This month I have details of two new games, Lei'd to Rest and The Blood-Curdling Case of of the Buried Treasure.

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Lei'd to Rest

Freeform Games have released a new murder mystery party game - Lei'd to Rest, a Hawaii-themed party for 6 to 12 players (and a host).

In Lei’d to Rest, the guests will join the luau sponsored by the Harmony Cove Resort over the course of a single evening. Wealthy businessmen will rub shoulders with local entertainers, while newlyweds, friends, and grandparents take pictures of each other and eat exotic foods prepared by the local master chef. But what brings smugglers to Lokuhai Beach? Are all the tourists what they seem? And keep your eyes peeled for the mysterious Red Goddess, who is reputed to walk through the heavy forest just off the beach!

Freeform Games' customers have been asking for more games for small groups, and also for more games for summer parties -- this new game ticks both boxes! Lei'd to Rest is good for any number of guests from 6 up to 12. Set at a beachside luau party on Hawaii, it's ideal for any summer party out of doors, maybe with a pool and a barbecue... You can easily give your party a Hawaiian theme by decorating with tiki masks, leis and so on.

Lei'd to Rest is suitable for adults and for kids down to the age of 15 or so. We don't recommend it for younger kids.

In due course I'll add a page to my site, but in the meantime click here to find out more about Lei'd to Rest.

Hosting a game for kids

A couple of weeks ago Freeform Games playtested one of their upcoming games - and they used a group of 12 to 16 year olds.

This is the first game that Freeform Games have written specifically with kids in mind (their other games have been written for adults - and then a kid-friendly version has been made following that).

As a result of the playtest, here are a few things that they learned. If you already have kids, you are probably aware of all of this - but if you're not terribly familiar with kids but you know you have kids coming to your party, then this is hopefully of interest.

So here's a list of things to watch out for:

Lots of introductory blub: Some games (including the Freeform Games parties) provide a fair amount of pre-party information, including the invitation, a background newsletter and other things. Don't expect kids to read much more than the invite - and even then, not a lot of that.

A longer introduction may be needed: As a result of kids not wanting to read anything beforehand, you may need a longer introduction. So you may have to take longer to set the scene and go through any rules. That, however, is balanced by the next point.

A shorter running time: If Freeform Games's experience is anything to go by, an all-kid group will blast through plots and secrets and will probably finish in a much shorter time than you might otherwise have expected.

Shyness: Kids can be shy (I know I was) and don't like looking like idiots in front of their peers. So you may find that the first part of a game is filled with answering personal queries privately.

Four years makes a lot of difference: You may find that some older teens are too self-conscious to get fully into the game - while 12 year olds throw themselves into it and quickly get completely immersed. There's also a big difference between a 12 year old and a 16 year old, and they may not mix very well together. (That means that birthday parties might be the best place to run a murder mystery game as all the kids are likely to be more or less the same age.)

Friends: Where possible, cast real-life friends as friends in game.

(For my own part, my daughter Megan is only 8 months old, so I have a few years before I can get her playing murder mystery games. Perhaps then I'll be able to turn this into a more detailed article!)

The Blood-Curdling Case of the Buried Treasure - an outdoors kids' mystery

The Blood-Curdling Case of of the Buried Treasure is designed to be solved outside. Teenagers will enjoy figuring out what caused the scream that echoed through Buccaneer Park as the class was searching for buried treasure. And . . . it's just in time for the good weather.

Here's the plot:

Many, many years ago, when the town of Buccaneer Valley was just a tiny settlement, a band of pirates and thieves pulled off the most daring theft of its time. The men got away with a fortune in jewels. With the enraged citizens hot on their trail, they had no choice but to split up. Arguments quickly started. What would they do with the loot?

When would they each get their shares? The leader of the group, a dangerous man named Dylan Quint, decided to bury it. Everyone agreed to meet five years later to dig it up and divide it. Legend says that Quint had strange powers and was able to place a frightening monster nearby to guard the spot until they were back together again. Yet, no one ever returned. The Quint treasure is rumored to be buried somewhere still in the woods near Buccaneer Valley - and the monster is keeping watch over it even today.

Click here to learn more about The Blood-Curdling Case of the Buried Treasure. (Look for the link to kids' mysteries in the top right corner.)

And that's about it - thanks for reading!

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