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Sadly there isn’t an “industry standard” when it comes to describing murder mystery games. However, as luck would have it – crime writers are actually all very nice people – and although there may appear to be a lot of competitors in the murder mystery space, many of us talk to each other and refer customers between us if we think you need something another firm supplies.
Guest size: 4 – 20 suspects, unlimited audience/detectives
Preparation Required: Minimal. Usually run “script in hand” by the guests themselves.
Role of guests: Suspects who interact with each other to solve the case. Games are scripted and perfect for beginners.
This is the most common style of murder mystery game, and is often the format that most boxed or downloadable mysteries take. It is a tried and trusted formula of question and answer, and everyone is following – by and large – the same script and listening to or questioning everyone at the event.
Every guest has a character, but the information is given to them in easy-to-use chunks. They don’t need to learn a back story, they don’t need to be accomplished actors, they don’t need to ad lib if they don’t want to. In short these are perfect choices for beginners.
The game is structured to move everyone from point A to point B following a pre-determined series of revelations from the guests or in the form of clues for them to examine. The rounds happen in order, and the information is revealed round by round.
There is often a host or inspector character (live or pre-recorded) who will provide an introduction to the mystery, additional information and the final solution. With some companies the guest finds out they’re the killer at the start. With others they only find out during the game or at the end.
We find there are pros and cons to telling the guests if they’re the murderer within the game materials. We are one of the firms who made the decision not to in our games. If you want to know why we took this decision and some pros and cons to finding out in the game itself read this blog.
These are the most common types of games in the market place. To see the main differences between us and some of the others in the space, check out this blog post.
Guests size: 6 – 20+ (some companies have 40 or more characters available!)
Preparation Required: You’ll probably need a good 2-3 hours reading to fully understand how these style of games play, and you will likely need to set up game materials and get more involved in organizing and hosting the game itself.
Role of guests: Suspects who learn back stories then interact with each other to solve the case. These are “unscripted” so the guests need to think on their feet.
This format suits regular role-play gamers. They are great choices for table top Dungeons and Dragons gamers and LARPers who are used to role playing. But from experience very few beginners are comfortable with this style of game.
These games rely on the guests having initiative and being able to fully immerse themselves in the role play nature of the game.
Games like these work well for buffets, mix and mingle social occasions or entire weekends and long time-frame events. They are usually very unstructured, though there will be rules within them.
Guests are provided with background information on their character that only they know, they are given their own back story to the plot and the murderer usually knows they are the killer from the start. Everyone is usually told they are NOT allowed to lie unless they are the murderer, so they should answer any questions they are asked honestly, making up any answers they don’t know the answer to though they are often permitted to evade questions. Guests decide how to solve the case themselves once the initial information has been presented to them.
Because free form games are wholly reliant on the guests’ actions, the success and enjoyment of the experience is largely out of your control once the game is in play.
Participants: 1-3 detectives (sometimes more)
Preparation Required: None. Usually the game can simply be handed to the players.
Role of guests: The guests play detectives solving a “cold case” that’s usually not interactive in nature but may involve watching video, listening to audio or doing internet research or engaging with websites/bots online.
In recent years there has been a massive explosion of “case file” style games. These are games that are solely focused around evidence presentation and detailed review of that evidence, rather than interaction with the suspects. The suspects are usually NOT present; instead, they are presented as photos, within case files or as pre-recorded video.
Evidence games can be played by just one person or by a small team, but as there is no interaction except between the person and the clues/reading material, they tend to be quite solo pursuits or better suited for 2-3 people.
Evidence games by their very nature require a lot of reading and prompt less talking. They aren’t what you would consider “party games” and while the addition of evidence is fun in small doses, it keeps the pace quite slow.
Some Case File experiences work with puzzle activities which are similar in nature to an escape room. These puzzle activities tend to up the interaction and fun, but not all have these and sometimes you end up with a two track game… one group following the puzzles the other following the evidence.
(PLEASE NOTE – There are a number of super murder mystery board games out there. If you are looking for a board game… there are loads. I’m describing a murder mystery “party” format here, not a board game, but it’s the best description I can come up with!)
Participants: 4-8 suspects and any number of detectives
Preparation Required: These games generally run “script in hand” with a series of clues to find and read / tasks to undertake.
Role of guests: Solving the case from the information presented. Several will be in “acting roles” at the start, but may still get involved in the game itself.
In these games the guests are given key pieces of information and in order to solve the case, they must see or gain access to all the pieces of information everyone has.
These games work well for mix and mingle events, they usually aren’t overly complicated, and the fun is in the gradual discovery of more information which could be hidden around the home, or with specific people. Everyone has information to review, swap and share and there are usually very clear rules. Characters are often only there to “introduce” the game, but don’t have to learn any complex history.
Participants: 4 – 8 suspects, unlimited audience/detectives
Preparation Required: Often requires cast to have rehearsal time (1-5 rehearsals) and reading time (2 hours minimum), some stage props.
Role of guests: Solving the case and interacting with the suspects who are played by the actors.
As the title implies these are generally “Hosted” events, where you have a few key people who are fully in the know and a group of guests whose job it is to solve the case. These are different to murder mystery plays as they aren’t passive experiences, rather the guests are engaged with the suspects trying to work out which of them committed the murder.
These work best with theatre groups, amateur acting enthusiasts or skilled professional actors who take on the roles of the suspects. Only the key suspects have all the back story and plot and they interact in front of the guests or with the guests directly, revealing the plot and other information as the evening unfolds. The cast know which of them is the murderer.
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