Truth be told - they've never left. But with the viewer ratings higher than ever on spoof murder mystery plots, it's no surprise that companies supplying murder mystery games have seen a rise in sales in recent weeks.
So what ARE murder mystery games, how easy are they to run, and why are they so popular again?
To understand where murder mystery games originated, you need to look all the way back to the very beginning of where the interest in murder mysteries itself began... with a real murder investigation "The Murder at Road Hill House."
Read more...
There is an increasing variety of on-line retailers who have joined the marketplace recently for murder mystery games. You can purchase printed box sets directly from Amazon, or downloadable games you can print at home.
Red Herring Games are among one of the oldest on-line murder mystery retailers.
Jo Smedley, Managing Director of Red Herring Games says, "If you have a question - we have the answers. Our games are all authored in-house, we know how all our games run and we can answer any question you might have."
Prices range from the low £20s through to over £300 with several sites (including Red Herring Games) offering to custom write to order so that the suspects are more tailored to your guests.
"We've worked as far away as Hawaii running bespoke murder mystery events for customers." Jo Smedley said. "We've supplied The Only Way is Essex, the Agatha Christie Festival and Crime Con too, but our main customers are still the family and friends who just want a small dinner party at home, and we've never forgotten that."
"Each company supplying murder mystery games has their own unique play format." Jo Smedley explained. "That's why it's really important for hosts to find the right game for their group. Some companies sell games that are more like complex role playing games and not everyone can manage those. Our games are designed to be really easy to host and play."
Hosting a game really falls into four easy steps.
1) picking the party -It's really important to get the right party for your group. Make sure it's not too difficult for your guests to take part. Not everyone can ad-lib and sometimes it's easier having a more scripted party, even though it might seem more fun to leave everything to chance.
2) Invite your guestsTry to fit the characters to the people you have attending so they have a role to play that they'll feel most comfortable in. You can suggest costumes, or leave it very much up to the guests to wear what they like. If you plan a themed party, you may want to ask them to bring some props too.
3) decorate the venue and plan the menuIt doesn't have to be ridiculously complicated but the more effort you put into scene setting the more enjoyable the party will be as the atmosphere is right to prompt their dramatic side.
"I've done everything from creating a portcullis, moat and drawbridge at our front door out of cardboard to covering the table in ivy" Jo Smedley said. "I enjoy getting ready for the party almost as much as hosting it, and I think many of our customers feel the same way given some of the photos we get sent every month. We always provide scene setting ideas, many of which are really cheap and easy to do."
4) Run the party!As each company provides a game the runs in a slightly different way it's hard to generate a generic "running list" but usually the parties all follow a set format.
- introduction to the murder - usually provided by the host or inspector character
- guests introduce themselves
- guests question each other and more information is revealed by the host or inspector character over the course of the meal - often there are three rounds to correspond to the three meal breaks in an average dinner party.
- denouement
You can download a free sample game that lasts a 15 minute coffee break at Red Herring Games which will give you a flavor of the real thing.
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