Optional ideas for your murder mystery party

Hosting a murder mystery party?

Looking for ideas to make your event a success? Or to do something slightly different?

You're in the right place!

optional ideas

These are optional hints, tips and ideas for your murder mystery party.

Email party tips to your guests: Get your guests in the right mood before the party by emailing them my tips!

Adding characters to a murder mystery party: What do you do if you find that you have an extra guest? Why not write them a character? This article explains how.

Tips for hosting large murder mystery parties: Some of the murder mystery parties are for a considerable number of people (up to 200!). Hosting a large party can be quite different to hosting a smaller game.

Playing the opposite sex: What to do when you have to cast men as women and women as men.

Reporting the news: Tips and suggestions for journalist characters to report the news in a murder mystery game.

Guests who don't want to play a character: Sometimes you may have guests who don't want to play a full character, but still want to be involved in the murder mystery.

I’m Steve Hatherley, an experienced designer of interactive murder mystery games, creating and hosting them since the 1990s. I co-founded Freeform Games and Great Murder Mystery Games to bring this distinctive, character-driven style of game to a wider audience. My work—including Death on the Gambia, Hollywood Lies, and
—has been enjoyed by thousands of players worldwide. I’ve also written a book sharing my approach to creating immersive, freeform mystery experiences.