May 15, 2004
Click here for back issues of Guilty Parties. May 2004, Issue #17 Table of Contents 1 News 2 Murder Mystery Tips - Creating a memorable atmosphere and Safety 3 Your Questions
1 News Murder at the Four Deuces - now NC15 Dinner and a Murder Mystery Games have a new version of their popular Murder at the Four Deuces game. The new version they have classified "NC15" and has the prostitution and liquor removed so that it is suitable for older teenagers (and sensitive adults!). Click here to learn more about Murder at the Four Deuces. Murder for Two - murder mystery games for couples Murder for Two is a new range of murder mystery games designed for couples to play. If you don't want to host a dinner party, you can still host a murder with your partner. The games include Last Orders, Theatre for Murder and Vote Murder, with more on the way. The games cost between £6.99 ($12.50) to £10.99 ($19.50). Click here to learn more about Murder for Two.
2 Murder Mystery Tips Murder Mystery Tips Creating a memorable atmosphere Murder mystery games are much improved if you make just a few efforts to generate the right atmosphere. An appropriate atmosphere helps everyone with their character, and can turn an entertaining evening into a truly memorable one. Here, then, are a few tips on creating a good atmosphere. Costumes: Perhaps the strongest way of creating a great atmosphere is to encourage your guests to wear an appropriate costume. (Costumes look great in photographs as well.) If your guests are finding it hard to find a costume (not everyone has the time or money to search out a good costume), a token effort – perhaps a hat, or coat – can also work wonders. A Sense of Space: Where you hold the murder mystery game can affect the atmosphere. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find a location suitable for the game. However, murder mystery games are rarely so lucky and are usually held in homes. With a little bit of planning, however, you can create a sense of space. In particular, you can create appropriate names for the rooms. If you're playing a game set on board ship, you could put a sign on the kitchen door saying "Galley," for example. Anachronisms: For period games you might want to conceal or remove anachronistic items. Computers, lava lamps and other lightweight items can be moved to a spare room. As for furniture and heavy appliances such as televisions and stereo systems, try concealing them with a cloth or blanket. Props: Some murder mystery games involve items such as items up for auction or books for sale. As far as the game is concerned, these are usually represented by slips of card or paper. However, if you have access to suitable props, why not use them? Two caveats. First, if it’s important to the mystery that nobody knows who has a certain item, it might be better keeping it as a slip of card rather than a bulky prop. Second, and I can’t stress this highly enough, never use props for weapons. Period. It’s just too dangerous – anyone passing may not realise that you’re just playing a game and if they see someone brandishing a weapon they will call the police. It’s really not worth the risk. Sound: Period music or sound effects can be used to create an atmosphere. Large libraries often have a music section, with a wide selection of sound effects. Food: If you are preparing food you might want to provide something appropriate to the setting. Tips for PLaying: Safety Please remember that murder mystery games are just that – games. Sometimes it’s too easy to get carried away in the excitement and before you know it you’ve broken a prop or an ornament. Or if you’re really unlucky, you’ve hurt someone. Your friends and colleagues won’t necessarily be behaving in ways you expect. They will be playing characters with their own secret backgrounds and agendas. Somebody will probably be working against you, others may have been told to snub you, or have been told lies about your character. Don’t take anything personally – it’s only a game! Finally, be careful. Don’t do anything that could injure or harm yourself or anyone else. You want to have an entertaining evening – not a tragic one.
3 Your Questions I plan to host a murder mystery game for 13 people. I am currently deciding between The Auction or urder at the Four Deuces. Which of the two is the best for this number of people? Of the two, I'd probably pick Murder at the Four Deuces, because The Auction is better with a few more. However, what I'd really do is go for The Final Curtain as 13 is a great number for it. (In general, it's better to have more characters than fewer, so if you know how many people you will be having it's worth looking for a game where you are filling most of the roles.) Are there any costume hints for The Auction? We've sent out invitations and are now getting some questions from our guests on what to wear. The Auction doesn't include specific costume hints. However, the game is set in the modern day. If you tell everyone which character they will be playing from the list in the intro file they should be able to come up with a suitable costume.
That's it for this time. Have a great party - and tell me all about it! See you in July! --steve Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this zine and tell me what you think! Guilty Parties is powered by Site Built It! - the one-stop e-business solution for everyone. Click here to learn more about Site Build It!
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