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Hosting a murder mystery party is fun and our games are very easy to play so don’t worry if you’ve never hosted one before. Here’s what you need to do:
Half the fun of hosting a murder mystery is about the theme - you get to step into a different world for the evening. Want the Cluedo experience? Pick a game set at a manor. Fancy something with dancing? Host a 1970s disco themed party. Love pizza? There’s a murder mystery for that too.
For your first time, we recommend buying a boxed game - it just makes things easier. However, it’s not a problem if the game you want is only available as a download. Just give yourself a bit of extra time to print the files.
One thing you might need to consider is the age rating. Most of our games are family friendly but some are definitely for adults only so be sure to check the description for guidance.
If you’re overwhelmed by the choice or you don’t know what to pick, you can narrow it down by number of players or use this handy guide to choose the best one for you. And if you're still not sure, contact us - we're here to help!
After you’ve chosen your game, decide when you’re going to host it. It might be your birthday or Christmas or New Year or you might just be getting together with friends. You can play a murder mystery at any time of year - lots of people even take one on holiday!
Allow yourself some preparation time between getting the game and hosting the party. A month or more is brilliant; two to three weeks is comfortable; three days is...still do-able (don't panic!)
Now the fun begins! Basically, you get to make your guests come as whoever you like. Is your best friend a drama queen? Give her the role of a lifetime as the grieving widow. Does hubby fancy himself as the next De Niro? Maybe get him to play the Italian crime boss. Think Grandma would make a good French maid? It's your choice!
Read the character descriptions and costume suggestions here (also included in the game) to help you assign roles. Send the invitations provided or use our email invitations to let everyone know which suspects they're playing as and give them time to organise costumes. Of course, you don’t have to dress up if you don’t want to - just make sure you tell your guests that!
This is where you get to go wild - if you want to! Hosting a murder mystery party doesn’t need to be a big production. In fact, you don't have to do any more than if you were just hosting one of those boring parties where no one gets murdered. Food? Check. Drinks? Check. Fancy napkins? Check.
If you want to do a bit more than that though, look to your theme to inspire everything from the food you serve to the bowls you serve it in. Decorations, background music, lighting… the possibilities are endless. Our Pinterest boards are stuffed full of great ideas and definitely worth a look. You can research the setting and time period of your game for inspiration or you can go all out ‘crime scene’, like this.
The golden rule is: do as much as you want and no more. Don’t let your idea of ‘the perfect party’ get in the way of enjoying your evening. The same goes for food: if you’re doing the cooking yourself, keep it simple. Otherwise you’ll be stuck in the kitchen all night hearing your guests have all the fun!
Our murder mystery games are incredibly easy to play. In fact, a golden rule when we're writing them is “Can players understand this after two glasses of wine?” If the answer to that question is “no”, it doesn’t go in the game!
All our boxed games are fully scripted so everyone just has to read out their responses which we've filled with clues, unexpected storylines, silly jokes and bad puns.
A typical murder mystery game lasts about 2-3 hours (depending on how many people are playing). As host, you’ll be responsible for revealing the evidence and making sure everyone has asked/answered all their questions in each round. Your most important job, however, is to relax, have fun and let the game entertain you!
Can’t wait to get started? Click here to choose your game.
Still got questions? Email support@davekki.com for fastest response or call us on 01945 232099.
