Lei’d to Rest (small version)

Lei'd to Rest is a murder mystery game for 6 to 12 guests and a host. It is set in Hawaii, at a beach party that goes horribly wrong. Download the free introductory pdf file.

There is also a larger version of Lei'd to Rest available, for up to 22 guests. You can find that here.

Lei'd to Rest is a thrilling evening of sun, sand, legend, lies, treachery, 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 Lei'd to Rest?

"Lei'd to Rest was a really great time. I love the flexibility for the game to go in so many directions. I think after each game, guests have started to realize the freedom and come up with stuff they can do that isn't necessarily on their sheet or in their items."
Stephanie Wagner, United States

See stories and pictures from Lei'd to Rest

Read the Legend of the Red Goddess

It's the present day on the island of Hawaii. The local culture, exotic and isolated for centuries, is being eroded by the constant stream of tourists flooding through the airports. All sorts of people rub shoulders at the resorts. Most of them are innocent travellers, but some of them have ulterior motives.

Lokuhai Beach is a small, isolated beach in the loneliest part of Harmony Cove. The beach itself is owned by Harmony Cove Resort, about a half-hour drive through rocky, mountainous countryside. Advertised as the "Last Real Hawaiian Beach", it's gorgeous. Birds of Paradise call to each other past the vibrant orchids -- you could make your own lei in minutes -- and jewel-toned lizards beg for table scraps. The music of the forest harmonizes with a nearby waterfall, cascading down the side of a steep hill through pools and sparkling in the sunset as it runs into the cove.

The luau started badly... the bus broke down on the way to the beach, and everyone had to walk the last fifteen minutes. Everyone's cell phones seem to be unable to reach out of the mountains to the resort (or anywhere else), and the driver has been unable to get the bus running again. One of the guests, Joe Markham, has been trying to help get it started...

Lei'd to Rest 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.

Note that Lei'd to Rest is a bit more complex than some of our other games. If you've not hosted one of our games before, you might want to allocate a bit longer to prepare for it and to read through how it's going to work.

Just downloaded Lei'd to Rest – first time I have downloaded one of your games. We intend to play the game in May – but I just wanted to say how good the game looks – and so easy to download."
Dave Measey, Leicester, United Kingdom

 

Includes rules for combat.

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

Cast of characters

• Annatto: Religious zealot
• Elsie Brighton: One half of a pair of newlyweds. Midwestern and naïve
• Ned Brighton: Elsie Brighton’s sickly other half
• Sarafina Chavez: An aspiring actress willing to do anything to get attention
• Anson Hardasty: Wealthy elderly businessman
• Max Hartnett: Anson Hardasty’s best lawyer
• Keoni: Tour guide and traditional Hawaiian entertainer, with aspirations
• Dr. Penny Kingsbury: Local doctor
• Mojo Mo: Hawaiian master cook and sometime witch doctor
• Anna Nayuki: Local real estate agent
• Jack Slack: Local small-scale entrepreneur and all-around dubious character
• Mel Squant: The perfect grandparent and tourist

In the larger version of Lei'd to Rest, there are a further 10 characters included.

This small version of Lei'd to Rest is for 6 to 12 players:

• 6 players (2 male, 2 female, 2 any)
• 7 players (2 male, 3 female, 2 any)
• 8 players (3 male, 3 female, 2 any)
• 9 players (4 male, 3 female, 2 any)
• 10 players (4 male, 3 female, 3 any)
• 11 players (4 male, 4 female, 3 any)
• 12 players (4 male, 4 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

Lei'd to Rest 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, Lei'd to Rest contains plenty of other plots and secrets to keep everyone busy. Lei'd to Rest isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"We'd previously played Bludgeoned on Broadway, so I knew Lei'd to Rest would be a superior game. I love the completeness of the materials, well developed characters and back stories, and as host, ease in running."
Sara Duprey, United States

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Bus Driver.

They then receive their detailed backgrounds -- including dark secrets, objectives, and special items. The players can form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items, and decide what they plan to do next season. Along the way they may solve some of Lei'd to Rest's mysteries. Are the locals poisoning people? Who threatened the starlet? How are the wealthy businessman and the victim connected? Is someone threatening the tourists? What makes a smuggler so interested in an innocent-looking Midwestern newlywed?  All will be revealed in Lei'd to Rest.

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

Recommended for ages 15+

We recommend Lei'd to Rest for those aged 15+,  as  one character is the mistress of another.

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)

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 Lei'd to Rest 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.