How to Play the Inspector Role and When

Thinking of donning the inspector’s hat at your own murder mystery party? It is a fantastic way to take charge of the event. Here’s how to play the inspector role like an absolute pro.  Plus some ideas of when you might want to choose to act the inspector role yourself instead of using the Mp3/Video inspector.

Why You Might Choose to Play the Inspector Role Yourself

While our pre-recorded videos are great, stepping into the detective’s shoes has some serious advantages for a party host:

• Odd Number of Guests: Casting yourself in the inspector role is a perfect way to balance out uneven head counts or deal with a flakey guest.
• Multi-tasking Host: Great if you need to be in and out of the kitchen or make yourself available for other party duties. When you play the inspector role, you can deliver your opening monologue, leave the rest of the guests to it when not acting as the inspector, but still feel part of the experience for everyone.
• New or Younger Players: As inspector you can guide nervous or first-time guests through the action without dropping “out” of the atmosphere to provide the help.
• No Internet: Ideal if you’re somewhere without Wi-Fi or want to avoid tech hiccups.
• Script Lovers & Organisers: Some people just prefer reading scripts or being in charge. The inspector is ideal for those control freaks!
• Maintain the Mood: A live inspector helps keep the game immersive – no need to break out of character to tune into the TV or listen to the MP3.
• Large groups: When the group sizes get large, gathering everyone around a TV or speaker can feel a bit clunky. Opting to use a real inspector for a bigger group keeps everything under control a little more.

Top Tips When You Play the Inspector Role

• Read Ahead: Familiarise yourself with your script and clues before the party so you feel confident.
• Have Fun With It: Don’t worry about being perfect – ham it up, use an accent, or go full detective with a costume. You can ad lib around the script and ad lib throughout the guests’ Q and As providing witty one liners or comebacks.
• Stay Organised: Keep your materials handy and check the flow of the story so you know when to jump in.
• Check the Flow: By understanding the structure of the rounds, you will know exactly when to jump in and interrupt the mingling.
• Time the Food with the Fun: If you are hosting a sit-down meal, juggling the game rounds with the oven timer can be the trickiest part of the night. As the inspector, you control the pace! Use the moments when the suspects are arguing among themselves to slip away and plate up the next course. If you want to keep the catering stress-free, check out these excellent dinner party hosting ideas from M&S, which focus heavily on prepping ahead so you don’t miss out on the action.
• Be Flexible: Respond to your group’s energy – if they’re confused, offer gentle guidance; if they’re on a roll, let them lead.
• Pace the Game: Use your role to keep things moving and make sure no one is left behind.
• Guide as needed: You may choose to emphasis the clues you know will help the guests find the right solution at the end, especially with younger players. Repeating some statements the suspects make that highlight the key evidence needed to solve the game.
• When to Decide to Play the Inspector Role

At Red Herring Games we supply the inspector script as standard with all our 4-20 player party games, which means you don’t have to make the decision before you buy.  Each game comes with the MP3/Video and script as standard, so you can chose nearer the party date whether you want to play the inspector role yourself or use the video provided.

Can I Play a Suspect AND the Detective?

If you want to play a character AND be the detective, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you! Because the detective essentially acts as the narrator and never directly converses at the exact same time as the suspects’ scripted dialogue, you can safely take on both parts. This enables you to host, guide, and play all at the same time.

Just one crucial piece of advice: if you are going to play the inspector role alongside a character, don’t read all the way to the end of your host booklet. Otherwise, you’ll see the solution too early and ruin the mystery for yourself!