The Difference between Murder Mystery Party Games and Evidence-based Case File Games and why you’d pick one or the other.

If you’re looking for a mystery experience for your next team-building event or private party, then you’re probably looking at all the available options to you and feeling a little bit confused.

Murder mystery games aren’t “regulated” which means they aren’t standardised.  What you get from one company isn’t the same as what you get from another and yet they’re all called much the same thing, which can leave you feeling confused about what you’re ordering and whether it will work for you.

So… to help you out we’re going to cover the differences between “case files” and “murder mystery parties”.  BOTH are called “murder mystery games” but within that game label, these are the two game formats with the biggest divide.

So what are the differences?  And how do you pick the best game between these two formats?

Main Features of Murder Mystery “Party” Games:

Murder mystery party games are designed for social entertainment. They are role playing experiences designed to bring people together for a night of intrigue, laughter and fun.

Guests assume character roles, interact with one another, and work together to uncover the solution to a murder mystery case where all of them are the suspects.

This style of murder mystery game emphasizes fun and enjoyment rather than strict puzzle-solving.  These murder mystery games encourage interaction, laughter, shouting, general silliness, and if you’re looking for something where people will take photos and talk about the party for years afterwards, then these are the style of games that no one ever forgets!  They are pefect for parties, ideal for team building, and create a lasting bond of memories between players.

They’re usually designed to run over a meal, but you don’t have to play them with food.  These are the style of games many people enjoyed over zoom during the pandemic, even though they were designed primarily for face to face interaction.

Main features of Evidence-Based Case File Games:

Evidence-based case file games are designed to allow a single player to solve a case.  Although they are regularly advertised as group activities and suggested for teams, they are effectively solitary pursuits that can be shared with others.   They do not usually need players to interact with each other.  The players are detectives, reviewing evidence to solve the case.  They are great for very small teams, or couples solving cases, as you don’t need a minimum number of players as you do with party games.

They are more police proceedural in theme, and require no role play and no dressing up. Players review evidence,  read transcripts of interviews and solve any puzzles presented to get to the bottom of the case.

They are a rewarding experience for those who enjoy methodical problem-solving and cater to analytical minds who are looking for a solo challenge.

After reading all the materials provided, that’s when players start actively communicating, trying to decide between them whodunnit.

So if you are looking for a way to run a game over a long period, with a short 10-20 minute discussion at the end of a conference, then a case file style experience will be better suited for you as you can digitally deliver content, give time for everyone to review facts in their own time, and then gather them together to discuss who they think the killer is for a shorter period at the end.

Replayability?

Despite any claims you may read – neither are truly “repeatable” as once you’ve played the game you already know the solution.

Even those party games which claim to offer multiple outcomes often have the same basic premise, with all characters except the murderer answering the same questions each time.  This means if you attended once, you can work out who the new killer is by virtue of observing the differences between the answers on the previous play around.

However, both versions can be reset and replayed by new players.

Between the two varieties – the party games are more repeatable.  Sharing the game with a different group of friends means you will enjoy the experience of a party game, even though you know the solution, as the fun is in playing and the social contact and nuances the characters bring to the plot.  Case file games are best experienced once, as once you know the solution nothing changes between plays.

Quick guide to picking between them:

	Party Games	Case file games
No. of players	4-20 or larger groups	1-3
Social Interaction	High	Low
Length of time	60-180 minutes	60-90 minutes
Price	£20-£70 average	£17-£25 average
Role play required	Yes	No
Replaybility	Yes and No (see above)	No
Resettable	Yes	Yes

The choice between murder mystery party games and evidence-based case file games ultimately boils down to personal preference and group dynamics. Whether you prefer the lively atmosphere of a party game or the cerebral challenge of a case file game, there’s no shortage of games available to you on the internet.

At Red Herring Games we stock the party game style murder mystery games.  We find these are better for entertaining, suit larger numbers of people and adapt for more settings.  Case file games certainly have their space in the “board game” style arena of murder mysteries, but like a book, we find them to be quite solitary or small group experiences.  No one has returned from a case file evening saying “Oh wow, that was fantastic, I can’t wait to do that again.  You’ll never believe what Finn did…”  they come away with comments like.  “That was challenging.  I didn’t like this element, I wasn’t sure that was very clear”.  As a result, we think if you’re aiming for a banging experience – you want an experience focussed game – which is why we have stuck with the party game variety.

For solo sleuths we have developed a much longer duration case file game called Cosykiller  This was created as a case file experience, but to be much more immersive and more character driven.  Think of it more as an “on demand” book.  It’s narrative filled, complicated and definitely fits the bill for those who like a cerebral challenge.  But it’s NOT designed as a “quick fix” party game.  Cosykiller play takes around 8-9 hours or more, so it’s a much more lasting experience.

So if you’re looking for casefile style mysteries then something like recently released “Body of Evidence” from Mysterious Package Company is one we rate highly.  It also has some of the best reviews from new players to the case file space.  It’s not too difficult, and is nicely assembled and resettable to pass on.