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The Thing in the Cellar
£39.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this mystery game, set at a haunted house.
Format:
30 Minute Mystery
Setting:
Haunted house
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!
Friendly monsters work together to solve a Halloween mystery.
Backstory
The guests will be playing the roles of monsters sharing a haunted house. Every year, the monsters open their home on 213 Elm Street to the public on Halloween for a fright-filled haunted house tour. They use the proceeds from the haunted house to buy household supplies for the rest of year, during which time the house stays boarded up and we stay inside. If the townspeople ever discovered the monsters in the haunted house were real, they would certainly drive them away – or worse.
The success of the haunted house hinges on a climactic scene in the cellar, when The Thing is revealed. Advertised for hundreds of miles on every billboard in every direction – “See The Thing!” “What is The Thing? See for Yourself!” – thrill-seekers and the merely curious come from distant cities to see The Thing, and it never disappoints. Those who have seen The Thing eagerly attest that it is the scariest sight they have witnessed in their entire lives. No one seems able to describe The Thing, and they all agree: you have to see it for yourself.
Solving the Mystery:
It is the night before Halloween, and the monsters have just discovered that the key to the cellar where The Thing is kept is missing – someone has stolen it! Without The Thing, the haunted house will be a failure, the monsters’ reputations will be ruined, and they won’t have enough money to buy supplies for the rest of the year. How will they live and keep their identities secret? They have to find the key!
Murder-free and family friendly!
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
- Rex Tuttle: A mummy. Pretentious and a bit prim, Rex likes to remind everyone that he was
once The Thing, and not just on Halloween - his gas station shrine was open all year!
- Lee Walker: A former mall employee, Lee was bitten by a zombie shopper last Christmas,
eventually ending up at 213 Elm Street with a strange craving for brains.
- Frank Stein: A reanimated corpse, the result of a science experiment gone awry. A kindhearted
simpleton, he doesn’t know his own strength. Married to Elaine Stein.
- Elaine Stein: Also a corpse reanimated in the name of science, she is the unhappy wife of
Frank Stein.
- Earl King: A goblin who stands only three feet tall, he is the smallest member of the
household – and also the loudest and most annoying. He is always playing tricks on his
housemates and bragging about his greatness.
- Cameron Vaduva: A bewitchingly attractive vampire who wants little to do with the other
residents of the house.
- Waylon Lupescu: Burly, boastful, and swaggering, Waylon is a giant of a man with bulging
muscles and rough-hewn features. Every full moon, he turns into a fearsome wolf-like beast.
- Terry White: A ghost. Kind, gentle, and non-corporeal, Terry chose to move to 213 Elm
Street after trying unsuccessfully to live peacefully with several living families.
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.
Janis –
Headline Fun family time.
Nickname Janis
Theme Highlights Halloween was the next day so I hit the dollar store for paper plates, serving bowls did decorations. My granddaughters wore their costumes and I had sunglasses fir the investigators. Made werewolf, Frankenstein and mummy masks.
The Thing in the Cellar.
Andrea –
Headline Age appropriate fun for all!
Nickname Andrea
Theme Highlights We really tried to make the decorations set the mood. We had one long table with skeletons sitting at the heads of the table. A spooky Ally way entrance into the room set the scene. Most of our guests dressed up but even those who didn’t still had fun.
We had a group of boys and girls ages 12-18 and this story line was perfect! The themes and subject matter were appropriate for the wide range of ages. We had a larger group so we ended up having several investigators which worked out perfectly. The instructions were simple to follow and made executing the party worry free. Most of the main characters dressed up and really played their part which always makes parties like this more fun. The investigators came up with great additional questions which was fun to hear the characters answers as those were not part of the script given. They all enjoyed it and the thief was a mystery until the end!
Wickland Manager –
Headline A big hit!!
Nickname Wickland Manager
A big hit!!!
We conducted “The Thing in the Cellar” in a 1820’s mansion on October 30. This mansion has a full basement, is known to have spirit residents, and we had a 6” skeleton key stolen from the house a few years ago. So the setting for this event was perfect.
I passed out the parts rather randomly, but the physical characteristics of the goblin, the werewolf, and Frank Stein matched the people who received those parts. That just added to the enjoyment of conducting the event.
I will definitely look for more activities like this from your company for future events! Thank you.
Nate –
Headline Fun virtual kids' party, with some support
Nickname Nate
Theme Highlights Played some spooky music to set the mood.
We played The Thing in the Cellar for my eight-year-old son’s Zoom birthday party, with other kids ranging seven to nine years old. A good time was had, but it took a little to warm up. I’d advise that if the game is going to be played by kids that they have at least a solid third grade reading ability, or have a surrogate adult who can read for them. A few of the kids were shakier readers & were apprehensive at first, but then loosened up & had fun once they had help & it didn’t feel like school. I’d also recommend a host who’s well-prepared & can keep things moving along smoothly, even reflectively summarizing some of the wordier clues (“Ah, so you’re saying you think…”). Once those hurdles were cleared for the kids, they had a great time discussing their hunches, sharing allegations & defenses, & getting caught up in the drama. A great introduction to structured role play for kids, if given some support.
Erin –
Headline Good team bonding!
Nickname Erin
We played this in a virtual corporate setting. We had a large group so we split into two calls. Some characters ad libbed which was a lot of fun. The guide is incorrect in a couple places so it would be helpful for the host to read in advance.
LauraJ –
Headline Sophmore Class
Nickname LauraJ
My daughter led a discussion on a mystery novel. She wanted to add in an actual mystery to solve. We found The Thing in the Cellar. She chose the characters for her classmates, and they had an great time, in the short time they had to work with. Thank you!!
Kristy –
Headline Good with the right people..
Nickname Kristy
We used this mystery for a Halloween family dinner, and included 3 of my children as well as 6 adults as characters. There were several times where we stalled, with one character saying they had to wait til someone else asked them something, but nobody knew what was supposed to be asked. I liked the story line and the characters were cute. Nobody got real into it because the story was very superficial, but that is to be expected in a 30 minute mystery. I will use this site again, but will try a long mystery and probably will only have adults participate. Everyone still had a good time just being together and eating!
Erin –
Headline Students loved it!
Nickname Erin
I used this party script to throw a non-murder mystery party for my gifted and talented class. Every month, if the students fulfill the requirements on their GT contract, they can participate in the contract event. The students ABSOLUTELY LOVED The Thing in the Cellar! They loved it so much that want another similar party for our November contract event.
The scripts were clear, the plot and clues were hilarious. It was so much fun to see my students really get into their character!