Murder Mystery Party

A murder mystery party is a party at which guests act out a murder mystery. Typically, one of the guests is secretly designated the "murderer." The other guests must figure out who among them is the criminal.

Fast Facts

1. Length: 2 to 3 hours
2. Works best for groups of 7 or more
3. Pre-packaged games are available for groups as large as 100
4. Guests can be assigned characters prior to arrival
5. Guest roles: Sleuths, Suspects, Murderer

Murder Mystery Parties in a Box

Murder mystery parties can range from elaborate, costumed affairs to simple dinner parties at which a "murder mystery" game is played. If the host does now want to come up with the murder mystery scenario him or herself, boxed sets, which contain character descriptions and pre-written narratives, can be purchased at most game and hobby stores.

Murder Mystery Game Variations

1. Turn-based games: Information is released over the course of the evening
2. Interactive game: Each player has the details of his or her character, but must interact with other guests over the course of the evening to solve the crime
3. Suspects and sleuths: Only 8 to 10 guests are suspects with detailed backgrounds; everyone else is a sleuth who must interrogate the suspects
4. Murder mystery theater: Guests attend a live show which includes audience participation; the audience collaborates to solve the crime

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