Featured Murder Mystery Party: A space murder mystery party that was out of this world!
Over the years, we have hosted our space western murder mystery game, WANDERSTAR, many times. Yet, when we saw the photos from host Meg’s WANDERSTAR party, we couldn’t help but take a few notes!
As a first time host, Meg was looking for a structured game with a fun space theme and landed on WANDERSTAR. We know what it is like to host murder mystery games for the first time, so we put a lot of time and care into writing our games so that first time hosts can feel confident and ready to host an inclusive and fun party. Our values of inclusivity, clear expectations, and exploring new worlds resonated with Meg and her group of friends. Read on for Meg’s story on how she leveled up her regular monthly get togethers with an immersive murder mystery game!
Why did you decide to host a murder mystery party?
“Each month our group does dinner at a different restaurant in the area to try new things, but we decided to switch it up for something more interactive. I was a guest at a murder mystery a few years ago and had a great time, so I figured it would be fun for our group to do one together. I hadn't hosted before, so I was looking for a murder mystery that came with a lot of guides for myself as host and also clear suggestions/objectives for my friends so they had some direction in their roles. I'm a big fan of space, so I searched for space murder mysteries on Etsy and Wanderstar by Foulplay Games popped up. As soon as I went on their website and saw all of the materials that were included, the description of Wanderstar, the characters were gender neutral, and that it was a woman owned business, I bought it right away.”
How did the game go overall?
“The game was an absolute blast! My husband and I spent the week making space decorations for our home and when our friends came, they were all dressed in full space-cowboy gear. I read the rules and script, and we were off! Everyone was in character trying to complete their objectives and once the murder happened, things really sped off with everyone trying to find the murderer and complete their side missions before the night was over! What was really great was the before and after murder goals/objectives were well explained for each character, so all of us were able to get right into character and know what we should be doing, so there weren't many questions or extra explanation needed.”
It was great to hear Meg describe how she knew it was going to be a great party when she saw the costumes. We’ve had those same feelings of excitement when we kick off a murder mystery game and people immediately approach others--as well as us!-- fully in character. It really is a sense of relief as a host so see your players jump right in.
Were there any extra touches you added or fun memories or stories to share?
“We painted a space portal for our hallway, made some galaxy macarons, and I served a color changing space cocktail while playing as Jaze the barkeep. It was so funny seeing how everyone dressed up and portrayed their characters! As soon as everyone arrived,we saw how into it everyone was already, and we knew we were in for a great night! Our friends brought props, spoke in accents, and the murder victim had a costume change after they took on their new role in act 2. When it was finished, everyone was excited to share their secrets and guesses on who the murderer was. Couldn't have asked for a better first time murder mystery night!”
We are definitely going to need that color-changing cocktail recipe! Take a look at the amazing photos below! Great inspiration if you are considering hosting a space western game too for your Star Wars/Firefly fan friends.
Any suggestions, recommendations, or tips for folks wanting to host their own murder mystery game?
“My suggestion would be to read over everything that is included in your murder mystery game. With so much information given, I felt really prepared and like I could be a pro host! Foulplay makes it so easy to host and play. The only thing I wished I did differently was give my friends more of a timeline for how long they had to complete their first set of goals/objectives. Before the murder everyone has certain goals/objectives to try and do, and I saw that some friends did them right away, while others played up their character and took more time to complete. That left a bit of a lag when some people finished their agendas much earlier than others and were waiting for the murder to occur for act 2. But as soon as the murder happened and everyone got their 2nd round of character information, the game took off!”
As mentioned above, we have hosted WANDERSTAR dozens of times and were blown away by the ideas from Meg’s party. Thank you, Meg, for sharing your wonderful murder mystery party with our Foulplay community!
