Ran this as a 9 year olds birthday party for 12 kids! Wow....a bit crazy to start trying to get the kids to focus, but once they got into it they loved it! Took a good 3.5 hours (with a couple of short breaks for nibblies). Reading skills needs to be reasonable as some of the characters have quite long lines. ALso good if you can send out first round of clues (not just pre-game) before so the kids can get their heads around their characters and have more time to develop them. Kids loved the scary costumes though!
My improv group loved playing this game. It felt like it zipped by so fast, with only two rounds before the big reveal. Lots of fun characters, though. We all had a fun time!
Very good game, easy to follow and the theme was very good. Decorated our dining room with a 40 ft roll of castle wall effect, had a pigs head, goblets and pottery bowls. Rustic soup for starters with home made bread, wild boar, ribs and chicken for mains and apple crumble for afters.
sonya T. - 190 Boultham Park Road, Lincoln
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 A Medieval Murder
We enjoyed playing the game with 7 people.
1.Filled the living room with art and enjoyed tappas and champagne cocktails.
2.However, in this time of CSI, we missed forensic evidence. The reason Vera Sin was arrested, was due to her having the most likely motive. We found that Amalia Fairfart was at least as likely a murderer, because she's much more experienced with ropes. The fingerprint tool is cute, but useless as forensics go. Add clues with hairs, blood, drugs etc. and make the game up to date.
3. I wanted to print the clues for different rounds on different coloured paper, which was difficult because they are not in order of round, but all mixed (pdf).
4. As host you should be aware that inspector Napp does not have a part in the game.
It was Cheryl's retirement celebration with 9 women (some of us played men) it was a fun theme and a clever premis. None of us were sure how it would play out but it was very easy to follow with a cute ending. Costumes were easy and casually comfortable. We had alot of laughs-thank you!
I hosted this one with 8 other sorority sisters of mine. It was a huge success and I'm on this site again to purchase another theme. Comments about this one though, I did have food catered from Carraba's (an Italian place here in Houston), so that made it easy to now have to cook. I was able to participate too. I had my husband help me organize the clues since he wasn't participating. They each got the story line in the mail with their invitation. Then they received a clue when the arrived as we all waited for the last person to get to the party. In the meantime, we mingled and were in character. Then when I served appetizers and wine, another clue came. I had dinner shortly after, in which another set of clues were given. Finally dessert and afer-dinner drinks. Then we all got to guess who did it. All in all, it was about 3 hours. So much fun!!! I cleaned up the mess one everyone left :). And the costumes were jut something any of the girls could be creative and pull out of their closet. Now I want to step it up to get everyone to come in a more dramatic costume!
We hosted this for our 17 year olds birthday. She goes to a girl's school, so it was perfect for her friends. They really got into playing the characters and had a lot of fun with it. The fingerprint analyzer was fun, but confusing as to how it fits in with the game. It seemed like their should have been more details about where the murder took place if you were going to introduce evidence from the analyzer. It was cool to view though. We needed one more character so we added one. It took a little creative ingenuity, but it worked out well. The girls didn't suspect, but did wonder why "Monet" did not have fingerprints on the analyzer. :-) The time frame was perfect for us, but I could see where it could take a lot less time if the participants didn't really get into playing the characters. The girls said it was the best party they had been to in a long time and wanted to do another soon!
Debbie K. - Southern U.S
Sunday, March 11, 2012 MURDER 90210
This was an excellent game for 14 - 20 persons. We made this a family and friends game which included Great Grandma (Dot Dash), Papa (General Custard), Grammy (Julie Elected), aunts, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and friends. We sent out all of the clue packages in advance which we felt was helpful. We used a bell to get the groups attention for the start of each round and to introduce the significant clues to the whole group. We made a "manequin" of the dead sheriff - the children popped 2 baloons and threw the manequin over the balcony - this was the hit of the party as it caught everyone quite unaware right at the start. As soon as we made our first round introductions, we broke for the main meal and did dessert after round 5. We set up 3 gaming tables which accommodated 12 persons with an activity at hand and a place to eat. As well we had sofas and chairs around the perimeter of the room which is quite a large room. We had tons of fun - took all of 3 1/2 hours.
The children were not given clues, but were included in the introduction as well as their accusation of who they felt the murder was. Everyone had tons of fun.
This was a great game and tons of fun! People got into this one more than some of the other ones we have done. Everyone seems to have a little trailer trash in them!
Hi everyone, this is a fantastic game but the fingerprint analyser could've been better. If you're running overtime then I recommend that you just get everyone to read out their reveal clues and conceal clues. When it is time to guess who murdered the beautiful Scheherazade I suggest that you get everyone to write down the character they think it is on the back of one of their clues. Good luck!
Jayani R. - Brisbane, Australia
Sunday, February 26, 2012 Deadly Ever After
We had fun with this. We turned my Mother-in-Law's house into a speakeasy with red lights and candles and lots of feather boas, etc. Everyone drank their gin cocktails out of tea cups and their beers out of paper bags labelled "definitely NOT beer," and we had a potluck of 1920's foods. Everyone really got in the spirit and dressed their parts and it was pretty fun. No one guessed the murderer. My biggest criticism is that the game suggested using the characters Tim & Claire for 8 people when Heidi and Bart would have been better (they have better motives and interact more with the other characters). All in all, though, I think everyone had a blast.
I think the game overall is great. We enjoyed the role playing, acting and interactions with each characters. My friends and I dressed up and we laughed a lot throughout the whole game which is good. However, since we are do not have enough people to fill up the rest of the "side characters". It's funny that sometimes we talked to the air or reveal the clue without a real person exists. Besides, the fingerprint anaylzer was fun and interesting but we can't figure out how to read it properly. It needs more explanation perhaps. Finally, almost all of us could not guess more than half of the trivia questions. Maybe we need to study well before the game lol! :)
Finally, would like to say it's fun and keep it up. We will definitely play another game again.
This game was fun but did not take nearly the 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours it was marketed as requiring. In fact, the 8 girls (12 years old) were fully participating and having fun with it but it took only 35 minutes to play out. Disappointing as I had to scurry around to fill them time with other things.
The game was one of the best! I have hosted a murder mystery each New Years at my home and this one was probably the most fun. It seemed to flow very well. The gift exchange with "trashy" gifts was a huge hit. My guests came up with some really clever ideas, like a taking fish, a used cap, old calender and shoe polish for the everything that needs to look new. Thank you Host-Party, Mary
To make this successful, you need to prepare, prepare, prepare. The materials are duplicated and confusing (including typos) so you have to do your homework to be sure you have all the material, correct and ready for the party. The cards are written in the third person so the girls were sometimes confused). We numbered the cards so the conversation would flow and that helped. We made all the props and had a crime scene (with crime tape and body outline), took mug shots and fingerprints, had an unknown detective interrogate, notebooks and pens for the girls, BHLA sign with school crest at the door and on the menu. Dining room was the Academy's Headmaster's private dining room and parents were the staff (Butler and Chef). All in all it was a lot of fun and the girls said it was the best party ever. However it takes a lot of preparation and commitment from the parents!
Had a group of 14 people for a New Years party. Everyone had a great time. It was a fun way to begin the night! We chose Murder in Margaritaville and got lots of laughs seeing each other dressed for our parts. We would definitely do this again.
Great fun! We really had a good time! This is our second host-party game and it was as much fun as the first time. It gives flexibility to play with things by having the print options.
Jo - Boulder Creek, CA
Sunday, January 01, 2012 A Holiday Murder
Great game! We had a blast!
Lauren a. - 2146 Erma Drive
Saturday, December 24, 2011 Mistletoe Madness
This game was SUPER fun!! We ended up not having two of the not so important characters and it still was great. People got right into the whole plot and the costumes they came up with were amazing and surprisingly detailed. I hosted this party and did a completly Greek themed dinner. It has been about a month since we did this party and it went over so well that we have begun planning our next party in just a few weeks. I really really recommend this game, especially if it is your first you are throwing because the theme is easy to cook and decorate for and everyone has a white sheet they can make into a toga. We still yell OPA! to each other whenever we are in the same room!!
We did this game and a 5-course dinner for my daughter's 16th birthday party (about 3 hours, could have gone 3.5). Her friends are all theater kids and got really into character and costumes! It was a big hit -they all said it was one of the best parties they had been to. It helped to have mom manage the clues so the kids could concentrate on having fun and playing the game.
Everyone had a blast playing the game. We had arabian/persian themed food and almost everyone knew who the killer was by the end of the night even if they blamed someone else.
Shanda L. - Madison Wi
Saturday, November 19, 2011 Deadly Ever After
This party rated an 11 on a scale of 1 - 10! Everyone said this was the best party yet and I have hosted upwards of 20 different parties. Having 8 rounds allowed for plenty of interaction between the characters and room for accusations and denials. The clues were timely and well thought out to add to the discussion. On the whole, an excellent party.
Nancy J. - 2566 Glen Drive, New Smyrna Beach
Sunday, November 13, 2011 Murder at Spooky Castle
This was a multi-age party held for my daughter. All of the girls had a great time!! We really enjoyed the variety of activities included in the kit so that we had constant amusement and change. We can't wait to host another mystery party!! Such fun!!
TraceyWaananen-Stieb - Grand Blanc, Michigan
Saturday, November 05, 2011 Fairy Games
The party went amazingly. The script was well written and the party wasn't extremely difficult to prepare for. Everyone loved the play and the ending was a shocker. I would definitely do it again a thousand times.!
This was our Second Annual party. It was a HUGE success! The clues were different than the first year. THis year it was more interactive and more adlib. If you have a group of people that are creative...it will be a breeze! We had 13 characters and I made videos for the Ghost of Reginald the Ring Master when he spoke his lines. You can search them on YouTube. For decorating... I made 3 cages with stuffed animals in them (lion elephant monkey). We put red and white strips of plastic tablecloth down the "circus room" to make the tent and put up paper LED lanterns for ambiance. We also had games. Ring toss (beer bottles), A box with different sized holes to toss peanuts in, and a "Dumpo" elephant peanut toss game (if you got the peanut in the trunk or mouth, it would "poop" it out...hence "Dumpo") We game out tickets to the guests that they could turn in for drinks ect. Have fun with it... this was all adults and it was a blast!
Brian a. - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Monday, October 31, 2011 The Psycho Circus
We were a bit nervous about having the party because we did not know all of our guests very well, but the game was easy to play and the conversations came fairly naturally. The game names and characters were clever and we all had fun dressing up. The plot was interesting and full of clever motives. I really like the flexibility of the game and the ability to email all of the info out. I put the entire party together in 3 days - which is not recommended, but it still worked great! Thanks for providing this fun alternative! *We used the teen version for our group of adults because we wanted a fun, clean party. A perfect way to celebrate Halloween!
This was a great party for my daughter's 13th birthday. No-one had been involved in a mystery party before, but it all worked really well and it was so much fun. We added a detective role and set up an investigation room where the 'police photographer' took mugshots of each person, holding a card with their name on and 'SUSPECT', took fingerprints and used the online fingerprint analyser (which everyone enjoyed - lots of "oohs and ahs"!) and had a board to which we pinned the pieces of evidence which came with some of the clues. We had a 'body' under a sheet in there, which also went down well! We did the chocolate tasting game but didn't add any other games. It took almost 4 hours but everyone was really involved in it - it didn't feel too long. 2 people guessed the murderer but it didn't seem possible to truly work it out - all suspects equally implicated. It's not very clear from the instructions that everyone needs to hear all the clues read out; we did this with a buffet meal but had everyone sitting down to read out clues. We'll certainly do another party like this!
So much fun! We had this party for my son and his girlfriend's 21st birthday party. Make sure you invite people who BECOME their character and give that little extra. Can't wait to have another one!
This was a great murder mystery party. I arranged my living room like a business convention: white tables, chairs, pens and portfolios with each rounds clues concealed inside. We conducted the party like a business meeting and had mini breaks for games.
Games we played were:
Blind Knifing: Put a blindfold on the competitor, spin a few times then let them stab a giant styrofoam drawing of a person. Whomever gets the deadliest stab wins.
Top Shot: Each person gets five rounds to shoot with an air soft handgun at an air soft target board.
We had a great time and finished the night off with a gift exchange,
This was a great success. It kept 14 fifteen year olds entertained all evening and the chocolate guessing game was a fun break. We had chocolate cake and chocolate fondue breaks too. We had to add two extra characters which I thought may be complicated at first, but with a little bit of time spent preparing beforehand, I had great fun writing clues for the extra players. It would be easier if the extra clues that you write appear in order on the clue print kit instead of at the end of the list so you can keep track a bit more easily, but apart from that, I couldn't complain. It is a fairly effortless way to entertain a large group of children at a party. I would highly recommend these parties for anyone (and I have been). We have four children and there have already been requests for next year!
Great fun, I hosted the Chocolate to die for murder mystery, it was sooo much fun and pretty easy to do. I loved the questions/clues and enjoyed seeing my guests have fun. The only thing I would have done differently, was to possibly let the guests see a few of their clues prior, it was a lot of reading during the party, maybe letting some clues goes pre-game would eliviate this.
This was the first party I hosted. The game worked out better than expected. We had 20 guests, ages 2-70 that never played a murder mystery before. The several story lines and clues had everyone still guessing up until the end. Two characters guessed the murderer correctly.
The S. - 95 Massapequa Ave
Monday, August 15, 2011 A Lethal Luau
This game was a lot of fun! It was my first time to host such a game and everyone was on to their roles once the game started. The pre-game clue help build up the excitement and everyone was curious to see and find who the real culprit was. It was fun to watch the tactics of each guest to conceal their evidences and to accuse others.
This game made my birthday more memorable. Guests keep on telling me that they had fun and we are already planning our next murder mystery.
The tools on this site are amazing and easy to use.
Katrina S. - San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Saturday, July 09, 2011 The Railburn Affair
After having my girlfriend almost drag me to a murder mystery party two months ago, I had such a blast that I decided to host my own murder party. This set up is great, no special decorations, and easy menu, and no costumes necessary. I ended up having 13 guests and so created the neighborhood psychic, Lady Bologna, who read palms, auras etc. Of the 13 people playing, no one guessed the murderer, and we all had an incredibly good time. I added a couple of extra motives/story lines to increase the suspicions amongst players. The props are easy to make. If you're apprehensive about hosting a murder party, this is a great one to start off with.
