How to Host A Murder Mystery Party!

Last weekend, I hosted my first ever murder mystery party! I've been wanting to host one for ages, really (and since I've been watching The Big Bang Theory where Raj seems to throw one so often but the rest of the group hate it) and finally, I got a free kit from the *dun dun* interwebz and invited a bunch of friends and we had so much fun actually. I was a bit strapped for time (go figure, hahahaha) so we rushed through it but in under 3 hours, we managed to murder and find the killer. One person (who wasn't a character) got it the closest and it was good fun. 

So, here's how to host your first murder mystery.

1. Get the story/kit

As this is your first, you might wanna start with something easy. Kits are super duper expensive and free ones usually don't have that much detail. I did manage to find a free one called Sour Grapes of Wrath, which came with all the instructions so it was a breeze! If you don't want to get a kit, you can make one yourself but it will take quite some time and you need to be very clever in order to not give away the killer too easy!

2. Confirm everyone

This is important cos characters those who play need to be perfectly chosen for their roles. I did invite people who are not a character, but more as extras and they had a lot of fun too, so you can totally involve more people than just the characters

3. Print everything/prepare

You need to have the suspect dossiers, clues and story line printed and ready before starting. Make sure everything is correctly marked. You can have around 4-6 rounds depending on how much time you have. You can also get notepaper and pens for everyone who participates.

4. Start the party!

You can get people to come dressed as the role! That adds to the fun. You can also have short-eats and drinks so no one goes hungry. Make sure you follow the instructions and get people to not disclose too much details

5. Have fun!

The whole idea of the murder mystery is to have fun, so don't make it too technical/strict. People may get out of character every now and then, just let them have fun while figuring out the killer. If your friends do enjoy intellectual and mystery solving, they will have a wonderful time. 

Hope you have a great time