A killer evening starts here.
A little planning. A few secrets. One unforgettable murder mystery.
Ready for your soirée?
- ✓ Event date, location, and RSVP cutoff recorded
- ○ Every invitee has replied
- ○ Email addresses and postal addresses are complete
- ○ Postal invitations marked mailed
- ○ Confirmed cast generated
- ✓ Company character packets marked mailed
- ✓ Mobile players linked their accounts
Also verify email delivery in Guests & invitations, dietary arrangements, the welcome speaker, chargers and venue connectivity.
Round 1 planning: about 30 minutes for 5 paired rotations at 4 minutes each, plus a 10-minute buffer. Dinner and breaks are additional.
Read the quick organizer guide
Paper: print slips single-sided; fold the bottom half behind the top, then the right half behind the left. Keep the recipient outside and message hidden. Pack evidence 01–03 in the victim’s Round 2 envelope and evidence 04–06 in their Round 3 envelope; keep sealed. A nonplaying printer can pack them without revealing the victim.
Welcome · 15–20 min: settle guests and dietary needs; the selected character gives the welcome. The organizer also plays a character.
Round 1: everyone speaks with every other player. Exchange folded slips or record mobile conversations, then confirm completion. Keep receipts closed.
Reading cue: once all conversations are confirmed, everyone privately reads ALL received slips or digital receipts, then confirms reading. Never read slips as they arrive.
Scene: after every reading confirmation, lights off briefly, then on (or use a spoken cue if darkness is unsuitable). The victim appears dead safely from their seat. Guests say “Someone call the police!”—no real call. The victim returns as detective with an optional hat, badge or jacket.
Round 2 · 20–25 min: the detective opens the Round 2 evidence to pass around. Question characters and compare accounts.
Round 3 · 20–25 min: the detective opens the remaining evidence; keep earlier records available. Then allow 10–15 min for murderer, best-dressed and best-performance votes, followed by the reveal.
Use paper or digital receipts only. Never add anything to food or drinks, alter real equipment, or stage unsafe contact or falls. Full safety & printing terms (opens in a new tab)
Optional detailed conversation schedule
- You ↔ Sam Rivera · Alex Morgan ↔ Jordan Ellis · Jamie Chen ↔ Taylor Brooks
- You ↔ Jordan Ellis · Sam Rivera ↔ Taylor Brooks · Alex Morgan ↔ Jamie Chen
- You ↔ Taylor Brooks · Jordan Ellis ↔ Jamie Chen · Sam Rivera ↔ Alex Morgan
- You ↔ Jamie Chen · Taylor Brooks ↔ Alex Morgan · Jordan Ellis ↔ Sam Rivera
- You ↔ Alex Morgan · Jamie Chen ↔ Sam Rivera · Taylor Brooks ↔ Jordan Ellis
A most suspicious evening
Murder at Blackwood Manor
The Blackwood Reconciliation Dinner
At Blackwood Manor, the gathering centers on the Blackwood inheritance. A sealed family memorandum has resurfaced just as the estate is about to change hands. Claimants, creditors, trusted staff, and old acquaintances have been invited to a reconciliation dinner: each holds a signature, memory, or obligation needed to settle the inheritance. The promised toast will precede the opening of the memorandum. Some guests expect a windfall; others need its contents to remain unread.
What the invitation reveals
An old house opens its doors for a reconciliation dinner. A family memorandum will be unsealed, an inheritance discussed, and certain old debts politely remembered. Your presence is specifically requested.
The invitation hints at the occasion without revealing the mystery.Who hosts the story?
The organizer runs the game. Any confirmed player can host the fictional gathering and give its welcome.
Dietary needs at your table.
Private RSVP responses from confirmed players, including the host.
No dietary restrictions have been provided yet. Blank responses do not confirm the absence of dietary needs.
An evening in character.
Decoration, menu, and drink inspiration to bring this world to your table. Recipes make one serving; ml means milliliters.
Decoration ideas
- Lay an ivory runner with brass candlesticks and battery candles.
- Use vintage book stacks, framed family silhouettes, and handwritten place cards.
- Arrange a side table with sealed letters, an antique-style clock, and a flower arrangement.
Menu ideas
- Welcome bites: cucumber tea sandwiches and mushroom tartlets.
- Main: roast chicken or a mushroom-and-lentil Wellington with herbed potatoes.
- Dessert: individual blackberry trifles served in clear glasses.
Themed cocktails & alcohol-free drinks
The Inheritance
Shake 45 ml gin, 20 ml lemon juice, 15 ml honey syrup, and 30 ml chilled black tea with ice; strain into a coupe.
Shake 60 ml chilled black tea, 20 ml lemon juice, and 15 ml honey syrup with ice; pour over fresh ice and add 45 ml sparkling water.
Blackwood Bramble
Muddle 4 blackberries with 15 ml simple syrup; add 45 ml vodka and 20 ml lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain over crushed ice.
Muddle 4 blackberries with 15 ml simple syrup; add 60 ml apple juice and 20 ml lemon juice. Pour over ice and top with 45 ml sparkling water.
Your evening, in the making
Follow the breadcrumbs to a great game night.
Same guests.
A different guilty party.
One murderer. One victim. A web of motives. Your mystery is randomly woven once the cast is set.
The usual suspects
Every great mystery starts with a good guest list.