Planning your murder mystery party
We find that the more time spent planning and preparing for a murder mystery party, the more fun you and your guests will have. Therefore, it is worth spending time planning your murder mystery party, and this guide is designed to help you do just that.
“Thank you again for responding to all my questions – you guys certainly know how to treat your customers – thank you!”
Laura Blakley, United Kingdom
(Some of our customers host successful parties at very short notice. However, we don’t recommend that as we prefer a less stressful life!)
Here, then, is our recommended timetable.
6 weeks before
Choose a murder mystery game
Look around our site and choose a game that appeals. Once you have chosen, we recommend that you buy it now rather than leave it to the last minute, so that you have time to read and understand it.
You need to think about several different things when selecting a game, including its theme, how many guests you are inviting, and the age of your guests.
Click here for our comprehensive guide to choosing a murder mystery game.
Your venue
You also need to think about the venue for your party. Do you already have somewhere in mind, or do you need to start looking?
he only critical requirement for a venue is to ensure that it has enough space for your guests to mingle. We’ve run our games in our homes and they work fine in such spaces as well as village or church halls.
Our murder mystery tips page includes tips on getting the best out of your venue.
One month before
Read the entire game – including the characters. You can read it on a tablet/iPad, or print it out.
Set a date, and invite your guests.
Don’t allocate characters to guests at this point, as you’re not sure who will turn up. Send your guests the information in the introductory file so they know what to expect. At this point you are simply getting commitment.
Some guests may want to plan costumes immediately, so you may need to cast them early or tell them what sort of character they can expect (for example, a ship’s officer or first-class passenger in Murder at Sea).
Decide how (and if) you are going to decorate your venue.
Think about food and beverages. We recommend finger food (or a buffet) so guests can mingle and the party can continue uninterrupted. If you choose to have a sit-down meal, your party will probably take longer.
Where possible, we try not to organise both the food and the party – we delegate the food to someone else. (One thing that can work well is for guests to bring different dishes for a buffet – one brings sandwiches, another pizza slices and yet other guest brings chips.)
Two weeks before
Print the game and stuff envelopes. Do this now; we have printed and stuffed envelopes a mere two hours before a party before now, but we don’t recommend that! There are usually other things we should be doing then.
Finalise your guest list. Chase guests who haven’t replied.
Cast your guests (decide which characters they are playing) to give them as long as possible to get their costumes ready. Don’t, however, finish casting though, as you may need some flexibility if any guests cancel between now and your party.
One week before
Nearly there…
Send the full invites – with the full character information if you are sending that out in advance. (Sending out the full character information in advance is optional, but many of our customers recommend it. If you send character details in advance, don’t include items or money.) Don’t forget to include directions to the venue.
Finalise the food – or at least check that the food and drink is in hand if others are producing it for you.
Run through the rules with a co-host (if you’re using one) or a friend (if you’re not). Some of our games include rules for things such as gunfights or arrests, and you will find it easier during the party if you have already tried them out.
On the day
Phew! Planning your murder mystery party is almost done!
Prepare your venue (move anything delicate out of harm’s way, make sure you have enough seating, clear a space for the food and drink).
Then, follow the instructions that come with the game and have a great party!
And don’t forget – tell us all about it!
