Murder Mystery Games FAQs Page
- Click here to learn how our murder mystery dinner party games are played. Important to read before you place your order.
- Mystery themes to choose from, prime suspect descriptions and free script samples to download
- What’s included with our murder mystery dinner games
- Number of players/participants
- Length of the mystery game
- Example timeline for your murder mystery dinner party
- Watch one of our murder mysteries dinners in action
- Helpful advice and tips for your mystery event
- Recipes and web sites to help you plan your dinner menu
- Costume, props and historical links page
- Pre-event prep time
- Software needed
- What are the benefits of using a murder mystery game as a corporate team bonding experience?
- Are these murder mystery dinner party games appropriate for children and/or church groups?
- Other ways to order (Recommended: Instant download from our secure shopping cart)
- About the writer
Number of players/participants: Due to the interactive nature of the mysteries, they
are best suited for groups of 20 to about 125 guests. Click here for our reason why.
For the team building version of the games, we recommend up to 12 teams of detectives (a minimum 4 to a maximum of 10 per team) plus your team of 6 to 8 suspects (your cast), depending on the script you choose.
Length of mystery: It will be about 1 1/2 to 2 hours long but
you can make it shorter by tightening up the sequence of events or
longer by allowing more
time between the scenes/action.
For the team building version of the game, please allow approximately 2 to 2½ hours or more . You need a bit more time for the team mystery games because, in addition to solving the mystery, each team will have a project to complete during the course of the mystery (for multi-tasking and problem solving). We also highly recommend adding time for a team assessment discussion at the conclusion of the mystery. We include our nifty team assessment form with all team building versions of the game.
Here's a sample timeline (with a dinner*) for your mystery party:
- Upon arrival, the guests (your detectives) receive a program that will be a guideline for the mystery (included).
- The primary suspects start to mingle in character and begin setting up the mystery with clues, arguments, gossip, that sort of thing.
- The guests witness the (1st) murder about 30 to 40 minutes into the mystery.
- Working around your meal plans, if any,
the
mystery continues to unfold with more dramatic action and more clues
that will lead to the mystery's next murder or attempted murder.
- For the team building version, your teams should work on their team project - which is designed to challenge their multi-tasking abilities among other things - as they find time during the mystery.
- We suggest that as the main course is being cleared, the teams should present their short team project.
- As you reach the conclusion, there is a suspect line up so the
guests can ask the primary suspects any final questions they may have before they fill out their detective evidence record/solution sheet (which they receive
with their programs).
- For the team building version, each team of detectives will hand in only one solution sheet.
- For the team building version, before the killer is revealed and after all the solution sheets are collected, each team presents their findings via their team speaker.
- The solution is dramatically revealed around the time dessert is served.
- Awards are presented and the mystery concludes.
- For the team building version, we recommend you include a debriefing and team assessment discussion here (team assessment form included with purchase of our team mystery games.)
Pre-event prep time: Anything
and everything that can be downloaded is included with this game.
You can prep the mystery in an hour or two. You’ll
need to print programs and other such documents, shop for small items
(like a fake knife or other possible murder weapon) and organize the
props (clues, etc.) and supplies but it’s
all very simple to do.
In the mystery games where the suspects will know whodunit, we do recommend however that you give your primary suspects about 2 weeks to get familiar with the mystery and to prepare their character. It takes at least one read through to get everyone (the suspects) straight. We also recommend that you all watch our little murder mystery movie to get a "visual". (By the way, that's your game designer, Susan Haley, lifting her skirts as Savannah Sugarbaker). Set a time to get together, perhaps add some food and drink to the "rehearsal", and just TALK through the script. Don't have everyone read it word for word - it won't help anyone really understand what's happening and it's pretty boring. We've always found that if you all talk through the action/sequence as your character, it helps loosen things up, people start finding the humor in their character and they get a better understanding of the whole picture. It's informal and relaxed - two things you need to alleviate some of the actors' nervousness. More helpful hints.
Other Ways To Order Our
Murder Mystery Games
We recommend you order and instantly download your game via our secure shopping cart but here are other ways to order:
- Call us. Toll free: 800-293-3302 (US and Canada); Local phone: 510-235-0118 (in California).
- Order via fax.
- Mail your order to: Haley Productions, 3401 Rheem Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804 USA. Order form.
We’ll email your order if you place it via phone, fax or mail.
Nervous about downloading? Please know I'm here to help you; all you need to do is ask. Call or email me if you have any trouble along the way or if you have questions. There are NO dumb questions or if there are then I've already asked them. - Susan (game designer and owner)
SHIPPING OUR GAMES VIA U.S. MAIL: If you live in the Continental United States we can send you a CD-ROM of your game. There will be an additional shipping and handling fee of $6.00 plus California sales tax. We only ship in the U.S. via U.S. Postal Service. We highly recommend that you download or have us email you your game - it's a great time and money saver all around. If you don't want to use your own printer to print out the game files, simply copy them to a CD-ROM and bring them to your local print/copy shop.
If you have questions, please
don’t hesitate to contact us before
buying!
We use a Comodo SSL Security Certificate to ensure secure transmission of your information when placing your order and our shopping cart (www.mystery-hunt.com) is guaranteed Hacker Proof by Comodo.
We accept:
We also accept money orders and checks by mail.
The 3 software programs you'll need for our downloadable
mystery games:
1) WinZip - or similar program (for PC users) or Unstuffit (Mac users). Your game documents will be contained in a .zip file (think of it as a container). Winzip (or Unstuffit) opens that container so you can get to the game documents.
2) Microsoft Word or similar word processing software (like Microsoft Works or Word Perfect). If you have a Mac and don't have Microsoft Word, download this software for a free 30 day trial so you can view, print and edit our game as needed.
Don't have ANY word processing software on your computer? Try the free OpenOffice software.
3) Some mystery games require the most current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you have ANY trouble opening ANYTHING, just email Haley
Productions.
We will help. Really, we will.
About the Mystery Game Designer:
Susan Haley, is originally from Massachusetts - where she started her company
back in 1987. In 1993, she relocated to Northern California with her two very
large Maine Coon cats, Sherlock and Watson. She still goes back to Cape Cod to
visit her family but California has become her home, especially since May of
2001 when she married her husband Bill, a corporate
advertising photographer and a native San Franciscan. From the time she was
a very young girl, Susan has always loved acting and creative writing. She graduated
Summa Cum Laude and has a BA in Theater Arts with a minor in Business Communications
from Salem State College in Salem, Mass., "where the witches are". To
Susan, there's nothing like doing a job about which you're absolutely passionate.
Her passion these days? Creating inspiring and creative do-it-yourself
murder mystery games for fun and for team building, kids'
games and scavenger
hunts (also for fun and for team building). Google Profile | LinkedIn Profile
Only
$21.95 - 24.95 US
Our team versions of the mystery games are only $39.95
Click here to compare
