The Reality is Murder

The Reality is Murder is a murder mystery game for 23 to 30 guests and one or two hosts. It is set on a tropical island used for a reality tv show, and characters include crew, contestants and locals. Download the free introductory pdf file.

The Reality is Murder is an exciting evening of reality television 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 The Reality is Murder?

"We hosted The Reality is Murder this past Saturday night and everyone (all 30 characters!!) seemed to have a blast!"
Jeremy Gustafson, USA

See stories and pictures from The Reality is Murder

Read cast list and The Islander newsletter

It is 2003 and Tribal is Network 123's reality show where 12 people live on Moko Shanti, a beautiful tropical island for up to 40 days. Every few days, contestants vote each other off the island during Tribal Meetings. Now, only three contestants are left, and tonight is Tribal's finale.

Tonight, everyone has returned to the beach, where the final Tribal Meeting will be broadcast live, and the winner of the $1,000,000 prize will be decided.

Unfortunately, all is not well. Jeff Thompson, Tribal's creator and director, has been found dead on the beach – a machete embedded in his chest… Find out who killed Jeff Thompson in The Reality is Murder.

The Reality is 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.

"Overall, players (experienced and new) had a really good time."
Mark Rickert, USA

 

Includes rules for combat.

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

Cast of characters

Tribal Contestants

• Cindy Perkins – A waitress from Miami, Florida and a finalist.
• Mike Hollandale – A real estate agent from LA and a finalist.
• Sandy Aikley – A lawyer from Chicago and a finalist.
• Harry Samson – A retired US Army veteran from Long Island. Most recently eliminated in Tribal – coming 4th.
• Lou Breakmier – An aging mystic from San Francisco, coming 5th.
• Ronnie Brooks – Ski instructor and mountain guide from Colorado, coming 6th.
• Derek Lunesdale – A body builder from Detroit, coming 7th.
• Kelly Patterson – A model from New York City, coming 8th.
• Devon Warring – Unemployed, from Orlando. Mysteriously pulled out of the show, effectively coming 9th.
• Rev. Hal Cleever – A minister from a small town in Texas, coming 10th.
• Domino Mountford – An eccentric French contestant currently living in New York City, coming 11th.
• Bernie Fraser – A stay-at-home parent from New York. First to be eliminated, coming 12th.

Tribal Crew

• Sam Wraysford – Sam is Tribal's producer.
• Murray Neilson – Originally a park warden from the Florida Everglades, now an assistant producer.
• Chris Keller – Tribal's head of security.
• Rex Newby – One of the set designers, responsible for the creation of the Tribal Meeting set. Mary's husband.
• Mary Newby – Production assistant and Rex's wife.
• Dr Charlie Milahoff – Tribal's psychologist.
• Jules McGee – A snake and insect expert, originally from Australia.
• Britney Thompson – Jeff Thompson's wife and Tribal's host.
• PJ Deever – Tribal's primary camera operator.
• Dr Georgie Palmer – Tribal's on-site doctor, an expert in tropical diseases and injuries.

Other TV People

• Matthew Stuart-Fosterson IV – CEO of the TV Network 123.
• Alex Johnson – Matthew Stuart-Fosterson's personal assistant.
• Bo Bo Hardensfield – TV chef and presenter of Tribal's spin-off show, Tribal Bites.
• Honey Rider – Bikini model from LA.
• Clara Stuart-Fosterson – Network 123's Finance Director, and Matthew's wife.

Islanders

Uninhabited before 1948, Moko Shanti is owned by the Islanders.

• Phoenix – Leader of the Moko Shanti Islanders
• Skua – Phoenix's headstrong son.
• Summer – Phoenix's daughter.

The Reality is Murder is for 23 to 30 guests:

• 23 guests (6 male, 7 female, 10 any)
• 24 guests (6 male, 7 female, 11 any)
• 25 guests (8 male, 7 female, 10 any)
• 26 guests (8 male, 7 female, 11 any)
• 27 guests (9 male, 7 female, 11 any)
• 28 guests (9 male, 7 female, 12 any)
• 29 guests (9 male, 7 female, 13 any)
• 30 guests (9 male, 8 female, 13 any)

You also need one or two hosts, to organize the party and ensure everything runs smoothly. (We recommend two hosts, particularly if this is your first Freeform Games murder mystery party.)

How Freeform Games murder mystery games work

The Reality is 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, The Reality is Murder contains plenty of other plots and secrets to keep everyone busy. The Reality is Murder isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies..

"Keep up the good work … no one makes scripts like yours."
Nicole Brownlee, USA

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Events Manager, and welcomed to Moko Shanti.

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 the mysteries of The Reality is Murder. Who will win Tribal? Who are ANTHRO? And of course, how did Jeff Thompson die?

Depending on what the players choose to do, there are several different possible endings, but finally everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Recommended for ages 18+

We recommend The Reality is Murder for those aged 18+, as it contains extra-marital affairs, a sex-tape plot, and teen pregnancy.

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 The Reality is 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.