A Will to Murder

A Will to Murder is a murder mystery game for 6 to 9 guests and a host. It is set in an English country house, in the 1930s. Download the free introductory pdf file.

A Will to Murder is an upper-crust evening of mistrust, family feuding, betrayal, and murder! Your guests will be in the middle of the action, and it will be up to them to wheel and deal to get what they want. Will they achieve their goals, keep their secrets hidden, and survive A Will to Murder?

"A Will to Murder, like all the games I've hosted, was wonderfully put together and everyone vastly enjoyed the different plots and twists that occurred throughout the game."
Terence Smith, Australia

See stories and pictures from A Will to Murder

Read the Highthorpe Herald

A Will to Murder is set in the 1930s in Albion House, a stately dwelling in the small English village of Highthorpe. Albion House belonged to Roy O'Leary – who was murdered yesterday afternoon.

Roy O'Leary was an elderly and wealthy man, and there are several family members who may benefit from his last will and testament. O'Leary's lawyer has asked the family to gather together at Albion House, the day after the murder, to hear the reading of the will. The police are also present – because the O'Leary family are the prime suspects in the murder case.

Everyone listens respectfully, as the Lawyer reads out the will. The main clause is very simple, as O'Leary must have had a premonition or warning of his dreadful end. The whole of Roy O'Leary's splendid fortune is left to whoever identifies his murderer!

A Will to Murder lasts for about four hours and is suited to an evening. It is often played over a meal – a finger buffet if possible, to allow guests to circulate and talk in private.

"A Will to Murder is different than the other murder mysteries. I don't like it to be ALL scripted… this game added more fun when people were able to kill other players or have certain powers."
Mia Nowlin

 

One of our more straightforward murder mystery games, suitable for beginner hosts.

Includes rules for the use of poison.

The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a cast list of all the characters, and a copy of the Highthorpe Herald.

Cast of characters

• Janis O’Leary: Roy O’Leary’s widow, his second marriage – formerly a model and actress
• Gillian Trode: Roy’s oldest child, she is a professional sculptor
• Alan Trode: Gillian’s husband, who owns a motorcycle sales and repair business
• Regina Khan: Roy’s middle child, a well-known writer of detective novels
• Cornelius Khan: Regina’s husband, an accountant
• Corey O’Leary: Roy’s youngest child, an amateur naturalist, who still lives at home
• Atkins: the O’Leary family’s old retainer
• Dr Barker: the local physician and an old family friend
• Inspector Harris: the police detective investigating the case

A Will to Murder is for 6 to 9 guests:

• 6 guests (2 male, 3 female, 1 any)
• 7 guests (2 male, 3 female, 2 any)
• 8 guests (2 male, 3 female, 3 any)
• 9 guests (2 male, 3 female, 4 any)

You also need a host – someone to organize the party and ensure everything runs smoothly.

How Freeform Games murder mysteries work

A Will to Murder is unlike other murder mystery games. Although the game starts with a murder, each character has several goals they must try to accomplish. While they may want to solve the murder, A Will to Murder contains plenty of other plots and secrets to keep everyone busy. A Will to Murder isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"A Will to Murder was a really good game. It turned out better than I expected. Everyone who came had an excellent time!"
Bethany Holmes, United States

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Lawyer, and welcomed to Albion House.

They then receive their detailed backgrounds – including dark secrets, objectives, and items. The fun then begins as they form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and maybe even try to murder one another!

Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Recommended for ages 18+

We recommend A Will to Murder for those aged 18+, as it includes plotlines around extra-marital affairs.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and need more characters. So most games have free extra characters (written by us or previous hosts) included in the download when you purchase the game.

• 'Ginger' Roberts – freelance reporter in search of the Big Story. (Any)
  (by Freeform Games)
• K.C. Warburton – internationally acclaimed artist. (Any)
  (by Freeform Games, based on Steph Mann's original)

Please note that we haven't always tested these – and they may not tie in exactly with our games.

"Thank you for a great site, fantastic games, good service and very quick reply. Keep up the good work." Ole Martin Brodwall, Norway

Cast Iron Guarantee

We offer a Cast Iron Guarantee on all our murder mystery games. If you're not completely satisfied with A Will to Murder then please let us know within 30 days and we will refund you. See our full terms and conditions, and our refund policy.

Trouble downloading? If you have trouble downloading the game files, please first check your spam folder. If you still can't find the download email, contact us with the name of the game and the email address you used to purchase it, and we'll resend it.