£17.00 – £21.00
Fun Wild West Cowboy-themed western murder mystery game. Easy-to-run and instant download for At Home or Virtual parties. No commercial use.
Our fun wild west and cowboy murder mystery game is set in the Old West at its wildest. Yee-haw partner! Host your own western-themed murder mystery party or dinner party. A great night your friends and family will remember. Ace-high perfect!
Play with 6-10 players. Host plays too.
Age: adults and most teens 13+ (see Age and Sensibilities below).
Flexibly-scripted. At Home and virtual options.
Host a great, rootin' tootin' game of wild west murder and mystery. Throw a party your friends and family will remember.
It's the American Frontier when The West was still wild. The town of Deadstone Creek is as corrupt as a rattlesnake's den. Murdering outlaws terrorise the stagecoaches. Cowboys and cattle ranchers are up to no good. And that new gold mine is just plumb shady.
In this wild western murder mystery party, no one is honest and violence is just a gunshot away.
The saloon's Cancan dancers swish their petticoats as loud explosions sound from behind the town's only bank.
Everyone rushes outside to find a hole in the rear bank wall and a fire in the General Store.
In the confusion, Belle Hawkes - a suspected member of a gunslinging outlaw gang - is sprung from jail.
Then - Deuce take it! - Marshal Westernby is shot. Plumb dead.
Law enforcers may be no better than the outlaws in this Old Western Whodunnit Party. Doggone treachery is afoot and the petticoated saloon girls know some secrets ...
Get a wiggle on and download this cowboy and outlaw murder mystery dinner party or party game and transport your family and friends back into the days of the wild, wild west where "Western Law" was the only law.
"What a rip-roaring, rooting-tooting night we had. Fantastically well-written script, superb props, great outfits by all. We were kept guessing right to the end whodunnit. Would highly recommend undertaking one of the evenings; fun all round. Thanks again."
David Cooper
"What a fabulous evening of fun, intrigue, mystery & murder all set in the Wild West. Listen out for clues along the way ... & you may be the super sleuth. What better way to spend a fun evening with friends & get those little grey cells working with laughter along the way."
Dawn
Polite notes: please check how many wish to play BEFORE purchase. The two optional/minor characters are fully integrated but have slightly smaller roles.
Gender of 8 essential players: 4 female, 4 male, 0 neutrals
Gender of 2 optional/minor players: 2 neutrals
Number of suspects: 8 - 10
Mrs Faith King – new wife of Sheriff King; founder of the DeadStone Creek Moralist Society
A truly formidable campaigner against drink, gambling and saloon women; on a mission to turn the saloon into a children's school.
Drinking and gambling are immoral; immoral, I say. And the Cancan is a scandalous dance; scandalous I say …
Kitty O'Mara – Irish saloon owner who allegedly won her saloon on a game of cards; has convinced the locals to buy shares in the new gold mine.
Oi’m wee Kitty O’Mara from Oireland. The gold mine will make you rich, to be sure it will.
Petticoat Pearl – saloon girl and Cancan dancer from Texas
I’m Petticoat Pearl from good ol’ Texas, sugars – bless their hearts, but men love my coloured petticoats and they love my pearls.
"Lady" Ruby – saloon girl and Cancan dancer from England; gives herself airs and claims to be a lady.
I am Lady Ruby – a genuine lady from England, an English rose no less. You may call me Lady Ruby.
Craig McCowboy – originally from Scotland, this former cowboy now owns a small ranch.
Och lookee here, pal, I ain't doggone to blame.
Hank Henderson-Hawkes – Eastern city slicker turned Western cattle rancher; distant cousin of suspected outlaw Belle Hawkes.
My dear man, what Hank Henderson-Hawkes wants, Hank Henderson-Hawkes gets. Indeedy.
Sheriff King – sheriff; claims to be honest.
Darlin’, that’s a plumb, darn lie. I’m as honest a Sheriff as ever graced the Star.
Wild Will Wilder – former cowboy, now a small rancher; said to be courting suspected outlaw, Belle Hawkes. Denies being one of the murderous Deadstone Gang.
I’m the fastest draw this side of the canyon and I’ll blame dang plug anyone who…
Heath Hawkes – cowboy/cowgirl; works for Hank on the Henderson H range. Has a fearsome reputation.
I ain’t no civilizee like Hank here; I was born with me boots on and a gun in each hand and don’t no one forget it!
Jody "The Kid" Wilder – cowboy/cowgirl; works for cousin Will Wilder and also claims to be fearsome with a gun.
Great smokes! I’m the fastest draw this side of the canyon; call me a killer and I’ll doggone beef you.
You don't need to decorate your home in the style of the American West, eat cowboy party food or dress up. Some customers just download, print and enjoy an all-fired plumb murder mystery party without needing fancy props. Or else they just use a few token gestures that they have to hand.
But, Yeehaw Pardner! Your party can choose from a range of themes: Wild West/Outlaw/Saloon, Cowboy, Western/American Pioneer or even Desert/Mexican. Or mix and match as you wish.
Our selection of party recipe ideas is largely make-ahead so that they don't interfere with the smooth running of your party.
Food ideas that those cowboys would have eaten on their long trails include Texas food, Mexican food and American Frontier food such as those that the pioneers ate.
Starters
Main Course Ideas
Drinks
Contrary to popular belief, beer was the most popular drink in the saloons on the American Frontier - a hard-up cowhand could nurse a single drink for several hours. Spirits included rum, gin and whiskey. That said, wealthy establishments did have access to aged Bourbon and even champagne and French wines.
Your guests don't have to dress up to enjoy the murdering mystery. You can just adapt whatever is in your closet or home - jeans, a flannel shirt and a child's TOY gun give an easy costume for an outlaw or a cowboy/cowgirl.
But if you want that Best Costume award, then try dressing as a cowboy or gunslinger (bandana, Stetson and TOY gun in a holster are great) or a saloon woman with those wonderful colourful frilly petticoats. Cancan anyone?
Cowboys, Cowgirls and Ranchers (Craig, Wild Will, Jody the Kid)
Stetson or another wide-brimmed hat. Bandana. Cowboy boots or Wellingtons. TOY (for safety) pistol with holster. Shirt is check, plaid, denim or tartan; jeans or fringed trousers; optional vest, chaps, suspenders, fringed jacket or poncho. Fake moustache, beard and sideburns.
If Jody is played by a female: brown or cream fringed skirt and loose long-sleeved top.
Eastern City Slicker Turned Rancher (Hank)
Cigar (to shake at people). Choose whether to dress as a cowboy or a gentleman. If cowboy: check, plaid or denim shirt; jeans or fringed trousers; wide-brimmed hat; bandana; cowboy boots. Optional vest, chaps, suspenders, fringed jacket. TOY (for safety) gun with holster. Fake moustache, beard, sideburns. If gentleman: tailcoat, bow tie, topper hat.
Sheriff
Choose casual or formal. Sheriff’s star. Stetson or another wide-brimmed hat. Optional cigar. Cowboy boots. TOY (for safety) pistol with holster. Fake moustache, beard and sideburns. If casual: loose-fitting tartan or coloured shirt; bandana; denim trousers or canvas or wool trousers; vest. If formal: white shirt with dickie tie or cravat; black trousers, vest and long jacket.
Saloon Girls (Pearl and Ruby)
Think frills, tassels, fringe, sequins, lace and pearls. Top is low-cut and off-the-shoulder, possibly corseted; knee-length or mid-shin-length ruffled skirt with colourful petticoats visible; lace or net stockings and garters could also be visible. Boots may hide a TOY (for safety) gun or dagger. Hair combs, artificial flowers, pearl/ruby jewellery or feather plumes adorn hair; lipstick and rouge make-up; optional fan, pearl/ruby choker or lacy gloves.
Saloon Owner (Kitty)
Choose whether to wear an elegant Pioneer/Colonial/Victorian ballgown or a colourful saloon-girl costume. Boots may hide a TOY (for safety) gun or dagger. Optional fan, choker or lacy gloves.
Moralist Campaigner (Faith)
American Pioneer / Prairie costume or old-fashioned Civil War costume or long-skirted, high-necked Victorian costume, preferably in dark colours. Optional fan, long gloves, parasol and bonnet. Alternatively, wear a long black skirt with a high-necked blouse. Optional "Close Sinful Saloons" or "Stop Scandalous Cancan" placard.
This is written as an adult party but many parents will be happy to let teens aged 13+ attend. This is a matter of parental judgment.
Mild Flirtations
Affairs are alleged but no explicit details are given. The saloon women recount how they sing for men and dance with them; dances might include the waltz or a variation of the polka. They also perform the "scandalous" Cancan. There is nothing more explicit. Players may (optionally) spring the odd surprise marriage proposal and may optionally give a Cancan performance (or two), but this is totally optional and the game will play just fine if players do not feel comfortable doing so.
"Mild" Violence
It's the west at its wildest, dude, so yes there are guns. In fact, each character carries a TOY (for safety) gun. And there are shootings. But there are no gory details.
Mild, comic threats are made ("call me a killer and I'll doggone plug you") but, again, there are no gory details. There are a couple of pretend shootouts during the game - you can't have a wild west party without a couple of shootouts! (TOY guns only, obviously!)
Alcohol
It's the American Frontier at a time when there were thousands of saloons catering to thirsty, lonely cowboys. There are references to alcohol, whiskey and (false?) accusations that players were drunk. The interrogation is held inside the Deadstone Saloon.
Language
There is no bad language by modern standards. We do, however, use frequent period euphemisms such as dang, darn, deuce, doggone, tarnation and Luddy Mussy.
Howdy partner, this is intended as a rootin' tootin' good time murdering mystery where the shootings all happened back in a "wild" age.
That said, Marshal Westernby is killed by a rifle shot. Another shot was also fired.
Different characters are alleged to have killed people prior to the party - obviously, everyone denies everything! Those gunslinging outlaws are murderous robbers and there are accusations that ranchers and others have been previously been shot.
And there are (pretend) shootouts.
There are references to alcohol and allegations of drunkenness.
It's fun to create your own party playlist to play when guests first arrive, when they are completing the Whodunnit section and optionally as they are seated at the dinner table. Some classics we used to set the mood are "Rawhide", "Don't Fence Me In", "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly", "Three Wheels on My Wagon", "Wand'rin' Star", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "The Cancan" and "Oh My Darling, Clementine".
"The Cancan" would also be great to play for the saloon ladies' (optional) Cancan displays.
Each party character booklet begins with an introduction in Old West slang.
Yee-haw. Howdy Partner. Mosey on down to Deadstone Creek Saloon.
Bess Hawkes, an alleged member of the Deadstone Gang, has been sprung from jail.
Suggested dialogue prompts contain lots of slang and dialect so your guests don't need to learn this beforehand.
I’m a cowboy born with me boots on and a gun in each hand. You belly-crawling lizards start monkeying with us and you’ll have me to answer to. You savvy?
Cattle Ranchers and Cowboys
No Old Western game would be complete without the cowboy. Our mystery includes cowboys and ranchers and, optionally, cowgirls.
The game includes typical themes such as cattle rustling, rancher wars and that icon of the Western movie: the posse.
Saloons
Our whodunnit game is set in the saloon of the small town of Deadstone Creek. Deadstone Saloon offers typical amusements - drinking, gambling (Poker or Faro) and dancing with those pretty girls. Each evening, the saloon women put on a "scandalous" Cancan dancing display.
Some saloons did offer "extra services" upstairs. Our mystery game makes no mention of these - although parties are free to include them if they wish!
Saloon Girls - Type of Role in the Mystery
Our mystery game is written so that the saloon women "just" chat, dance and serve drinks. Dances include a Cancan display each evening. There are optional opportunities in the game for ladies to perform the Cancan and to sing a saloon song. (This is great fun - but totally optional; the game will play just fine without.)
Note: contrary to what many believe, saloon girls were NOT necessarily prostitutes. Many saloons employed pretty, attractively dressed women to provide the high percentage of single men with feminine entertainment: the women would sing or chat with the men and watch their card games. Men could also buy tickets so that the girls would dance with them for about 15 minutes a time; dances included the waltz and the more lively schottische (a sort of polka). After dancing, saloon girls would lead the men to the bar where the men would order a drink for themselves and a drink for the "lady". (Saloon girls would typically drink tea or coloured water so as not to get drunk, although the men would pay for a whiskey. The women often earned a percentage of drink sales.)
And then there was that most famous dance of all: the lively, and scandalous, Cancan. Some saloons also offered Cancan displays.
"Respectable women" looked down on these saloon girls but men were required to treat them with respect - although the women often wore a pistol or dagger strapped to their boots just to be sure!
Outlaws
Our murdering mystery has more than one fearless, gunslinging, gun-toting outlaw - but to find out who you will have to play the game!
Others
Morality campaigners were active along the American Frontier; the sheriff, deputy and marshals might or might not have been law-abiding.
We provide separate host instructions for games played at home (face-to-face) and virtually. Both are tailored to the Wild West theme and include pointers as to when the host can play Cancan music should party guests wish to dance. (This is optional.)
View Sample At Home Host Instructions
View Sample Virtual Host Instructions
Just one fold and you have an attractive A5 booklet with borders and an easy-to-read font. The front page, a copy of Deadstone News, gives a bite-sized introduction to the murder mystery background.
The Old West style Invitation is supplied as a Word document with editable fields and a background image.
A short MP3 audio introduction to set the scene; a short MP3 audio solution in addition to the optional Whodunnit round. Listen to the Introduction below - don't you just love those American West accents?
Should you have any problems, there is a printed backup.
Suitable for both beginners and experienced crime-solvers! Our prompt cards CAN be read like a script (ideal for those who find ad-libs difficult). More out-going players, however, can use their own words and ad-lib as much as they wish.
These neat A5 booklets include the game instructions, round prompt cards, map, accusation sheet and optional interactive whodunnit round in one easy-to-print booklet for each character.
Clues enable evidence to be presented in bite-sized chunks. Cues in the prompt cards allow for comedy interpretations.
Certificates for the best actor, best costume and best solution match the Old West theme of the invitations. Optionally, you can provide prizes as well.
Party Themes: Wild West, Cowboys, Western
Game Setting: Deadstone Creek, a town in the American Wild West
Murder Mid-Party?: No
Host Plays a Character?: Yes
Party Format: optional initial mingling session, 6 rounds (flexible "script" where players can substitute own words, ad-lib and don't know what others will say), optional interactive whodunnit
Availability: instant download (pdfs + 2 audio MP3 files with a printed fallback + editable Word invitations & menus)
Essential Printing Required by host or guests (unless players use a device to read): invites, pre-party booklets and party booklets = 6 A4 pages per person (if double-sided) or 12 A4 pages per player (if single-sided). There are also 7 pages of essential clues. We provide other optional files that players and hosts can if they wish print.
File Sizes: 3 zip files, 2 audios, plus two optional zip files
Game Time: 1.75 - 2.75+ hours (depends on party size and number of ad-libs); food and chatting breaks in addition
Age: Adults and most teens 13+ (See Age & Sensitivities above).
Party Type: At Home (face-to-face) or Virtual.
Dinner Party: 6 - 8 Players - 3 females, 3 males, 0 - 2 neutrals (£17)
Dinner Party: 8 - 10 Players - 4 females, 4 males, 0 - 2 neutrals (£21)
Cost: £17 - £21 (payment via PayPal)
Discount for an additional version (different number of players) of THIS mystery: 40% discount. (Please email us via our contact form if this is required.)
Clare Wallace (verified owner) –
Rooting tooting good fun time at Kitty O Mara’s Saloon. Accusations, dancing, shootouts and enough suspects to keep us all guessing til the end! Would recommend. We played as a family with teens and adults.
Steve Phillippy (verified owner) –
Had a great time playing your game. Everyone came dressed for the part. We even had 2 girls learn the CanCan dance. No one guessed the murderers. I made my own invites and dressed them up using my cricut machine. See pic. I only wish the game booklets had everyone’s lines (ie not just the line before yours)as our actors kept losing their places and had to be reminded it was their turn. Other than that it was great.
Note from Maple Mystery Games: since the gentleman bought this game, we have added additional prompts for when players read the clues, have removed one of the red herrings and have also created some “optional extra clues” that guests can use or not as they wish to help them work out whodunnit.
Tamara (verified owner) –
Murder in the Wild West was a fantastic way to spend an evening, brilliant fun and would definitely recommend!
David Cooper (verified owner) –
What a rip-roaring, rooting-tooting night we had. Fantastically well-written script, superb props, great outfits by all. We were kept guessing right to the end whodunnit. Would highly recommend undertaking one of the evenings; fun all round. Thanks again.
Dawn –
What a fabulous evening of fun, intrigue, mystery & murder all set in the Wild West. Listen out for clues along the way .. & you may be the super sleuth. What better way to spend a fun evening with friends & get those little grey cells working with laughter along the way.
Adrian Balaam –
What a rip-roaring, cattle rustling evening.
Fantastic end to end fun. Great entertainment, great food, brilliant costumes and a fun bunch of people.
Highly recommend evening of murder and intrigue, even if I still haven’t managed to identify the murderer.