Host guide

How to host a murder mystery party

A murder mystery party is a dinner or a get-together where every guest plays a suspect. Nobody needs to act, and the host doesn't need to write anything. Here is how to plan one, step by step, for a birthday, a dinner party or a holiday.

Three weeks before: pick a mystery and a date

Choose a mystery that fits your guest list. Check three things before you pick one:

• How many players. Most mysteries are written for a fixed cast. If you're not sure who will come, choose one where extra guests can share a role, or where some roles are optional.
• How long it runs. Around 90 minutes suits an evening with dinner. Longer games work better as the whole party.
• Who is coming. Some mysteries are written for adults, some for families. Read the description before you print.

Holiday weekends fill fast, so send a save-the-date early, even before you've cast anyone.

One to two weeks before: cast and invite

Give each guest a character and send their invitation, so everyone has time to find a costume. A few casting tips:

• Give the biggest talkers the roles with the most to say, and quieter guests roles with a clear secret to protect. A secret gives a shy guest something to do.
• Give the murderer's role to someone who will enjoy bluffing, not someone who will feel put on the spot.
• Never tell anyone who the murderer is. The murderer finds out from their own character sheet on the night.

Costumes should be easy: a hat, an apron, a scarf. Suggest one item per character rather than a full outfit.

A few days before: print and prepare

• Print the character sheets and put each in its own envelope, with the guest's name on the front.
• Cut out the clue cards and keep them in order.
• Fold the solution page closed. Don't read it again until the end, if you're playing too.
• Make name tags so guests can call each other by character name.

Food and drink

Keep food easy to eat standing up, since guests will be moving around and talking. Name dishes after the story: for a toy shop mystery, a toy-train cake, "stockroom" snack boxes and a punch bowl. Put the food where the clues will appear, so everyone gathers there when you reveal them.

The night: a minute-by-minute plan

Time	What happens
0:00	Guests arrive. Hand out sheets and name tags. Everyone reads only their own sheet.
0:15	Read the opening scene aloud. Round 1 begins: guests mingle and share what their character saw.
0:35	Read the discovery of the body. Put out the first clue.
0:40	Round 2: secrets can come out when someone asks the right question. Put out the second clue halfway through.
1:05	Put out the last clue. Give everyone five minutes to talk it over.
1:15	Everyone writes an accusation. Ask whether the murderer wishes to confess, then read the solution.

Keeping it moving

• If a round goes quiet, ask one guest a direct question from the story: "Where were you when the crash happened?"
• If guests get stuck, point them back to the clue cards: a fair mystery can be solved from the clues alone.
• Let the murderer lie, but not about the facts on the clue cards.

Hosting for a holiday

The same plan works for a Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas party: theme the food and the costumes, and choose a mystery set on that night. For December, our Christmas edition, "Death at Evergreen Manor," is written for 8 to 12 players.

After the reveal

Ask who guessed right and what gave it away. A small prize for the best detective and the best costume is a nice touch. Then let the party carry on: the best stories usually come out after the solution.