Timing it so the reveal lands first
A kit runs about three hours. Start at seven and the ballots are written by half past nine, with the reveal read before ten: after that the evening is free to become an ordinary party.
That order matters on this particular night. The twenty minutes of silent reading at the start and the ten minutes of solo writing at the end both need a room that is still paying attention, so put the game before the late arrivals rather than after them. The four files are on the murder mystery kits page.
Which file for eight to twelve
Murder at the Royal Casino works well for a party night: Paris, the night of 18 to 19 November 1927, a baron who raises his flute at 22:45 and collapses an hour later, twelve characters who each owe him money.
Fifty pages, twenty-four exhibits released in three acts at minutes 20, 40, 60, 75, 90, 110, 120 and 130. Six to twelve players plus a host who does not play, $39.90 whatever the head count, about three hours.
Dinner between the acts
Line the courses up with the acts rather than fighting them: something to eat during act one, the main during act two, and dessert during the half hour of synthesis and negotiation.
One practical warning for a night of toasts. The exhibits are printed documents and the table will be full of glasses, so keep the folders on a sideboard and circulate each exhibit for a few minutes instead of leaving it beside a plate. A stained exhibit before act three is evidence gone for the evening.
No costumes, and nothing to perform
Nothing in the file asks for a costume or an accent, which is worth saying when you invite people: a dress code turns a yes into a maybe. A single detail is plenty if the group wants one.
What guests actually do is read two pages, read the exhibits as they open, and talk. The permitted lie has written limits: you may deny a purchase, you may not invent a witness, a route, a key or a document. That is the whole performance requirement.
If there are fewer than six of you
A kit needs six players plus a host who sits out, so a smaller gathering wants the other format: a cooperative case file, no roles, no host, one to seven investigators reading the same documents together.
For a shorter evening take The Heist of the Century, one and a half to two hours, seventeen exhibits and five puzzles, the only mid-level case in the catalogue. The rest are on the detective case files page, from $39. If you would rather see how a full evening with roles runs before committing to one, the printable murder mystery kit page sets it out hour by hour.
Frequently asked questions
How do we fit it into an evening?+
Start at seven: twenty minutes of silent reading, acts opened at set minutes, half an hour of negotiation, ballots by half past nine and the reveal before ten. The rest of the night is then an ordinary party.
Do guests need costumes?+
No. Nothing in the file requires a costume or an accent, and announcing a dress code puts people off. Guests read two printed pages and talk about the documents, and the host keeps the pacing.
What if only five of us are free?+
Take a cooperative case file rather than a kit, since a kit needs six players and a host. The Heist of the Century runs one and a half to two hours for one to seven investigators, with seventeen exhibits and five puzzles.
