Murders & Mysteries

A murder mystery party game.

• Instructions and materials, all-included.
• Example character sheets included for parties of 10, 13, and 15.

What is this?

This is a rules set for running your own murder mystery party over the course of an evening. It is a system that outlines the basic motivations and relationships among a group of characters in the context of a party. There is no story or genre inherent to this rules system; the setting and character specifics are to be written by the showrunners, the folks in charge of running the party. 

What will a game look like?

An evening will consist of any and all of the following:

Socializing, schmoozing, collaborating, backstabbing, conniving, murdering, accusing, arresting, bidding, poisoning, interrogating, defending, threatening, and/or testifying. 

These actions will be more concretely defined in these rules, but expect the evening to be rather raucous. 

Players will be asked to complete objectives assigned to their character, the foremost of which include the successful murder of their target, revenge against their enemies, and assistance toward their friends. The game is open-ended and without a script — players use their resources, alliances, and wits to achieve their goals, many of which directly conflict with the goals of others.

This isn’t a game to be played around a table. Rather, it is to be framed within a proper party — food and drinks and entertainment and all. The intent is to have players socializing and conniving in equal measure, not powergaming or stressing over the optimal paths to victory. In fact, it’s very hard to gauge other players’ success without outright asking them, so any concept of “winning” or “losing” doesn’t emerge until after the party is over and the dust has settled. This system is, in a sense, a story generator. 

Who’s it for?

This game is meant to be for folks of any background — from thespians to the socially awkward to the tabletop number-crunchers. Although you will be assuming a character for the night, you’re never obligated to put on a voice or wear a costume or give a performance of any kind. In this way, it is meant to appeal to the folks who might otherwise be apprehensive toward such evenings of play.