How do the games work?

The game is played in four rounds at the dinner table.

It is best played with a four course meal: Soup, Salad, Main course and Desert. This is not to say that it can’t be adapted to other possibilities such as cocktails and finger foods,
or an added introduction round etc.

The guests arrive in a costume suited to their role/character in the game. The costume can be elaborate or simple such as a single costume piece that represents their character, a pair of silly glasses, a crazy hat, a mustache. It depends on how elaborate the player wants to get. Bigger is always better!

Each player is supplied with a question and answer booklet and at least one accusation clue . Depending on the game purchased, some rounds run in perfect sequence around the table with questions answers and accusations, while other rounds are considered random and more difficult where questions and answers are done naturally, out of order and at random. Everyone must be able to hear all of the questions and answers for each round and once a clue is revealed it is passed around for all to see.

The murderer is revealed only within the reading of the solution, giving everyone the opportunity to solve the mystery and guess who “did it”.

If the game comes with extra players, then these extra players are not suspects but detectives and may ask questions at the “end” of each round.

The games last approximately 2 hours. One half hour per round.

As the title of the site says, these are Murder Mystery “Dinner party” games,which are meant to be played during a dinner party. Many murder mystery games can be quite involved with elaborate scripts or special duties and goals for each player. While this is fine for a more involved event, my games are simpler, easy to assemble and lots of fun. You can adapt the games to your own evenings agenda but for us the best way to play the four rounds is: Round one with soup, Round two with salad, Round three with the main course and Round four with desert. I often move my guests to another room after dinner to read the solution and give out award certificates. But this again can be done at the table.

Alice is played at the Mad Hatters tea party, Titanic at the Captains dinner table, Jane Austen at a dinner hosted by Lady Catherine de Burgh’s estate, the Fairytale game is held at a City Council Meeting and the Vampire murder mystery game is played at a dinner at the Blackwell’s, after the last Will and Testament of Count Blackwell has been read.

This is not to say that people cannot adapt the games for their own party concepts and environments. Some will have a cocktail with an introduction round, and then move on to the dinner table for the rest of the game.

The download comes with printable invitations, character biographies and costume suggestions for each guest (also there are email version’s as well, saving on printing and mailing) that you send out to your guests a few weeks prior to the dinner party.

On the night of the dinner party each player will have a booklet placed next to their dinner plate, with questions and answers for each round that pertain to their character. They can read what’s written or improvise, it’s up to them, but EVERYONE must be able to hear each others questions and answers, and once a clue is revealed it is passed around. That is why it is best to play the game at a table, where everyone is together.

The games always begin with an opening speech or toast. The captain of the Titanic opens the game with his Toast. The Mad Hatter welcomes everyone with a quick welcome speech and lady Catherine begins the evening explaining the horror of the scandal. With the new Vampire Murder Mystery Game, Jonathan Harker begins by reading the Will of Count Blackwell. From there, the action begins, questions are asked, clues are revealed and the excitement builds. After each round there is a break, until all four rounds have been played out. The host decides the pacing. The Murderer is only revealed within the solution, giving everyone a chance to guess “Who dunnit!”.

The download comes with complete, easy to understand detailed game instructions.