Davy Jones’ Locker

Davy Jones' Locker is a murder mystery game for 10 to 15 guests and one host. It is set in 1785 aboard the Libra, a retired warship, and the characters include crewmembers, passengers - and (probably) pirates! Download the free introductory pdf file.

Davy Jones' Locker is a thrilling evening of intrigue, double-dealing, mysterious powers 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 Davy Jones' Locker?

"Now that we've tried a freeform game, we'll never host another type of mystery dinner party! Six months later, our guests are still talking about what a fantastic time they had with Davy Jones' Locker."
Amy D., United States

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See stories and pictures from Davy Jones' Locker.

Click here to read the Tortuga Gazette.

It is 1785, and the Caribbean is a hotbed of violence, treachery, the occult and, of course, piracy. Tortuga, an island off the north coast of Haiti, is home not only to peaceful plantations, but also to thieves, mystics, scavengers, mystics and grave robbers. Tortuga is also a pirate stronghold and a frequent port-of-call for the most feared pirates in the Caribbean.

Abel "Blackheart" Read, the Caribbean's most nefarious pirate, had wrought havoc for many years throughout the region – but now his reign of terror is over. First, Blackheart and the Pegasus, his ship, was captured a month ago -- and then two weeks ago Blackheart's second-in-command, Calico Jack, ran his ship (the Orion) aground off Tortuga's rocky north coast. With these two pirates (and their ships) out of business, the waters of the Caribbean are much safer.

They have also created a power vacuum in the pirate world – one that will no doubt be filled before too long.

Tonight, the Libra, a retired warship converted for commercial use, departs from Tortuga on its journey to St. Augustine, Florida. For some of its passengers, this will prove to be a profitable journey. For others, Tortuga may be the last dry land they ever see...

In Davy Jones' Locker, the course of this fateful journey will be played out over the course of a single evening. There are, among the passengers and crew, an ex-pirate, a mystic, and a nun. However, not everyone is who, or what, they seem. Some (well, all) of those on board have mysterious secrets and will do anything to prevent them from being revealed.

Davy Jones' Locker 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.

"Davy Jones' Locker was fantastic. All the scheming and backstabbing made for a great time. A great night was had by all!"
Kimberley Retschlag, Australia

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Includes rules for combat.

Does not start with a murder that needs solving.

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

Cast of characters

• Captain Hargrave: Captain of the Libra
• First Officer Cook: The Libra's first officer
• Sister Agnes: A nun
• Maggie Brown: A young Tortugan woman
• Jean La Croix: A retired French naval officer
• Dirty Dana: An opium dealer
• Esmerelda: A flamboyant mystic
• Mambo Faith: A poor Tortugan woman
• Rummy Ike: A sailor
• Shanks McCaffee: A Tortugan cook
• Rusty Mike: A ruthless bounty hunter with an eye patch
• Slippery Pete: A grizzled ex-pirate and seaman
• Darrell Sims: A plantation manager
• Saucy Sue: A young Tortugan woman
• Drunken Willie: A Tortugan drunk

Davy Jones' Locker is for 10 to 15 guests:

• • 10 guests (5 male, 3 female, 2 any)
  • 11 guests (5 male, 4 female, 2 any)
  • 12 guests (6 male, 4 female, 2 any)
  • 13 guests (6 male, 5 female, 2 any)
  • 14 guests (6 male, 5 female, 3 any)
  • 15 guests (6 male, 5 female, 4 any)

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

How Freeform Games murder mystery games work

Davy Jones' Locker is unlike other murder mystery games – it doesn't start with a murder to solve (although one is likely to be committed during the game). Instead, plenty of other plots and secrets will keep everyone busy, as each character has several objectives they must try to accomplish. Davy Jones' Locker isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"Everyone really enjoyed Davy Jones' Locker – they commented that it was so different from other murder mysteries they've played, and it was much better than they were expecting after previous experiences with scripted games."
Jennifer Stout, United Kingdom

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Deckhand, and welcomed aboard the Libra.

They then receive their detailed backgrounds - including dark secrets, objectives and money. The fun then begins as they form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and maybe even try to murder one another! Along the way they may uncover some of Davy Jones' Locker's mysteries. Who was responsible for Blackheart's capture? Who really wrecked the Orion? Will the Montenegro curse be broken? And perhaps most importantly of all, who will find Blackheart's treasure?

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

Recommended for ages 15+

We recommend Davy Jones' Locker for those aged 15+ as it includes an elopement plot, and references to magic.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and need more characters. Davy Jones' Locker comes with free extra characters (written by us or previous hosts) that are included in the download when you purchase the game.

• 'Ginger' Roberts – freelance reporter in search of the Big Story. (Any)
  (by Freeform Games)
• Bonnie Jones – Captain Hargrave's fancy-woman (F)
  (by James Cameron)
• Bow-Legged Bill – Ex-Royal Navy sailor. (M)
  (by James Cameron)
• Luz Castillo – Stowaway aboard the Libra. (Any)
  (by Lisa Perez)
• Misty Raynes – Tortugan seamstress (F)
  (by James Cameron)

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

IMPORTANT – you shouldn't add too many of these characters in to your game as they haven't been designed to work together (unlike the main game characters). If you add in several, they may make your game chaotic and incoherent. You should probably instead choose a larger game. If you still want to add several extra characters (four or more), we recommend having an extra host to help.

"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 Davy Jones' Locker 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.