Featured Murder Mystery Party: First-time host stuns guests (and us!) with an immersive party!
Hosting a murder mystery party is a great way to make an ordinary night extraordinary. If you’re curious about how to host your own Foulplay party but don’t know what to expect, check out our interview with first-time host, Eric, about his recent murder mystery party experience as a newbie host!
Eric hosted our supernatural true crime murder mystery party, The Wych Elm, for 6-10 guests. As it was his first time hosting, Eric opted for a consulting session with us; while not required, this is a great resource for first-time hosts! We chatted with him about the run of show, how to stage the murder, and how to pull off the extra touches and ambiance to take The Wych Elm from a spooky soirée to a fully immersive experience!
Read on for Eric’s thoughts as a first-time host, as well as tips and tricks that might inspire you to plan your own!
Why did you decide to host a murder mystery party?
“We have a group of friends who get together monthly for a game night. The idea of a murder mystery was introduced, and I raised my hand to host, not thinking about the fact that I've never done anything of this sort! After the panic attack subsided, I started frantically searching the internet for how to host a murder mystery party. That's how I found Foulplay, which consistently had the best reviews for a guided murder mystery party!”
How did the game go overall?
“It was extremely fun. I had a reliable group in that I knew they'd show up ready to play their part(s). I also had a very valuable consulting session with Maddy that helped me to set up some nice touches for the overall party. As the host, any stress immediately evaporated as people started to show up, and it was fascinating to see how people chose to interpret their characters and engage in the game.”
We were most impressed by Eric’s incredible attention to detail, complete with homemade props and evidence! While The Wych Elm game includes printable evidence, Eric went above and beyond with his amazing and creative props.
3D printed skull off of Etsy for Bella's remains
Old parchment paper from Amazon to print everything out so it felt more authentic to the era, and a wax seal
Handwritten anonymous notes to the appropriate people sent to the other players in the actual mail a few days before the event, with "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm" scrawled
Bathroom graffiti in the same handwriting
His party decor and setup were phenomenal as well. He included timed lights scheduled to turn on and off throughout the evening to mimic a haunted house; an actual tape recorder to play the provided playlists and sounds; and themed food and drinks to fit the English 1950’s era setting, like shepherd’s pie and Scottish biscuits.
What is your advice for first-time hosts?
“The 'hosting' portion can be daunting, but doing your first game with a structure like Foulplay’s certainly helps with the learning curve. I encourage asking questions from the helpful folks at Foulplay, and ultimately want to say just to go for it! If you can read and buy things off the internet, you can host a murder mystery party. Everyone feels a little nervous at first, but after playing together and sharing all the details in the debrief at the end, people were ready to go again and try another game!”
Thank you, Eric, for sharing your wonderful murder mystery party with our Foulplay community!
