Six core roles, always dealt
Every kit names six characters as required at any head count. They carry what the case needs: the culprit, the false alibi, the timeline, the motive and the personal conflict. They are not more fun than the others; they are load-bearing. The guide says which six they are, and they cannot be replaced by a supporting role.
Below six players a kit does not work, because the lies no longer cross. At five or fewer the right product is a cooperative case file from the detective case files page.
Six optional roles, added one at a time
From seven players up, the guide adds one supporting character per guest, in a suggested order. Supporting means modular by function, not minor by interest: each has secrets, a personal objective and three conversations with core characters. Their absence changes nothing structural, which is exactly what makes them optional.
You may also swap which supporting roles you use. No objective in any kit requires one specific supporting character to be present, so a group of nine can pick the three personalities it likes best.
What happens to the characters nobody plays
They stay in the story. Their social document remains in the exhibits, so the table still learns what they wanted and what they did. When an exhibit mentions them, the host answers briefly on their behalf, from the guide, without inventing anything: they confirm what their document already says and nothing more.
That is the rule that keeps a six-player evening honest. The host never becomes a source of fresh clues, and no player needs a missing character's signature to complete an objective. What the host may say for an absent character is written out in the guide on the case file portal.
Every exhibit stays in play
Twenty-four exhibits in The Cursed Manor and Murder at the Royal Casino, thirty in Crime Aboard the Orient Express and Hollywood Noir, at six players as at twelve. Nothing is pulled from the folders when a role is not dealt, because the evidence is common property: the case does not shrink with the cast.
What changes is the reading load. At six, expect each person to read three or four exhibits closely; at twelve, prepare a second set of copies so nobody queues at a folder.
One file, one price, the casting is yours
The PDF carries all twelve character packs and the notice tells you which to leave out. The price is $39.90 whatever the head count, so a group that grows from eight to ten on the day costs nothing extra and needs only two more packs printed.
That also means a late cancellation is survivable: if a supporting player drops out before the evening, remove their pack and keep their social document in play. If a core player drops out, reassign that role to a supporting player rather than running with five. The four files are on the murder mystery kits page.
Frequently asked questions
Do optional roles make the game easier to solve?+
No. The six core roles carry the case, and the supporting roles add negotiation and points of view. Their social documents stay in the exhibits either way, so the evidence a table works from is identical at six and at twelve.
Can I choose which supporting characters to use?+
Yes. The guide suggests an order, but no objective depends on a specific supporting role being present. A group of nine can pick the three it prefers.
What if a guest cancels an hour before?+
If they were playing a supporting role, remove the pack and keep their document in play. If they were a core role, give it to a supporting player instead: the guide is explicit that a kit should not be run below six.
Does the price change with the number of players?+
No. A kit is $39.90 from six to twelve players. The file contains all twelve packs, and you print only the ones you deal.
