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Jazz Age Jeopardy
£49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set in 1920’s jazz club.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
1920’s New York Jazz Club
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
During a night of Prohibition-era revelry, something goes terribly wrong.
Backstory
The guests are a mixed group of club staff members, entertainers, and guests at a private party held at a jazz club in 1920s New York City. It is the height of the Jazz Age, and social revolution is afoot. This is the age of Prohibition—and of bootleggers and gangsters. Club owner Felix Fontano, the son of a successful bootlegger and crime boss—and a successful businessman himself—is throwing this private party for a group of select friends. It is a night of revelry like many other nights of revelry enjoyed by this group of sophisticates, artists, and hoodlums . . . until things go horribly wrong.
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening (Act One), the partygoers will have the opportunity to eat, drink, dance, and mingle, while enjoying the swanky atmosphere and smooth jazz of Fontano’s club, The Cat’s Meow.
Murder!
At the midpoint of the evening, one of the players makes a terrible discovery: someone has been murdered in the back supply room of the club!
Solving the Mystery
Act Two will begin with the grisly discovery of the victim’s bloody body. In the area around the body, there are signs of the struggle that occurred prior to the death. It will now be up to the guests to figure out what happened.
The guests quickly decide that the best course of action is not to call the police, but rather to conduct an investigation amongst themselves; at this point, all the guests are suspects; a formal police investigation would dredge up unsavory details of their pasts and expose them to public scandal and unwanted personal repercussions, not to mention the serious and immediate legal repercussions of being caught in a bootlegging establishment!
There are 24 primary suspects in this game, however only 13 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Narrator, who keeps the party on track and helps to advance the action. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 24 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- Felix Fontano, Club Owner. Felix owns The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. He is attractive and vain, the son of famous bootlegger Frank Fontano.
- Raymond Ellison, Artist. Raymond is an old college buddy of Felix’s—an artist and something of a dilettante. He comes from old money.
- Jefferson Mitchell, Stockbroker. Jefferson is a successful stockbroker working on Wall Street.
- Edgar Fitzpatrick, Broadway Producer. Edgar is an up-and-coming Broadway director and producer.
- Roger Romano, Attorney. Roger is a money-hungry, ambulance-chasing attorney.
- Duke Carillo, Track Owner. Duke owns a horseracing track in New Jersey. He’s an old friend of the Fontano family.
- Poppy Keene, Club Manager. Poppy manages the day-to-day affairs of the club with an iron fist.
- Calvin Carpenter, Bartender. Calvin is the bartender at the club. He’s cocky and presumptuous. A scoundrel with the ladies.
- *Ronald Mason, Doctor. Ronald is a physician who has made a lot of money during Prohibition because of his willingness to prescribe medicinal alcohol.
Female Roles
- Edith Fontano, Club Owner’s Wife. Edith is Felix’s wife. Enduring years of his infidelity has left her hardened and cynical.
- June Palmetto, Actress. June is a famous actress, a southern belle in the big city.
- Judy Jordan, Flapper. Judy Jordan is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s young, bubbly, and optimistic.
- Claudia Mitchell, Writer. Claudia is a well-known author and the wife of stockbroker Jefferson Mitchell.
- Gloria Vale, Singer. Gloria is a jazz singer hired to perform this evening.
- *Jacqueline Jacobs, Fashion Designer. Jacqueline is a snobbish fashion designer. She has a boutique catering to young flapper types.
- *Ella Landeau, Flapper. Ella Landeau is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s confident and flirtatious.
- *Mary Marino, Flapper. Bess Bailey is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s lighthearted on the outside but serious underneath.
- *Holly Olmstead, Tennis Champion. Holly Olmstead is a professional tennis player. She’s haughty and competitive.
Male or Female Roles
- Win Wallace, Accountant. Win is the accountant for many of the guests. S/he’s reserved but knowledgeable.
- Elliot Nash, Jazz Pianist. Elliot is a talented jazz pianist who often performs at the club. S/he is cool, calm, and collected.
- *Charlie Chambers, Jazz Bassist. Charles is a talented jazz bassist who often performs at the club. He is obsessed with all things jazz.
- *Brett Reeves, Waiter. Brett is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- *Regan Rowan, Waiter. Rosie is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- *Alex Preston, Actor. Alex Preston was once on track to stardom, but alcohol got the better of him/her.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): 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
Jazz Age Jeopardy is a downloadable kit that contains PDF files that you print at home, as well as other media files. You can also host and play with the PWM app.
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, casino games, 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 as special goals and information unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- Special handouts for your guests, offering a detailed overview of 1920s costuming and slang
- 7 illustrated clue cards the players can use to solve the mystery
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Jazz Age Jeopardy, you will also receive the following:
- A separate “Customizable Documents” file that includes all of the invitations and awards in an editable format
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- A lengthy MP3 audio effects clip for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use this clip 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.
Darlene Navin –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy
Nickname Darlene Navin
Everyone had a BLAST, even with a large group we still had lots of laughs, and mystery. We did hand out the AWARDS and set up was great, we used two stories in the house so evidence was placed downstairs.
C Standley –
Headline Big fun and all that jazz!!!
Nickname C Standley
We decided to host this party for family and friends. Everyone enjoyed themselves even more than we expected. They took on their characters will enthusiasm! We can not wait to host another mystery dinner party next year!
Crystal –
Headline The Bees Knees - My First Murder Mystery Party!
Nickname Crystal
This was my First time hosting a Murder Mystery, and first time attending a Murder Mystery that was SO involved.
I am SO happy I chose Playing With Murder – Jazz Age Jeopardy for my Birthday Party, as the 120 pages of paperwork involved with instructions, scavenger hunt clues, certificates, and character development was well laid out, and I was able to set the scene.
The upper level was the Poker room where there had been some bloody mess from the past along with weaponry.
Bullet holes were throughout this level and the remainder of the house – it was a Prohibition Age mobster-ridden Jazz Club in the 1920’s afterall!
Pictures from the 1920’s were also throughout the house – the basement level having old movie pictures – and was also the scene of the murder.
The main level was the main part of the club, with pom-pom banners creating a buzz and where the food and drinks were being served.
The basement level was the murder scene.
At first it was a bit awkward, as two guests arrived before 6pm, and the rest not until 6:10 and thereafter. I was a bit nervous that people would bail out.
BUT, I created hype on the Facebook Page by posting the work being done to create the club, 1920’s words, and talking about the food. People put a LOT of effort into their costumes. Every Single Person was dressed to the 9’s and got into character.
This made this party a great success!
I had no idea what my name was, but we found out that my name was "Narrator" – and I spoke like the main character on Schitz’s Creek. And was told to use my indoor voice a few times – ha ha!
A few people were confused about some of the clues (but 19 people = lots of talking + missing clues), but half guessed the right killer.
I think I chose the right parts for the right guests – it was pretty bang on!
I would do a Murder Mystery every year if I could – but we want it to stay nice and fresh, so probably every 3-4 years unless there is demand for a higher frequency.
I’ve already had requests for another party, and a month later, friends are STILL talking about it!
Maya –
Headline Roaring, rambunctious fun!
Nickname Maya
We had 20 guests, and everyone had a fabulous time! The nametags were a perfect touch — as soon as the guests put them on, they embraced their characters and relished the drama of their roles. The jazz soundtrack and the highballs our bartender was serving up also spiced up the night!
There was only one disappointment: the strange gender imbalance in the script. While the male characters boasted a range of interesting back stories and creative quirks, the female characters were almost uniformly shallow. All of them, with the exception of Claudia, were essentially depicted as coquettish flirts. It was surprising and disappointing to see the lack of diversity/range among the female characters. However, our female guests more than made up for the gaps by coming up with their own rich back stories!
Tracey Daniels –
Headline Roaring Twenties 40th Birthday
Nickname Tracey Daniels
Let me start off by saying THANK YOU Ken for your great customer service. It was a pleasure communicating with you through emails.
My Roaring Twenties 40th Birthday Murder Mystery Party was a BLAST. The Streets are still talking. I wanted to personally send you a huge thank you for walking me through this.
I just want to add when I read the reviews I was sold on what other customers had to say about their events. I looked into some other websites and was very impressed at how Ken communicated and got right back to me with my answers, so quickly. When I contacted Ken with my first question he was going out of town. He answered my questions and when he got back in town he emailed me to see if I had any more questions.
I had over 40 guests at my party; guests who didn’t have a part were patrons of the Cat’s Meow. They were still able to participate in the party and guest who the killer was although they didn’t have a part. I was kind of nervous at first because once all of my guest showed up I didn’t know how the Murder Mystery was going to play out. I didn’t expect all of my guests to come and I was truly impressed that they all dressed up even the Doctor was dressed as a doctor. Although all of my guests had name tags on, it was hard to determine who everyone was because we had so many people. I decided to call everyone in one room and ask them to state their character name and title. The party flowed once we did the introductions. Folks immediately got into character and the party was a HIT.
The next day my cousin posted photos and two IPhone Video Clips of the party. Up until last Friday I was receiving calls, texts messages and Facebook posts about my birthday from my guests and from folks who had not attended the party.
My family and I will definitely be ordering another Murder Mystery package from Ken in the future.
Miracleous –
Headline Glad I came across Playing With Murder!
Nickname Miracleous
First let me say I’m loving the parties/stories that I’ve purchased thus far from Playing With Murder! I’m definitely looking forward to purchasing again.
I personally could really see the difference between the 30 min and the regular party kit. The plus side was not having to print off as much as I had to for " Jazz Age Jeopardy" but I did wish that I could’ve had the information to give to the characters out each round vs it all being on the same page.. I had some characters reveal some of the info they had early.. I believe I had a good amount of characters for the amount of people that attended the party (around 20-35) but I tried to get the groups to work as teams. It didn’t work to well,but I don’t think that had anything to do with the game itself, I’m sure it was our time management. (we ended up pausing to give out gifts in the middle of the game, not a good idea,lol!) I’m definitely interested in seeing how the game would be if we actually played it the way you guys suggested.. I was just trying to get everyone involved since we had so many people.. I believe everyone enjoyed the characters.. I had people come back to me weeks later telling me that there was a Krampus character in a movie they saw..
One thing that I found interesting is that with both games people don’t automatically guess the killer (or thief ).. there are usually a mixture of answers and that is a good thing.. I kind of wish there were awards with the christmas kit,but that’s only because I knew that there were certificates in "Jazz Age Jeopardy".
I used to work for a murder mystery company,and I found it interesting that your company tell the culprit that they are the person in question.. I thought that it would take away from their experience,and would be an obvious giveaway ,but with both games that has not been the case! Plus, I will say that with both games I didn’t have the problem of people not reading or getting into their characters which was an on going problem for the company I was working for.. So kudos to you for that! I’m glad I came across Playing With Murder! I’ve been able to host some pretty awesome parties thus far!
Laura –
Headline The bees knees of murder
Nickname Laura
The party packet had everything we needed, and we had a great time. This is probably the best quality packet I’ve bought for a murder mystery party — for the first time the guests were actually able to guess the murderer!
We had a lot of fun with the 20s theme, and all my guests went all out. We’ll definitely be having another party!
Tuyet –
Headline Great Experience
Nickname Tuyet
We had a great time with the Murder Mystery. The package gave us everything we needed. It was very detailed and easy to follow. We had all (24) characters and some people did not have a lot or anything to do so I actually created more scenes and everything worked out wonderful. Ex. The 3 performers actually performed. I created decoy stories for less important characters based on the existing Facts and Clues, and made a side casino room. My group of friends were very into their characters which made it great. Even the shy ones! I would definitely do a murder mystery party again. As for this particular theme, loved it, but I would suggest doing it with 15 guests as suggested unless you have a lot of people that would rather not act as much.
Thank you for the experience!
Nick rathbone –
Headline Murder Mystery Birthday Extravaganza!
Nickname Nick rathbone
We ran the Jazz Age Jeopardy party pack and almost everyone dressed up, prepared with lingo from the times! It was amazing. Our characters were a bit wonky since I (as the host) messed up the invitations, but we made it work. Also, the murderer successfully walked away! It was quite the night, and everyone loved the awards at the end. 10/10, would run again.
Heidi B –
Headline Company party went great!
Nickname Heidi B
I hosted this murder mystery party for my company! It was a blast! I took it to the next level by recreating the clues instead of just using the paper cards. It was such a hit, we are planning on doing another one at the beginning of March. The instructions were easy to follow and very well laid out. The story line was exciting and everyone really got in to character! Thanks for making the party so fun and easy to pull off!
ann –
Headline The party was a great success
Nickname ann
Your kit was very thorough in preparing and hosting the murder mystery party. The party was a great success. We had about 25 people. We ran a casino, held Dance lessons and then a Championship contest for the Charleston. Then we played Act 2 of murder mystery. Everyone really dressed in character and stayed in their roles. We so enjoyed the scavenger hunt too.
Ann-Marie –
Headline We had a blast!
Nickname Ann-Marie
Oh my soul it was so much fun!! We had a blast! We chose the 1920’s theme.
I turned my kitchen/dining room into the Cats Meow Jazz Club. Everyone came in character, I actually re-worked Poppy’s character so I could partake in the festivities! The murder scene was set up in a bedroom upstairs away from the party!
What a great night!
Joe –
Headline Our group had an amazing time
Nickname Joe
THANK YOU again for putting out such great quality projects like JAJ! Our group had an amazing time playing the game this past weekend.
Three things we did very well:
1. We new our guests personally, and connected characters that fit their personalities. One of our friends said, “It’s like these parts were made for each of us!” That was a huge plus to the success of the night.
2. We used two rooms for the two different acts…so glad we did that, thank you for the recommendation. While one room certainly would have worked, we were able to stage the murder scene and hide the clues before players arrived and it was easy to make the transition from one space to the other. It also added an element of surprise for our guests.
3. We set up a photo booth as part of the club festivities. Everyone loved posing in costume to get their pictures taken, proved to be a lot of fun, even while they stayed in character.
A few things we could have improved on:
1. We had plenty of food, but we didn’t get commitments soon enough. Definitely going to ask guests further ahead of time to commit to bringing a dish. Should have followed the “what to do” section a little more closely =)
2. We cut off the first act a little too early; not everyone had gotten out their info before the hour-long session ended. Next time, I will probably announce, “In 15-minutes, we will be moving to our next act, please make sure you enjoy any last conversations you need to have….etc…etc…”
Two really simple suggestions:
1. A “cheat sheet” for the host/hostess to have that is 1-2 pages of critical mystery info. For example, it would have been great to have the Act 1 info (the welcome, the introduction of characters and any pertinent dialogue) all on one page, and the same for Act 2. We filed everything in a notebook with tabs, but if we could have had one or two sheets as day/of summaries, that would have been awesome.
2. For this mystery, it would have been good to find a way to emphasize the “together” component of solving the case. Each character tried to find solutions, but people weren’t working well together. I know Cecil’s character gives a little speech, but maybe that was supposed to be my role as host to encourage that? A few extra pieces of dialogue or maybe direct mention from the host could help encourage more of a team approach to solving the mystery.
Seriously, my wife and I have done several of these (I’ve even written a couple) and nothing compared with your work. The details were great, the character interactions were very solid and included mystery, red herrings and even humor. So well-written and even today (two days after) I received a facebook message from one of the guests saying, “That was such a fun night…thank you!” We will definitely be doing another PWM product in the future.
Amy –
Headline Night of fun, enjoyed by all.
Nickname Amy
The party was very successful and Jazz Age Jeopardy was really good, easy to use and provided us with a memorable night.