Is it March already? Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? In Guilty Parties this issue I bring my latest tip and lots of news about new games.

You are receiving this newsletter because you or someone you know subscribed you to our mailing list. This Newsletter is 100% Opt In Only! If you liked this e-zine, please to pass it on to a friend. If a friend did this, and you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting Great Murder Mystery Games.

If you feel that you have received this newsletter in error and wish to be removed from our mailing list, you will find easy removal instructions at the bottom of this newsletter.

Don't forget that you can click here to get all the latest news at the Guilty Parties News Blog.

Click here for back issues of Guilty Parties.

March 2005, Issue #22

Table of Contents

1 News

2 Murder Mystery Tips - Reporting the News

3 A murderous year

1 News

Play Curse of the Pharaoh with up to 19 guests

Freeform Games have produced an expansion pack for their popular Curse of the Pharaoh murder mystery

game, allowing for an extra 10 guests. Curse of the Pharaoh can now be used with 6-19 guests (plus one person hosting the game).

The expansion pack costs £5 if you purchase it at the same time as buying the basic game (which costs £20), or £10 if you purchase it later. The pack contains complete instructions for using the additional characters and includes items and abilities for them all.

Curse of the Pharaoh is set at an archaeological dig in Egypt in 1894, and involves dark magic, English archaeology and, of course, murder.

Click here to find out more about Curse of the Pharaoh.

Wild West Murder Mystery For Kids

Freeform Games have now produced a kid-friendly version of Way out West, their murder mystery game set in Cactus Gulch in old-time California.

Way out West was originally written as a family-friendly game, but feedback from people who've run it for groups of kids and younger teens (for birthday parties and the like) has prompted them to write a new game aimed specifically at kids - and they're giving it away with the standard game!

The basic structure of the kid's version -- character sheets, goals, ability cards -- is just the same as the standard game. (I've found that kids are usually as good as adults at getting to grips with playing freeform characters, if not better!)

Freeform Games have removed the more adult themes and characters from Way out West, and taken out some of the more complicated game mechanisms.

Click here to discover more about Way out West.

Death is a Cabernet, ol Chum

Mysteries-on-the-Net have produced a new mystery - Death is a Cabernet, ol Chum.

As you might have guessed, Death is a Cabernet, ol Chum is set at a vineyard and is ideal for wine buffs.

Click here to discover more about Death is a Cabernet, ol Chum.

2 Murder Mystery Tips - Reporting the News

Several interactive games include a character who's job is to be a reporter and ferret out everyone's juicy secrets for their newspaper. For example, as well as the occasional character in the games, Freeform Games have produced a generic reporter character, "Ginger" Roberts, that can be used in any of their games.

(Click here to download the “Ginger” Roberts pdf file.)

You can have extra fun with these characters by creating some system that lets them actually "post" news items. Here are some ideas:

Headlines: Put some sheets of paper on the wall, and let the reporter write news headlines. For example, "German Ambassador is really a woman!" or "I've had an affair, admits famous movie star!". A flip chart board is ideal for this - let the reporter post the headlines, and when the sheet is full you can tear it off and stick it on the wall.

News stories: If your cub reporters are keen, they can actually write out the stories. You could even provide them with an old typewriter for them to do this (although it might be quicker if they just hand-write the pieces).

Bylines: The problem with actually writing the stories is that the person playing the reporter may end up spending all their time writing news reports instead of playing the game. So instead of typing up a story, get them to write their name next to their headline - and tell everyone at the start of the party that if they want to "read" that story they should talk to that particular reporter to find out the details.

You can use any of the above to create some rivalry between journalists. For example, you can create a competition to see who writes the most news stories, or even a give a prize for the wackiest headline.

Remember to give the reporters a notebook and pen so they can jot down the facts as they research their stories.

3 A murderous year

March 17 is St Patrick's Day and if you want to celebrate it in style, you could do a lot worse than a murder mystery party. The same goes for Halloween, Christmas, Talk like a Pirate Day, Independence Day, Valentine's Day and so on. (Well, perhaps not Talk like a Pirate Day...)

As there are lots of different annual holidays and almost as many murder mystery parties to match, I've created a page detailing the themed murder mystery parties running throughout the year. Click here to go to "A murderous year".

That's it for this time. Have a great party - and tell me all about it!

See you in the new year!

--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!

I accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within Guilty Parties.

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.

I respect the privacy of my readers. I will NEVER supply or sell your personal information to any Third Party!