Murder 101: How to Be A Guest At A Murder Mystery Party

Now that we’ve already covered the basics of murder mystery parties:

what they are and the different types of games, and you know what you’re getting into by accepting that party invitation, its time to explain what happens at the parties. (And if you’ve never participated in this type of event before, it might be a good idea to go ahead and read those two articles to get more information.) Maybe you’ve never been to a party before and want to know what will be expected of you, or you’re a murder mystery vet and just want to make sure you’re doing it right, either way, we’ll cover everything you need to know about being a guest at a murder mystery party.

Important note:

This article assumes that you are not attending a dinner theater murder mystery(not sure what a dinner theater is? Read about it here). Because dinner theaters differ so much in play from the other two types, a corresponding article will be posted soon after this one.

Party Until You Drop Dead presents: How To Be A Guest At A Murder Mystery Party!

Murder 101: Types of Murder Mystery Parties.

Most people who are familiar with the term "Murder Mystery Party" understand that such an event is a story-run game where participants play detective to solve the big mystery. (And if you aren't familiar with the term, you will benefit from reading "Murder 101: What is a Murder Mystery Party Anyways?". Don't worry, we'll wait here until you catch up!) However, the average party-goer may not know that "Murder Mystery Party" can be a somewhat vague description of what exactly you will spend your night doing.

Under the category "Murder Mystery Party", there are three sub-typess:

1. Interactive
2. Turn-Based
3. Dinner Theater

Murder 101: What is a Murder Mystery Party Anyways?

“Murder is always a mistake – one should never do anything one cannot talk about after dinner”

-Oscar Wilde

In my many days of hosting murder mystery parties, I've found that each party has a few common threads:

First, a murder.

Second, a host.

And third, a newbie who just doesn't get it.

And that's perfectly okay! Everyone has to start somewhere, and as this isn't a very 'mainstream' method of entertaining, new players abound.

As a host, however, gathering the right words to explain what exactly a murder mystery party is can be a daunting task. I've stumbled over things like, "Well, there was a murder, there's food. uh. good luck?" "Someone in the room just murdered this guy and I can't say if it was you or not but you would know if you did it unless you didn't read your packet right, but sometimes you don't know, but I'm not sure, but your goal is to solve the murder - go!" and my all-time favorite, "This guy was murdered, and READ YOUR PACKET OH MY GOODNESS. THERE'S AN INFORMATIONAL PAGE RIGHT THE-oh. There isn't? Whoops. Heh. Here, let me get you one. . ."

So, then, what exactly is a murder mystery? I shall now explain it to you to the best of my ability:

A murder mystery party is an event planned by a host, most often through store-bought game, and carried out by the guests. The guests take on the role of a 'detective' to solve the party's main mystery, usually a murder, and any other mysteries that take place surrounding it.

Murder 101: Blog Introduction

mur·der mys·ter·y par·ty:

Noun.

A social event in which people make friends by lying, backstabbing, and murdering their enemies. Usually accompanied by cheesy costumes and decor.

It was a dark and stormy night. Despite the gloomy weather, the annual Blogger Gala proceeded quite cheerily inside Google Manor. Dancing, merriment, and the finest dresses abounded, when suddenly. . . VWOOMP! the lights were cut and Google Manor was left pitch black! Curious chatter filled the air as the lights almost immediately fizzled back to their bright settings. Turning around to find the source of the noise, Lady Blogspot found quite the shocking sight - Sir Google Plus had been murdered! At Lady Blogspot's shocked screech, the event's host stepped up to the microphone. . .