How to Host the Perfect Murder Mystery Party: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you're thinking of hosting a murder mystery party, you've come to the right place! Murder mystery parties are an exciting, engaging and fun way to entertain your friends, family, or colleagues. We have over a decade of experience hosting and know just how fun it can be to watch the drama unfold. However, hosting a mystery party can be overwhelming if you're not sure where to start. Fortunately, we're here to help!. In this post, we'll provide a step-by-step strategy guide on how to host the perfect murder mystery party.
1. Choose a Theme:
Select a theme that excites your guests and fits in with your number of players. All our murder mystery games have a character range with a minimum number of players and a maximum number of players. You only need the minimum number of guests to play the game. As host, you can also play without knowing whodunnit so don’t forget to count yourself! Once you have your guest count, take a look at possible themes! Would your friends be interested in a classic whodunit or perhaps something with a spooky twist? Consider themes like fantasy, a Hollywood murder mystery, or a sci-fi space western.
2. Pick a Venue:
Once you have your theme picked out, it's time to choose a venue. For in-person parties, do you have space in your home or will you need to rent a venue? Typically 1-2 rooms will suffice for enough space, you want a little room where folks can have private conversations. You can also choose to play your murder mystery game online on Zoom, Discord, Gather, or another virtual platform. It's important to consider things like the location, the capacity and what kind of facilities you will need for your guests.
3. Send Invitations:
Send fun and engaging invitations that match the theme of your party. Be sure to include all the important details like the date, time, location, and instructions on dress code if needed. You can use Canva to create a design, an Evite platform, or create a Facebook party event.
4. Assign Your Characters:
When it comes to planning a murder mystery party, assigning your guests to their suspects is key. Each murder mystery game come with a character assigning guide which outlines major and minor characters, how to assign the victim to another character so they can keep playing after the murder, and how to assign characters without knowing whodunnit. We have tips and tricks on how to assign under special circumstances, for example if you have shyer guests, kids who want to play, and more! After you assign your guests, you will send them their character profiles before they arrive at the party.
5. Prepare the Game:
Now that you have your characters assigned and sent out, it's time to prepare the game. Depending on if you are hosting online or in-person will determine how you set up your murder mystery party. If you are hosting in-person, you will print out your party materials and set aside. The run of show in your host guide will let you know when and who to hand the materials to throughout the game. Your murder mystery game includes character profiles, goals and objectives, the evidence and evidence presentation, a toast to begin the investigation, money, items, name tags, whodunnit forms, the solution, and awards for Best Performer, Best Costume, Wealthiest Player, and Shadiest Player.
If you are hosting online, you will keep your files in an easy-to-access place on your computer to send out during the party. An easy way to do this is to have the files prepared ahead of time and then ready to send through google, chat, or email.
Remember to print the solution and set it aside, and no peeking if you don’t want to know whodunnit!
6. Add the extra special touches:
Once your game is prepped, now is the time for any fun, extra special touches! Use our Pinterest boards for decoration inspo and costume ideas, grab snacks and appetizers, and choose a themed Spotify playlist. The possibilities are endless! We also have lots of featured parties from other Foulplay Hosts on our blog for tricks and tips.
And there you have it, a step-by-step guide on how to host the perfect murder mystery party. Remember to have fun with it and be creative. Your guests will appreciate the effort you put in, and they're sure to have a great time. With these steps, you can host a murder mystery party that your guests will continue talking about for years to come. Happy mystery solving!
