murder mystery?
March 16, 2009 · Filed Under Entertaining
Veronica P asked:
I’m throwing a murder mystery party. and i was wonder like what characters should be there. like maid butler ect. and how to make the outfits. its a 13 birthday party. and its going to happen at night
and how to do the make-up and what food and drinks to use. also how to choose the murderer
and what type of music
play spades online
I’m throwing a murder mystery party. and i was wonder like what characters should be there. like maid butler ect. and how to make the outfits. its a 13 birthday party. and its going to happen at night
and how to do the make-up and what food and drinks to use. also how to choose the murderer
and what type of music
play spades online
Comments
2 Responses to “murder mystery?”
home theater equipment
I have been to tons of murder mystery parties - mostly these are purchased from sites, they have everything planned for you.
If you enjoy entertaining, writing and have a good imagination then why not write your own?
I always write with the guests in mind, if someone is particularly confident (and I have many friends who are) than I may play up the role.
Firstly, I’ll decide who is coming to the party. Then I will think of a theme that could have a lot of potential for scandal. It could be in a country, a work place or even back in time. Whatever takes your fancy really.
Decide who exactly has been murdered and how. How may not be important, but it can be a good clue to who the murderer may be.
The next stage is to think up six or more characters. This is the fun bit for me. I like to create stereotypical, humorous characters who are bound to cause a stir and clash with one another.
I personally like to get the characters clear in my mind before even beginning writing the actual booklets. I will send out invites at this time, well in advance and make sure that everyone is coming before I begin writing.
Every character should have a motive for killing the victim. Obviously some are that little bit stronger than others, but every guest is a suspect! Perhaps you should start by imagining exactly why each guest would want the victim out of the picture. A violent background? A legacy? An affair? I always keep notes to keep myself refreshed with each characters personality and motives. When I feel I know the characters well, I begin writing a rough guide to the booklets.
Round 1 (before starters) is usually a chance for the guests to introduce themselves and give each other an idea as to who exactly they are and their relationship with the murdered. Everyone usually starts off being very polite to one another.
As we approach Round 2 (after starters) the characters are beginning to show their true colours and reacting to each other. Individuals will clash or bond. Memories of the deceased are passed around, little clues here and there may be revealed by everyone.
Round 3 and 4 (and perhaps 5) will become more heated. Accusations are made, arguments start and all motives should be revealed through heated discussions and flashbacks. Make sure a motive for every character is revealed somewhere in someone’s booklet.
Don’t be scared to have actions in there as well. People getting up from the table for secret meetings, demonstrations and fights. These really do add something. I love putting in comments that will get a laugh, but do not necessarily add anything particular to the plot. If a character is nasty, have fun devising rude comments aimed at other guests. If a character is a man-eater, why not have her flirt with every guy round the table.
Decide who the murderer is. I do this last, but it’s up to you. I look at the motives and select the character I believe had the best reason to get rid of the victim. Once this is decided, I will throw in a few subtle clues here and there.
Have a look at my murder mysteries for inspiration. They are not perfect by any means but they work well with my set of friends as I know what makes them tick. So you may find your own homemade murder mysteries work better for you.
TIPS
Don’t give characters too much to say in one round. 3 or 4 points to make is fine, otherwise people will forget and evidence will be missed.
Don’t give them huge amounts of word-to-word information to say else they will read straight from the booklets, which gives a sense of falseness. There should be a little improvisation involved. So points like “Express to Tom how angry you are at his decision to leave the country” are better
It’s a good idea to have characters reacting to one another. I.e. Dot - “You’ll get angry if anyone dare mention your age” so make sure another guest asks Dot what she did for her 80th.
Why not create your own props? A newspaper cutting that reveals a scandalous past of one of the guests? A love letter found in the coat of another? The murder weapon?
Give your friends appropriate characters to play. If one of your guests is the reserved sort it may not be a good idea to assign them the role of a schizophrenic housewife who believes she is pregnant with an aliens baby.
More importantly, have FUN!
Go to this website, it has FREE murder mysteries:
For costumes, it might say already but have them dress themselves up, then it’s a surprise for everyone! you could do their makeup or have them do it themselves.
Also try music from mystery movies like Pink Panther or gloomy halloween music (not too scary though!)
or instrumentals of songs could also work
check out iTunes or download them.
trade show items
I went to one with a music/ entertainment theme…there was a disc. jockey, a rock star, drummer, female celeb., her boyfriend, a body guard, host and hostess, and a mystery guest?