to his workshop. The normally jolly old man has a stern look on his bearded face as he solemnly tells us that his workshop has been broken into and his magic sack of Christmas presents has been stolen! Without the sack, there can be no Christmas.
Solving the Mystery
Santa has called everyone to gather because they are under suspicion of theft! One of the helpers is responsible, and the group needs to find out who. There’s no time to spare; it’s Christmas Eve, and if the sack of toys isn’t recovered soon, Santa won’t be able to deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls!
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
- Donner: One of Santa's eight tiny reindeer, Donner is well known for his frequent complaints regarding the difficulty of the Christmas sleigh flight.
- Ivan Blizzard: Lead Foreman at the Toy Factory, Ivan is an enthusiastic go-getter whose utter devotion to Christmas has never been questioned.
- Ernest Winters: One of Santa's elves, Ernest's enthusiasm for Christmas has notably waned in the past six months.
- Kristina Kringle: Also known as the Christmas Fairy, Kristina Kringle was once a famous holiday icon; some suspect that she is bitter that Santa Claus has stolen her glory.
- Caroline Claus: Mrs. Claus is Santa's wife and second-in-command; she is one of the most beloved inhabitants of the North Pole.
- Tonya Baum: A beautifully decorated singing Christmas tree planted outside the Toy Factory, Tonya is a gentle soul who always has a kind word and a Christmas carol for any passersby.
- Jacky Frost: An animated snowwoman brought to life by an enchanted hat, Jacky Frost is responsible for imbuing all of Santa's toys with a dash of Christmas magic.
- The Krampus: Santa's least-beloved helper, the Krampus is the monster who brings coal and switches to the children on Santa's "naughty" list.
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.
Kaiser –
Headline Population Care Management tea,
Nickname Kaiser
This was the best hoiday party our depatment has had so far. the staff loved the story line and the characters were a hoot. we all dressed our part and made it very fun. There were just a couple of lines that we had figure out, because they didnt go with the character part, but we improvised. We had this at a off site restaurannt and the accomodations made it fun.We had 30 people in total and after all the great acting only one person picked the right person. Thanksch a great story line.
Steven Williams –
Headline Mystery Night at West Valley Music and Drama
Nickname Steven Williams
I have got to tell you, my little group of people got together Monday night and we had more fun than I can remember in awhile. We have started a small community group with the intention of bringing theater to our small community and I introduced this to them as an idea for a type of workshop that we might provide. Sort of a Reader’s Theater. There were exactly 8 people present (including my 8 year old GrandDaughter playing the part of Tonya Baum). The group was loose and played a long fabulously reading the lines in character. Everyone laughed and everyone had a great time. Thanks very much. I am sure that I will be reaching out to PWM again very soon.
Sherry Rogers –
Headline There Might Be No Christmas
Nickname Sherry Rogers
This was a work group breakfast Christmas Party. We met for 2 hours, exchanged Secret Santa gifts and ate delicious food.
The game was a quick fun ice breaker. The guilty party kept the secret until the end.
Thanks for the quick version of a mystery party.
Mary B –
Headline We decked the Hall with laughter
Nickname Mary B
Our church’s ladies guild has a party for members in December. Everyone was thrilled with the play. My husband -who becomes Santa for schools and non-profits in December was our host. We didn’t practice or study lines. We were told our characters before hand in order to find a hat or something to become our character. It made it easier for the audience. The more mistakes made for more laughter, for both characters and audience.
Kerry –
Headline Fun and a good ice breaker
Nickname Kerry
I did this party with 13 year old girls and boys. It took appx. a 1/2 hour. It was fun and it was nice to have something to break the ice and get everyone interacting. At every party there they come in so quiet and awkward so this was great. Most of the kids figured out who the thief was and they had a great time. I would purchase this type of product again. It was well worth the money.
James –
Headline It was great
Nickname James
Guests particularly appreciated the fact that it was short and simple, and that no-one died!
I played as Santa, which required changing the speeches to the first person, but was easy enough
Shirley –
Headline Memorable family party
Nickname Shirley
We played the game, There Might Be No Christmas with another family. It was the activity for our daughter’s 15th b-day party and being so close to Christmas, we were able to use the Christmas mystery. There were 4 adults and 4 girls aged 11 – 15 years. The instructions were very clear and I was glad for the spoiler alerts; as hostess, I did want to also play the game so I was very thankful for the alerts.
I was quite surprised to see how involved the dads were…they completely got into character! We ended our evening with a mystery gift game.
Being able to enjoy an activity with our kids was especially memorable. We are a family that likes to invlove our kids and I truly appreciated the family appropriate story line. We will DEFINATLEY be ordering more Mystery kits from your company.
Jessica –
Headline Fun time for group of elderly people
Nickname Jessica
I used it for a group of elderly people and it went very well. I just wish the response section was a little more clear. It seemed like we had to go back over everyone’s sheet to make sure everyone had responded and said what they were supposed to. It was fun and I would do it again. I am planning on getting another one to do with a group of friends in the near future.
Melannie –
Headline Good cap to the end of the school year
Nickname Melannie
I just finished doing the mystery with my 8th graders on Tuesday. They loved it, and had a really good time listening to all the quirks of every character.
Web video –
Headline ECCC Christmas Party 2013
Nickname Web video
Video http://youtu.be/7pbEmF7I-Gs
See video.