FAQs: Murder Mystery Party Scripts
1 Are the Murder Mystery Games Fully Scripted?
Yes. Each player’s party booklet provides ALL the words and lines they need to say at the time when they are needed. Therefore, players do not need to remember facts from their pre-party booklets or research slang or accents and so they can concentrate on enjoying the mystery.
2 What Are “Flexibly Scripted” Murder Mysteries?
In our whodunnit games, each player has the flexibility to choose to:
- either read a fully scripted part with the exact words given
- or give the information in bold (using whatever words they wish), omit the non-bold dialogue suggestions, and ad-lib as much as they wish during their turn to speak.
In addition, each group can choose whether to allow players to ad-lib and “chime in” when it is not their turn to speak. Many hosts find that this adds an extra element of fun and spontaneity to the evening; some hosts ask players to make a hand signal to indicate that they are speaking outside of the given list of speakers.
3 Does Each Player See Just Their Own Dialogue – or Do Mystery Kits Have a Full “Screenplay”?
Players’ parts slot together like a play. Each person sees their own dialogue together with a list of speakers before and after their part and some main words from the previous speaker’s turn. Therefore the mystery is constantly unfolding to each player with each new revelation. We find that this adds an element of surprise to the game and allows players to enjoy each new plot twist.
4 How Scripted is the Optional “Initial Mingling”?
The short, optional “Initial Mingling” at the start of each party mixes scripted elements with flexibility. Players have 4-6 suggested questions and answers that are themed around their character’s background and objectives.
- Scripted elements: Suggested words are given in the first person so players CAN read the dialogue given for each section. To help each guest get into character, accents, period slang, and character catchphrases are incorporated.
- Flexibility: all players have the flexibility to talk to others in any order. There is plenty of room for ad-libs.
5 Is it Easy to Run a Murder Mystery as a Dinner Party?
Yes. The scripted format of our murder mystery games lends itself to a dinner party format for three reasons.
- The main part of the game consists of rounds with flexible scripts. In contrast to mix-and-mingle formats, these rounds can easily be played over the dinner table between dinner courses as all guests need to hear what is said. Typically, groups play two rounds before the starters, another two rounds before the main course, then the final two rounds, the whodunnit section, and the audio solution before the desserts and coffee. Some hosts, however, choose to serve food first and then play the game afterward.
- The host can concentrate on enjoying their role and serving food as, in contrast to mix-and-mingle formats, our parties can run themselves without the host having to constantly monitor what each player does. This is because the scripted round-based format of the character party booklets enables all players to follow and control what is happening at each stage of the game.
- Each game provides lots of suggestions on theme-appropriate food that can be largely prepared in advance. This makes it easier for the host to serve food while playing a role.
If hosts prefer a party format with a buffet rather than a sit-down meal, then this buffet is often served after round 3. Some hosts, however, prefer to serve a main course buffet before the start of the game and a dessert buffet at the end.
