Large Print and Accessible Murder Mystery Kits

The PDF is not editable. Names, places, dates and the type size inside the file cannot be changed, and there is no large print edition to buy. What you control is everything that happens after the file arrives: the scale at which it prints, the paper it prints on, whether it prints in color or in black and white, the light in the room, where each guest sits, and who reads what aloud. For most guests with low vision, that list is enough. The reason is that print scaling is done by the printer, not by the file. A PDF laid out on A4 can be printed at 125, 133 or 141 percent onto a larger sheet, and every line of text grows with it while the layout stays intact. The next section gives the exact settings. After that come paper and contrast, then the changes that cost nothing and matter as much: a reading buddy, seating, lighting and pace. None of this needs a different kit. The seven kits on the murder mystery kits page print the same way, at any tier, and every adjustment below applies to all of them.

The PDF is laid out on A4, 210 by 297 millimeters. A3 is exactly twice the area, 297 by 420 millimeters, and an A4 page scaled to A3 grows by 141 percent: every line of type becomes about two fifths larger. In North America the equivalent sheet is tabloid, 11 by 17 inches, and an A4 page fitted to tabloid grows by about 133 percent, limited by the width of the sheet. Either gives a large print sheet in one pass, from any printer or print shop that takes the bigger paper. In the print dialog, set the paper size to A3 or tabloid and choose fit to page, or type a percentage between 125 and 150. Print one character sheet as a test and hand it to the guest concerned before you print the rest; the right size is the one they can read at arm's length under your dinner lighting, and 125 percent is often enough. If no printer in reach takes A3 or tabloid, some print dialogs offer a poster or tile option that splits one page over two Letter or A4 sheets, which you then tape edge to edge. You do not have to enlarge the whole kit. Print the large sheets only for the guests who need them and the clues that will pass through their hands, and print everything else at normal size.

Three cheap changes make a large print sheet easier again. Paper: choose a matte, slightly heavier sheet rather than glossy or thin copier paper, because glossy paper reflects lamps and thin paper shows the print on the back. Contrast: print in black and white. For many readers with low vision, black type on white paper is sharper than the same type printed in color, and the evidence pages that carry a photograph or a colored document stay legible in grayscale, as explained in printing a murder mystery kit in black and white. Cream paper cuts glare for some readers; plain white gives the highest contrast for others, so ask. Light: a murder mystery party is usually played under lowered lights, for mood. Keep the mood on the walls and put a bright reading lamp at the seat of any guest who needs one. A small clip-on lamp on the back of a chair costs almost nothing and changes the evening for a reader who would otherwise be squinting at a clue. A magnifier on the table, the kind sold for reading maps, is a last addition that some guests prefer to a larger sheet, because it lets them keep the standard pages everyone else has.

Some guests would rather listen than read, whatever the print size. The kit already helps. The host reads the introduction aloud to open the evening and the bridging passages between rounds, so the story arrives by ear for everyone. What remains private is the character sheet, and there a reading buddy works: a trusted partner or friend who reads the sheet to the guest before the evening, in private, and sits beside them during the game to read a clue quietly when one comes their way. Pick the buddy with care. It should be someone whose own character has no reason to know the guest's secrets, or better, someone who is not playing: the host, if the host is not taking a suspect role, is the natural choice. For a guest who prefers listening, also send the character sheet a few days early so it can be read aloud at home without hurry, and tell them that nothing has to be memorized. The sheet says what to reveal round by round, and a buddy can whisper the reminder.

For a guest with dyslexia, the same print scaling helps, and three habits help more. One sheet at a time: hand over the character sheet days in advance, alone, so it can be read at home without a room full of people waiting. Then, during the game, pass clues to them one at a time rather than in a bundle. No time pressure on reading: nothing in a murder mystery kit is timed, and a host who says so out loud, once, removes the anxiety. The rounds run thirty to forty minutes and a clue takes a minute to read; there is room. Matte cream paper, a larger print and black type are the settings most often recommended, though the guest knows best, so print a test sheet and ask. Keep the sheet in a plain folder so it can be reread at the table without anyone noticing, and seat the guest near the host, who can quietly restate a clue that has already been read aloud. A reading buddy, as above, is also an option. Many guests will not want one; the offer costs nothing and should be made once, in private.

Limited English: a character sheet is one or two pages of reading and a round is a conversation, so a guest with limited English needs time more than anything. The guide to a murder mystery party for non-native English speakers covers the practical side, from sending sheets early to pairing guests. The same fourteen scenarios also exist in French and in German as separate editions, which helps a mixed table decide which language to play in. Hearing loss: seat the guest next to the host, facing the table, with the light on the host's face. Hand them the printed introduction and the bridging passages so they can follow what the host reads aloud, and read each clue aloud when it is handed out. A quiet room helps everyone; music off during the rounds and on between them is a fair rule. Limited mobility: some hosts like to hide clues around the house and send guests to find them. Do not, if any guest cannot join the hunt. Bring every clue to the table instead, hand it out where people sit, and let the investigation happen in conversation, which is what the kits are built for. Keep the seating fixed for the whole evening and the ballots and pens within reach of every chair.

Seating is the last lever and the cheapest. One table, or one circle of chairs, where every guest can see every face: that helps lip reading, it helps a reading buddy, and it keeps the guest with the clip-on lamp in the conversation instead of at the edge of it. Put the guests who need the host closest to the host. Pace follows from seating. A host who can see everyone notices when a guest is still reading and holds the next clue for a minute. Nothing in the kit is timed, and a round that runs five minutes long because someone needed the time is a round that went well. Many of these questions come up for a milestone birthday, where the table spans two generations and a few guests have started carrying reading glasses. The guide to a printable murder mystery for a 50th birthday covers that evening as a whole. For the kit itself, the tiers and the format are on the printable murder mystery kit page: one file, printed at whatever size your guests need.