T’was a death before Christmas
Every year in the small country village of Mid-Trimming the residents come together to sing carols through the village streets. At the end of their night of wassailing, tradition dictates that they all gather somewhere for a final Christmas party before the big day itself.
This year the carol singers descended on Mid-Trimming Manor, owned by the wealthy miser, Bob Scratchitt. Everyone was surprised when he agreed to play host, but they were even more amazed when he was discovered dead in his own lounge!
So much for being a season of goodwill and glad tidings; this Christmas it looks as though someone had some very ill will indeed! The question is: who?
Hire an actor to play the detective – prices start at £291 contact us for more information.
This Game is Rated:
Teen
What is included?
Example pre-printed boxed set
Character booklets/scripts
Inspector CD / script
Instruction book
Decoration and recipe suggestions
Invitations
Character name Labels
Invitation envelopes
Reviews:
8 reviews for T’was a death before Christmas
You must be logged in to post a review.
Sample
How it works:
Never hosted a murder mystery before?
Don’t panic! There is no special acting required. Guests do not need to memorise any information, and everything they need to play their parts is provided in a handy booklet. The games are constructed so that everyone has to interact, and scripted dialogues are included to help break the ice and get everyone into character. Even total novices get into the swing of things quite quickly!
The game includes both sound files (MP3 with a download or CD with a boxed set) and a script for the inspector character who provides the setting, clues, and summaries for each round, as well as the final solution. This means as host you too can play and remain completely in the dark as to the culprit, or play the inspector yourself and invite an extra guest to the party!
How does a “download and print at home” kit work?
Each “download and print at home” kit is provided as a zip file containing a set of PDF files for you to print at home, and a selection of MP3 files to use on the night.
Each dinner party game requires use of a printer and A4 paper (approx. 80 sheets for a 6 player kit – 240 sheets for a 20 player kit), envelopes so you can send out your invitations, and either a laptop or MP3 player (e.g. an ipod) to play the inspector MP3s; OR a CD burner so you can burn the MP3s onto a CD to run in an ordinary CD player.
When you order the game you’ll be sent a link to download the files you need. The file will be a zip file. This can be opened with a zip compatible program on your computer. If you struggle to open zip files – we can email you the game directly over several emails instead – just contact us after purchase to arrange this.
You will download the following files:
- How to use this game
- Instructions for running the murder mystery
- Making the most of your theme- ideas for decoration / activities.
- Invitations
- Character Booklets (available in single sided printer and double sided printer format)
- Scripted for the inspector character (available in single sided printer and double sided printer format)
- Solution script for the inspector character (needed when printing from the single sided copy)
- MP3 files for the inspector character (dialogue and solution)
- Hints and tips
- Recipe suggestions
- Money off voucher towards next purchase
How does a “Pre-printed box set” work?
This is the easiest way to play. Everything you need will arrive in a box, pre-printed, directly to your door.
You will receive through the post:
- Instruction booklet (includes hints and tips)
- Invitations and envelopes for all the guests
- Character booklets
- CD of the inspector
- Inspector script in a sealed envelope so you don’t find out the solution by accident!
- Making the most of your theme and recipe suggestion booklet.
- Money off voucher towards next purchase (printed inside the booklets)
We always ship within 24 hours meaning orders arrive as quickly as possible.
As each game is printed on demand, we can also provide a customisation service on any order. See details further down the page on what we can do to tailor this game to your party.
Characters in the game:
Carole Singer – Retired Headmistress
Bookish, with half moon specs and drab clothing, Carole Singer has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jacques Frost – Butcher
Straight from work, still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jacques is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress
Decked out in festive colours and Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Carole Singer – Retired Headmistress
Bookish, with half moon specs and drab clothing, Carole Singer has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jacques Frost – Butcher
Straight from work, still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jacques is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress
Decked out in festive colours and Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress, with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader
Dressed in khaki, with neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Carole Singer – Retired Headmistress
Bookish, with half moon specs and drab clothing, Carole Singer has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jacques Frost – Butcher
Straight from work, still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jacques is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress
Decked out in festive colours and Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress, with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader
Dressed in khaki, with neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer.
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has cultivated a French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and white shirt, however after a day roaming the village he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry.
Carole Singer – Retired Headmistress
Bookish, with half moon specs and drab clothing, Carole Singer has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jacques Frost – Butcher
Straight from work, still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jacques is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress
Decked out in festive colours and Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress, with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader
Dressed in khaki, with neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer.
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has cultivated a French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and white shirt, however after a day roaming the village he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry.
Angela Onnatree – Riding School Owner
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down to earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub.
In shirt sleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Customise this game
This game can be customised to fit your event for an additional fee.
It’s hard to give “ball park” figures for what different customisations would cost however we’ve attempted to HERE. Please do contact us for a free quote if you would like any customisations on your game before purchase.
Remember… if you just need 1 extra person, or 1 less person, why not have someone play the inspector role?
The inspector can usually be male or female as the “for real” inspector can simply invent a new name for themselves.
Some hosts prefer to play the inspector role as it means they can work on the catering while the round plays out amongst their guests.
Happy Customer –
A really fun game. The character booklets had a good balance between scripted conversation and improvised. It was very clear how to tackle the improvised sections and even the shyest member of the party was getting in to it by the third round. Unlike other games I have played, it wasn’t at all noticeable that there were ‘extra’ characters as everyone was equally included. Du-ring the game it became pretty obvious what the murder weapon was (perhaps too obvious?) so it was nice to feel like we’d worked it out although there remained a little twist that none of us had fully foreseen. I’d definitely consider purchasing a game again.