host your own great murder mystery game

Welcome to Great Murder Mystery Games!

The Final Curtain

"Best party ever"

"Best party ever" is how one guest described a murder mystery party that I'd just hosted. She had played the murderer and evaded detection - until the last moment when her villainy was revealed!

Here you will find all the tips and tricks I use when hosting murder parties - including links to my favourites.

What is a murder mystery party game?

Murder mystery games are themed parties.

Each guest (and the host too) takes on a role - and somebody has committed a murder.

During the party, everyone tries to discover the murderer. (The murderer, meanwhile, tries to avoid detection!)

The games often include other plots, and everyone becomes involved in an evening of scheming, plotting and blackmailing each other.

fully interactive murder mystery games

These games are very different to the "how to host..." boxed games you can buy in the stores.

Those parties are played in rounds, usually over a meal, and while I have enjoyed them, I've had much more fun (both in hosting and playing) with the interactive murder mystery games I describe here.

I like these interactive games for several reasons:

• They usually cater for more guests (up to 200 in one case!). However, there's generally more flexibility, so it's not so critical to have exactly the right number of guests.
• As well as solve the murder, each guest has other goals and problems to solve. Typically you might have to find the murderer and pay off your gambling debts or find a specific object or deal with your affair... To achieve all these goals, you must negotiate and wheel and deal with the other guests.
• You are given all your information at the start of the game - so that if you are the murderer, you know how and why you committed murder - and you must deflect suspicion away from yourself.
• Unlike the dinner party mysteries, interactive games are not usually played around a table (although food is often served, it is typically a buffet or finger food). Instead, everyone mingles and talks to one another. You decide who to trust and who to blackmail to solve the mystery and achieve your goals.
• The mysteries are completely interactive and while there is a set solution to the murder, how you achieve your other goals is up to you.

choosing a murder mystery game

Hollywood Lies

It's not always easy working out which party you want to try, so I've tried to make it as easy as possible.

The first thing to consider is how many guests you are inviting to your murder mystery party - and then decide on a theme.

Click here to learn more about choosing a murder mystery game.

Good clean fun - Worried about the content of some games? While none contain explicit sex or violence, some are more suitable than others if you have very conservative guests.

Click here to learn which parties are suitable for conservative guests.

Kids - But what about children? Well, there are several ways to include kids in your games, including games that are just for kids.

Click here to learn more about parties for kids.

Warning - please don't expect these parties to run themselves. They don't. When you buy a game, you will receive the location of a downloadable pdf file or files.

The files contain all the instructions to run the party, including character backgrounds, invitations, the solution, clues, etc.

A typical character packet for a murder mystery party - you print this out at home

Exclusive to the internet

These games are only available on the Internet - direct from the publishers. You won't find them in the shops.

By the way, although I discuss the various murder mystery games on this site, please know if you buy a game, you are buying it from the publishers. Also, please remember to read their terms of trade.

Curse of the Pharaoh

murder mystery game hints and tips

I've lost count of the number of different games I've hosted or played, and over that time I've picked up a few hints and tips - both for playing a murder mystery party and hosting one.

Tips for hosts include:

• Adding extra characters - what to do when you have more guests than the party normally caters for
• Casting - options for casting your party so that everyone has a good time
• Creating a memorable atmosphere - simple tips for creating an appropriately mysterious atmosphere
• and many more...

Click here for tips for hosting murder mystery games

Tips for guests include:

• Solving the murder - the simple three-step process to identifying the murderer
• Taking photographs - tips for taking good photographs
• How to play - suggestions for playing that will ensure you have a good time
• and more - you can even email some of these tips to your guests

Click here for tips for being a guest

about me

This is me!

So who am I, and what makes me suited to writing this website?

Well, I've been writing, playing and hosting interactive murder mystery games since 1990. They haven't all been murder parties - some have been experimental, and quite a few have been downright awful.

But over the years, I've learned an awful lot about running and hosting murder mystery party games.

And I want to share some of my learning - I don't want you to make the same mistakes I have!

To learn a bit more about me, click here.

Disclosure: I get a commission from sales of the murder mystery games on this site. If you've found this site helpful and want to help support it, please buy through my affiliate links.