How to Host a Murder: experiences and opinions please?
I’m planning to host it and I was curious if anyone here tried it and how they liked it. And how important you though the costumes and looks of the players were.
Also, if anyone has a clue (no pun intended) where to find the installment “Saturday night cleaver”, please let me know.
Did a couple of these when I was younger (20’s and 30’s). Better to just have a costume party. The stories are so convoluted, you can’t really guess who did it. Do not do this with copious amounts of alcohol. You’ll be there all night and it will make even less sense than it does sober. They come with menus and everyhting you need, but it just wasn’t all that fun.
Goldstarsells passes to these types of events if you just want to attend one and not actually host it.
I’ve attended a couple, and my experience is that they sound more fun than they are. turner pretty much nailed it.
I remember one I attended during high school. I had to resist calling bullshit when every round had evidence that pointed to a different killer, and evidence conflicted. Also, the person who actually did it isn’t told ahead of time.
Might as well dress up and play Clue.
Did one with friends in college - it went pretty well but people had some trouble dissociating the real people from the roles. My then-boyfriend and I got our secret info packets, and we were playing a man and woman who were secretly brother and sister. So our characters weren’t supposed to be known to know each other, but the players kept assuming that our characters were very close, when to the other characters they were really supposed to seem like strangers, and he and I acted it out well enough.
Did one with friends in college. Was fun, but . . .
We didn’t do a huge amount with costumes, but enough for the flavor. The biggest problems were that the people hosting were also cooking and so had to leave the rest of us to our own devices for a while so they could finish the main course, etc.
But also, as described by others, you get chunks of info, act (and eat) awhile, then new chunks, and it’s hard to know whether someone is playing hard to get or they really don’t know the information and the solution to the mystery was absurd . . .
Was it fun? Sure, especially since some of the others were good at getting into character. But ultimately not that satisfying from a mystery standpoint.
People have very different comfort levels with role playing even if it’s just a game. I’d suggest trying to keep it light and fun so even the shy and the quiet feel comfortable.
A really good friend of mine hosted one once and I was an intense major character (I was holding a hospital hostage at the time of the murder) I didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t really enjoy it, but I understand why I was probably the best choice for the role.
Apparently. It sounded like a funny thing.
That’s just weird. You mean one of the players discovers he has been the killer all along?
I’ve been to two, and had a lot of fun at both. One of the ones I did, the killer was told on the first page, and she was told that she could lie and given hints. The other one had no idea who was the killer until the end, and it turned out three people had committed it together. Sure the mysteries are kind of silly, but it can be a lot of fun getting into character. The first one I did, I played the maid and my dad played a local priest, and we found out we were having an affair! That was odd. 
I like them, but wouldn’t want to do them often. A friend of mine recently did a large one (both of the ones I attended were meant for 8 people) as her birthday party. The pictures from it looked really awesome, but I wasn’t able to go.
Moved Cafe Society --> The Game Room.
The wife of a good friend got one of these games ages ago, and has never been able to host it. She pulled it out recently, and really, REALLY wants to do this. The problem has been getting 8 people together at the same time who can commit the time for it and be there to make it go. We have tried once, but had to cancel when several had to back out. I know that they will try again. If it happens reasonably soon, I will post my opinion on it.