Murder mystery parties are become a hugely popular form of entertainment. It adds something extra to any party or social gathering. There’s so many options to choose from and so many theme’s too. If murder mysteries are new to you, you may be a little nervous about attending one. Not to worry, below we look at some top tips new people to the murder mystery madness.
Firstly, welcome and congratulations on taking the first step towards becoming a Murder mystery party expert. From time periods to characters, you may need some prep and planning before you can fully immerse yourself and that’s fine.
Masters of Mystery have a wide variety of games, the details of time period the game is set and the character you’ll be playing will be included within your invitation. However, if you want a bit more detail you can always check on the games website Masters of Mystery and find the game your host has chosen. Follow the steps below to make sure you are fully comfortable with your character and their story.
Character Ages and Genders
You’ve received your character from the host, now check their age and gender. If this is relevant to the story it should be included within your invitation. A good host will cast based on the age and gender of the guests attending, so it’s unlikely a 20-year-old woman will be playing a 60 year old man. A good host will give you a character that matches your age and chosen gender. The Masters of Mystery games are all flexible and fair with both male and female characters as well as gender neutral characters that can be played by anyone.
Once you know your character think about the story and its themes. Men, women and children act differently, as do different generations of people and attitudes changed greatly throughout time. If you’re playing a young woman in 1989, she’ll be very different to a young woman from the 1950s. Once you know your characters age and gender and the period the game is set you can do a little bit of research into that time in history and you will have a better idea of the world, these characters live in.
What do they look like?
The next thing you need to do is visualise your character. Your host will have given some indication as to the costume suggestions for your character already. These will be included within your invitation. Whether you’re playing a pirate or a cowboy, a princess or a servant, this will reflect what you wear. You may also want to consider whether your character is based on a real person or not. Many murder mystery games are parodies of real-life events or people. If you know who your character is based on you can always research them prior to the event.
Finding a Costume
When a murder mystery is set in specific time period, this can often be a cause for concern for many people, especially if they don’t have anything from that era. There’s no need to worry, you can usually find a costume somewhere in your own collection or cheaply from charity shops or online retailers and you can always adapt something with accessories.
Example: your murder mystery is set in the1950’s.
For men this is quite straight forward, greasers simply wore blue or black jeans and white or black t-shirts with trainers. Slick your hair back and that’s all you need to do. A jock or preppy kid would wear beige trousers and a shirt or polo shirt with a cardigan or jumper and perhaps a tie or bow tie.
For women: Skirts were usually cotton or light weight material and knee-length which can be picked up from a charity shop, but leggings or cropped trousers were also in fashion, add a plain t-shirt or blouse and there you go. A preppy character might have a cardigan or sweater with it, a cool chick might have a satin or leather-look jacket and a neck scarf.
Example: your murder mystery is set in in Victorian Era (1800s)
For men: a formal shirt and a pair of trousers with a suit jacket is the basic ‘gentleman’ costume, if you have a tailcoat you can use that, but not everyone has one of those, so why not add a cravat, tied around the neck instead (these can be picked up online or you can just use a piece of colourful, velvet or satin look fabric)
For women: Skirts and dresses were long, a plain maxi skirt and blouse with a broach or something can instantly give you an 1800s look. You can find these in charity shops. Or pick up a simple Victorian style skirt online on sites such as Ebay cheaply. If you want to give your skirt more volume as was popular in the 1700s and during late 1800s, Queen Victoria’s reign then add a hooped skirt, these can also be purchased online.
The Event
Having some Improvisational skills will help you at a murder mystery event, but they are not compulsory. Not everyone is comfortable making things up and the spot and mostly, improvisation will only be if you want to interact with other characters outside of the scripted moments.
To make life easier for those who aren’t comfortable with improvisation all Masters of Mystery games are mostly scripted, when you get to the event you will be given a booklet that will contain further information about your character and all the relevant information you will need for your character during the event. Any questions you need to ask another character is clearly marked and when characters ask you a question, the answers you give are also scripted.
So, there you have it, if your new to murder mystery parties then don’t worry. Everything is very simple and easy and with Masters of Mystery all the information you need is available in your invitation or online. Your host will also have the full information about the event and about your character before the day of the event, if there’s anything you’re unsure of then you can ask them directly and they may be able to help. We hope you enjoy your Murder Mystery Party.
