Shot In The Dark Mystery Games Mystery Maiden shares secrets to crafting the perfect guest list for your murder mystery game party.
One of the factors that can make or break a party is the guest list. Certain guests thrive in certain situations while shying away from others. When I put on a murder mystery game party, I invite different people than I would for my grandfathers 89th birthday party. This is a simple comparison, but sometimes the lines between pleasing everyone and throwing a crowd-pleasing party blur.
Practicing the art of crafting a perfect guest list does not mean turning your back on your friends. Once youve determined the theme of your party you will better know what you are trying to accomplish. When throwing a dinner party, my guest list is extremely different than the list I craft to throw a murder mystery game party. Many of the guests who attend my murder mystery game parties are outgoing and vivacious, whereas those who thrive in a dinner party setting are usually a bit more formal.
Before you begin scratching names from your guest list, remember this: your base cast need only be suited for the party. Lets talk a bit about casting. Recently, I threw a surprise murder mystery game party for my aunts 60th birthday. Because the venue was a pool hall, I needed to cast people who would be able to deliver share clues over the noise, and were bold enough to wander around and share secrets with everyone.
Some people stand right out as those you can cast as characters. You know right away that if you give them a clue, they will act it up, ham it up, shout it out and make it fun. Others well, perhaps youre not so sure. My cousin is a great example of this. I have known him all my life and cast him as the murderer at the Pool Hall Pummeling event. He is a bit subdued, but I just knew he could take the part and run with it. Boy, was I right. By round two he was shouting accusations, adding his own little one-liners to clues and delivering share information without skipping a beat!
Just because someone might not be perfect for a character, though, doesnt mean they cant come, and it certainly doesnt mean they cant play. These people just need a different role.
So how do you craft the perfect guest list? Why, its as simple as 1, 2, 34.
- If you havent yet created a tentative guest list, start there. Write down everyone that comes to your mind without thinking whether they would be good characters or not. You are brainstorming here, so dont pre-judge, just let your pencil (or your fingers on the keyboard) fly.
- A few people will stand out in your mind right away as those who would make excellent characters. Put a star next to their names or highlight them yellow. You will know how many characters you can assign by checking that game on the Shot In The Dark Mysteries Website or by referring to the second page of the materials you downloaded when you purchased the game. In this example, I will use Murder On The Mound, which requires 11-12 characters.
- Thomas Hardy
- James Brown
- Betty Boop
- Florence Hendersen
- Tony Tiger
- Mary Contrary
- Elton John
- Chris Angel
- Bono
- Rene Levesque
- Harrison Ford
- Michelle Miles
- Billie Jean
- Barney Rubble
- Mi Prima Ballerina
- Gnarls Barkley
- Stevie Nicks
- Rose Tyler
- Ewan Mcgregor
- Acheron Hades
- Weird Al Yanovick
- Belinda Stronach
- Warrick Brown
- Frank Pembleton
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Determine who, although not playing a character, would make a good supplementary player for example, someone to deliver clues, read the chapter introductions, share the mystery solution etc. (For more ideas on this topic, read the article Tips for drawing in extra guests) Mark these people with a different symbol or highlighter colour. These people will shy away a bit from the limelight, but will enjoy being involved. Now my list looks like this:
- Thomas Hardy
- James Brown
- Betty Boop
- Florence Hendersen
- Tony Tiger
- Mary Contrary
- Elton John
- Chris Angel
- Bono
- Rene Leveque
- Harrison Ford
- Michelle Miles
- Billie Jean
- Barney Rubble
- Mi Prima Ballerina
- Gnarls Barkley
- Stevie Nicks
- Rose Tyler
- Ewan Mcgregor
- Acheron Hades
- Weird Al Yanovick
- Belinda Stronach
- Warrick Brown
- Frank Pembleton
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Who is left? Obviously the rest of the people on my list are going to at least enjoy watching the murder mystery game unfold and casting an accusation at the end, or they wouldnt be on my list in the first place. These people play an important role, even though any great murder mystery game can occur without them. They are the impartial witnesses who will be able to give excellent insight when its time to make accusations. We call these people witnesses or detectives, CSIs or any additional role that fits in with the plot. In Murder On The Mound a baseball-themed murder mystery game, these precious others can be cast as fans in the stands. In the Wizard of Oz Murder Mystery, you can designate the others as Munchkins! Regardless, these people will not be relied upon for the game to work, but will still enjoy the theatrics!
Your guest list can make or break your party, but following these simple steps will ensure your party will be a hit, and your zen-like state will remain.
Mystery Maiden writes and facilitates murder mystery, general mystery, forensics and custom mystery games for Shot In The Dark Mysteries. For more party host tips, quizzes and more, visit Shot In The Dark Mysteries. The Mystery Maiden can also be reached via email at mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com.
