Can I Run a Murder Mystery Without a Meal and Without Making Everyone Sit Down or Be in the Same Room?

We’ve had a number of clients recently who’ve come to us specifically because we’re one of very few companies who offer murder mystery events that don’t require everyone to be in the same place, or sitting down.

It’s true, we know that when most people think of a murder mystery event, they imagine a formal sit-down dinner with everyone gathered around a series of tables, and this why most companies run events in that format. But what if you want a flexible format murder mystery, something more interactive, or suited to a standing crowd?  That traditional format can leave you at a bit at a loss.

The good news is – yes, you absolutely can run a murder mystery without a meal, without seating, and even without keeping everyone in the same room! At Red Herring Games, we specialise in creating a unique flexible format murder mystery that breaks free from the traditional format.

We have a number of options, some “off the peg” and others that we customise to support for both in person event management and DIY events.

Multi-Room Flexible Format Murder Mystery Games

For larger spaces or venues with multiple rooms, or event just large rooms where you want people walking around rather than static, then our multi-room murder mystery game format is designed specifically to keep everyone moving.  This flexible format murder mystery is like an immersive, Cluedo-style experience. Guests can explore different rooms or spaces, to meet a different suspect and review physical evidence props as they go.

It’s a fantastic way to make the most of your venue while keeping the excitement alive as players move from one area to the next.  These are our MOST POPULAR events hands down.  The guests always give this style 5* reviews and it’s easy to see why they love them so much.  It’s rare you get to relive your fantasy of being an ACTUAL detective.  And these games given you a real hands on approach to mystery solving.  Examining evidence, drawing your own conclusions and asking whatever questions you think you need to solve the case.

Multi-room games are ideal for:

• Venues with distinct zones (e.g., hotels. old houses, community halls, or even outdoor spaces – we’ve run these live in leeds city centre before).
• Events where you want guests to feel like detectives uncovering a real crime scene.
• Groups that don’t want to remain stationary but want a more active experience.
• Venues with sound issues – as with these style of events you don’t need to get the audience to stop and pay attention or listen for a set duration/witness a scene, instead the actors come to you to be interviewed and instead of props you can send evidence packets of photos to tables.
• Events where not everyone will want to take part.  The actors can disperse and only speak to the people interested in the case, leaving the others to do their own thing.

Mix-and-Mingle Murder Mystery Games

When you want guests to be mixing, and need them to interact freely, and not feel tied to a seat. Then we can adjust three of our games to a flexible format murder mystery to allow for this.  It requires some adjusting, but it’s very possible, you just need to rethink a little how you play.

These adjusted formats work particularly well for:

• large family/friend gatherings in a house where you can’t all fit easily into the same room and so will be playing between several rooms.
• Standing buffets or drinks receptions.
• Casual parties where mingling is key.

Which game we adapt and how we adapt it will depend on how you want to play.

Dinner party games

These adapt into mix and mingle for small groups by the addition of “Question menus”.  As all dialogues in the games are optional, it’s just a case of reformatting the booklets slightly to pull these out, and instead of providing just 2 questions to ask other guests, allowing everyone to listen to the Q and A in one space, we provide all the questions to each guest in a menu so they can freely mix and ask questions as they meet the suspects.  There are still 3 rounds, so you just need to move everyone on to the new round when ready.

Upsides – it’s very quick to adapt any of our dinner party games to this flexible format murder mystery.

Downsides – there’s a lot of repetition for players as they repeat statements to every guest unless you adjust the game mechanics a little more.

Tips:

– It helps to have everyone in the same room at the start to provide the opening introductions and if you want to keep the bulk of the format – bring everyone back together at the start of each round to read out the dialogues and listen to the inspector.

– If you don’t want guests to break regularly to hear from the inspector then we suggest adapting the full inspector script so that all key information is provided before you start circulating and removing all dialogues entirely.

– You may want to condense the game slightly, pulling out some of the Q and As to reduce the sheer volume of information.  If you don’t want to do that – the other option is to pull the questions entirely and just encourage everyone to provide their “statements”

Dinner party large group scripts or Interactive scripts

Like the above style of games these can both be adjusted in the same way to provide guests with menu cards.  The difference is that instead of everyone being a suspect and asking questions – when you use a flexible format murder mystery with these two styles of script – you will nominate a set number of suspects and only THEY are the suspects.  This makes it far easier to solve the case as you only need to speak to 6 people, and it also means you can cast your most outgoing in the suspect roles and they can prepare in advance.

If you use our interactive scripts – then there is also evidence within the game.  This is a fun addition to any party and you may be able to adapt some of the Q and A into reports or other evidence  e.g. witness statements to reduce the amount of reputation during the Q and A sections.

Upsides – it’s very quick to adapt either of these games to this format.  Limiting suspect numbers means you’ll also be able to finish the game in a reasonable timeframe!!

Downsides – there’s a lot of repetition for the cast as they repeat statements to every guest.  It still needs 3 rounds, so you still need a mechanism for moving people onto the next round.

Tips:

– With a REALLY good acting group in suspect roles you may find you can entirely bin the pre-formatted questions altogether and just allow them to learn their back stories and read the solution so they kow whodunnit – and then allow them to ad lib the entire night, providing hints to other lines of enquiry guests can take and answering any questions guests pose.

Skit and Clue style games

These are another great option for a flexible format murder mystery, adapting into mix and mingle by distributing the clues by person rather than by team.  You can either just allocate clues to individuals or adjust some clues into physical props and some into information cards. e.g. clues like “There are rats in the hotel” could be adjusted to a soft toy rat with a clue label attached to it.

Upsides – it’s very quick to adapt any of our Skit and Clue games like this.  It just needs some reading through of the clues, and working out which you can place as props and which can be given to guests to talk about as they mix.

Downsides – You do still need 7 suspects, so you will want to have a space where you can watch these 7 introduce the game and also at half time to introduce the second murder.

Tips:

– We DO have a video based version of one of our kits.  If you really don’t want to have someone take suspect roles and want to just mix and mingle, chat to us about our video version.  The reason we don’t offer it as standard is we found the solution a little “flat” as no one in the building was the killer.  The killer is just  someone on the video.  We find it’s much more fun having the suspects in the party, so would always recommend you have that opening scene.

No Meal? No Problem!

A flexible format murder mystery doesn’t have to revolve around a formal dinner. Our games can be adapted for any catering style – or even no catering at all! Whether you’re planning a casual event with nibbles, a bring-and-share buffet, or even a food-free gathering, our scripts are designed to fit seamlessly into your plans.

Some great alternatives to a formal meal include:

• Cheese and wine evenings.
• Burger vans or street food setups.
• Drinks-only receptions.
• Outdoor events with light snacks or no food at all.

What do you need to adapt if you aren’t eating?

NOTHING!  We regularly run standard “dinner party games” on zoom.  There’s no requirement to break for food between rounds.  You can just move from round to round, or break the rounds up with another game.

Customisation to Suit Your Needs

At Red Herring Games, we pride ourselves on tailoring our experiences to your specific requirements.

If you already have a theme in mind, and have a game you like the look of, then speak to us about adapting it into a flexible format murder mystery. Not every game adapts well.  Sometimes its easier just starting again from scratch, but we can let you know what’s possible and how much it’ll cost.

When creating your flexible format murder mystery, if you need help with gender ratios, character adjustments, or simplifying scripts for younger or less confident guests, then we’ve got you covered too.

Why Choose Red Herring Games?

We’re the only company offering such a wide range of flexible murder mystery options.  And because we’ve written ALL of our games we know how they will adapt and HOW to adapt them!!

Whether you’re hosting a small gathering or a large-scale event, our flexible format murder mystery games are designed to ensure everyone has fun – no matter the setup. Plus, our scripts are created by experienced crime writers, ensuring a well-plotted, engaging experience every time.

Who is a Flexible Format Murder Mystery Perfect For?

This flexible format murder mystery style is ideal for:

• Corporate team-building events.
• Fundraisers and charity events.
• Birthday parties or anniversaries.
• Community gatherings or festivals.
• Anyone who wants to break away from the traditional dinner format!

Ready to Plan Your Event?

If you’re looking for a flexible format murder mystery that doesn’t require a meal, seating, or even a single room, we’d love to help! Check out our multi-room games or reach out to discuss how we can adapt a different game to suit your needs.

Let’s create your unforgettable flexible format murder mystery – no tables required!