Frequently asked questions about murder mystery parties

I get many questions about murder mystery parties. These, however, are some of the most common questions.

the questions

Murder mystery parties are interactive party games for anywhere between 7 and 200 guests. Murder mysteries come in all sorts of shapes and sizes - dinner theatre, interviewing suspects and turn-based games.

Because I like them so much, I concentrate on "interactive" murder mystery games.

Which game should I choose?

The simplest way to choose a game is to read my Choosing a Murder Mystery Party Game page and work through the steps.

It helps you select a game by filtering on number of guests, theme parties and more. It's the best place to start!

Are the murder mysteries scripted?

While some murder mystery games are scripted, the ones on this site are not. Instead, everyone is given their character details and it's up to them how they investigate the murder and try to achieve their goals.

(And by scripted, I mean that the players have a script that they read aloud from.)

Can you replay the murder mystery games?

It depends on the game. The licence for some games let you run them just the once. Others let you run them as many times as you like.

However, you can't really run them with the same group again, as once you've played a game then everyone will know the game secrets.

Do you offer refunds?

Sort of. I don't offer refunds directly, but that's because you didn't purchase the game from me.

I don't actually sell the games - instead, I earn a small amount of commission (which doesn't affect the price you pay) from the publishers if you purchase a murder mystery game after following the link from my site.

So the actual transaction takes place on the publisher's website. And they are the ones who can provide a refund.

Each publisher has their own refund policy, so if you want a refund you should contact that publisher directly using the contact details in the game materials.

Do you know of any games for more than 200 people?

While I have tips and suggestions for hosting really big murder mystery parties here, I'm afraid I don't know of any published games for over 200 people.

Can you write a custom game for me?

I'm afraid not. Writing a game takes a lot of time and effort, and I don't have the time to write games for individual customers.

How is the murderer chosen?

For most of the games on my site, the murderer is chosen by the host. They cast the game and know everyones' secrets.

(The host doesn't play a character in the same way that everyone else does. Instead, they organise and facilitate the game for everyone else. I describe what the host does here.)

Where the host is also a player, such as Reunion with Death and Death in Venice, the host still casts the game but because they don't know who the murderer is, the murderer is chosen randomly.

More Questions

(These lead to a short article with more detail.)

What are interactive murder mystery parties? 

What are the other types of murder mystery party?

Why do you like interactive murder mystery games so much? Here are ten reasons.

What makes for a great murder mystery party kit?

Are there any free murder mystery games? (Yes!)

How do I choose a suitable game?

What does the host do? (And other questions about hosting.)

Can I run the games as a charity fund raiser? (Yes you can!)

Having difficulties opening files, or paying for the game? Check out these troubleshooting questions.

Questions about costs and pricing, including currencies, shipping, receipts, and selling the game afterwards.

How can I sell a murder mystery game that I've written myself?

Is it possible to make money from hosting murder mystery games (includes commercial licenses)? 

Have any murder mystery parties been translated into other languages?

Got a murder mystery game question?

If you need to ask me a question, either use this page or type your question into a Facebook comment field.

And please check the FAQ first - your question has probably been asked before!

(Alternatively, try the "Search this site" search box in the top right of the page. You may find that easier.)

You might like these

New game

Cover for Backstage Business

Backstage Business - a 1980s rock music themed murder mystery for 18-22 guests.

Don't know where to start?

Here's my suggested quick route through the site:

Step 1 - Go to Choosing a Game to choose the game that suits your party best.

Step 2 - Review the Tips for Hosts for helpful advice.

Step 3 - If you want to keep up to date with the latest murder mystery game news, click on my What's New page.

Step 4 - Once you've had your party - tell me how it went! Click here to tell me your murder mystery party story.

Got a question? Click here to go to the FAQ.

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