I had always wanted to attend a murder mystery party but have never been presented with the chance. On my 26th birthday I decided that if I ever wanted to go to a murder mystery party, I had to make it happen. I had tremendous fun searching for the party I wanted to host from among the hundreds, even thousands, of the party packs that are available. You can buy them from toy or game shops. You can also find them on the internet second hand and sometimes in charity shops. EBay is another source and there are also some specialty websites that are solely dedicated to selling murder mystery games. You decide on whatever interests you. You can choose games for four to forty players, although I recommend keeping it smallish (8-12 people works great). You need to invite a suitable group of people that are willing to dress up and get into character. I am fortunate enough to have an exciting bunch of friends and family members who really get into the game.
After you have the guest list in mind and the game has been selected, the creative time arrives. The first priority is to check to see if everyone is free and set the party date. Next you need to assign characters to each party member and send them an information pack regarding their game role. The game instructions will tell you exactly what you need to do and in what order. You will send each person an invitation along with a description of their character, which will guide them regarding costume and background information. I remember my guests got so excited when they received the invitation to my first party. Most people have never been to a party like that before and are eager to try something new.
The next part involves planning; you have plenty of planning to do. I love organising and cooking, so hosting parties is a lot of fun for me and I make every effort to host grand events. For my first party, I hosted an event with a Titantic theme and served a 12 course meal! I actually researched details about the Titantic and came across a menu, so I simply based my own menu around that. I also looked into the etiquette from that time period and made a list of rules for each “passenger.” Then I found some music appropriate for that era and played it for the background music. What makes the experience much more fun and authentic is paying attention to the small details. To save some on the party expenses, I asked each guest to bring champagne, red wine, or port. My second party was an Alice in Wonderland party and I decided for it to not be a set meal, but rather a selection of cookies, cakes, tarts, sandwiches, fairy bread and pies. For my party, I made everything from scratch, but you don’t have to go to that much trouble unless you just feel like it. You can ask your guests to bring a plate of something if you like. Just use whatever system works best for you. Hiring a costume for the event can be expensive, so to help with a tight budget guests can borrow a costume, shop at a charity store, or create something from clothing they already have.
The instructions for the game are thorough and will teach you how to make the dialogue booklets for each character. There are also clues and evidence for the party and the solution (which should be put in a sealed envelope and hidden). All you need to do is follow the party pack instructions and enjoy yourself at the event. Make sure the game that you have selected is age appropriate. If kids or teenagers are coming then you might need to choose a younger game. I specifically chose games for adults only and they were quite scandalous!
There are several reasons why murder mystery parties are so much fun. It is a lot of fun to dress up in a character costume. It is exciting to play the role of someone else. It is great to be surrounded by fun and interesting people. It is also really enjoyable to drink great wine and eat delicious food. It is fun to put your brain to work to analyze the clues and solve the murder mystery. Your guests will leave the party ranting about what a great time they had, and you will experience great satisfaction in knowing you gave them the opportunity to attend such an enjoyable party!