I am writing this year's murder mystery for my lady friends weekend away. Over dinner, murder mystery, started with @steveh's excellent products but write my own now. As with those products they are really RPGs.
So, especially since I just saw "And Then There Were None" at our theatre recently: it's time to get tricksie.
Last year there were two murderers who were unaware they had both tried to murder the victim (and between them succeeded), which was fun.
This year, I don't think there will be a murder at first. Just a locked escape room, 3 hours, and a lot of motives to kill.
They are all pretty damned good at this so I think it'll work. I'll add the rules to actually murder at 8:30pm, and then we can wrap when enough bodies are on the floor.
I think the dead come back as ghosts, but cannot reveal anything about their murderer. Since there is still more potential for death, seems only fair that the recently departed still get a go.
Of course they may not murder anyone.
So complex compared to a usual mudder mystery. Not for an RPG group though.
So what did I do then? I threw in three potential layers of identity, assumed, associated and secret. I hope I haven't gone too far.
Here is the introductory handout, very little revealed at this stage, just enough for costuming.
A Frenzy of Fans
This is a murder mystery evening with a difference, you are attending in the guise of two people.
The first guise is an alter ego, a created ‘close copy’ of a well known crime writer, and the second
is the normal person who adopts that alter ego to write ‘pastiches’ in the style of the original crime
writer about ‘close copies’ of famous detectives.
The top level alter egos and their detectives are:
Lynda La Plantpot writes about police detective DCI Jane Tennis-Ball.
Agatha Crispy writes about private detective Heracles Parrot.
Elly Gryffindor writes about forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Gallowgate.
L Jonathon-Ross writes about police detective DCI Ryanair.
Anne of Cleves writes about police detective DCI Vera Standup.
Dorothy I Sayso writes about amateur sleuth Lord Pierre Whimsical.
Margarine Alley Gang writes about amateur sleuth Silene Dioica.
You will immediately recognise the ‘original’ authors and detectives.
These pastiches are never published as books or by a recognised publisher, but they are very
popular on the Internet and amongst fans. They are also known as ‘fan fiction’ or even ‘fanfic’.
Your group of Internet murder mystery chums has decided to meet at a dinner party and tonight’s
the night.
You may dress in the style of your favoured author, or their detective, or sometimes just in your
own personal style.
When you meet at such parties and when you chat online and share stories you always use your
alter egos, it is bad form to reveal another person’s real identity.
The second guise, the person who writes the pastiches, is the actual real life writer. That person is
therefore secret for now, but may be revealed through the evening. As such they are only revealed to
each of you in your personal information pack
So, especially since I just saw "And Then There Were None" at our theatre recently: it's time to get tricksie.
Last year there were two murderers who were unaware they had both tried to murder the victim (and between them succeeded), which was fun.
This year, I don't think there will be a murder at first. Just a locked escape room, 3 hours, and a lot of motives to kill.
They are all pretty damned good at this so I think it'll work. I'll add the rules to actually murder at 8:30pm, and then we can wrap when enough bodies are on the floor.
I think the dead come back as ghosts, but cannot reveal anything about their murderer. Since there is still more potential for death, seems only fair that the recently departed still get a go.
Of course they may not murder anyone.
So complex compared to a usual mudder mystery. Not for an RPG group though.
So what did I do then? I threw in three potential layers of identity, assumed, associated and secret. I hope I haven't gone too far.
Here is the introductory handout, very little revealed at this stage, just enough for costuming.
A Frenzy of Fans
This is a murder mystery evening with a difference, you are attending in the guise of two people.
The first guise is an alter ego, a created ‘close copy’ of a well known crime writer, and the second
is the normal person who adopts that alter ego to write ‘pastiches’ in the style of the original crime
writer about ‘close copies’ of famous detectives.
The top level alter egos and their detectives are:
Lynda La Plantpot writes about police detective DCI Jane Tennis-Ball.
Agatha Crispy writes about private detective Heracles Parrot.
Elly Gryffindor writes about forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Gallowgate.
L Jonathon-Ross writes about police detective DCI Ryanair.
Anne of Cleves writes about police detective DCI Vera Standup.
Dorothy I Sayso writes about amateur sleuth Lord Pierre Whimsical.
Margarine Alley Gang writes about amateur sleuth Silene Dioica.
You will immediately recognise the ‘original’ authors and detectives.
These pastiches are never published as books or by a recognised publisher, but they are very
popular on the Internet and amongst fans. They are also known as ‘fan fiction’ or even ‘fanfic’.
Your group of Internet murder mystery chums has decided to meet at a dinner party and tonight’s
the night.
You may dress in the style of your favoured author, or their detective, or sometimes just in your
own personal style.
When you meet at such parties and when you chat online and share stories you always use your
alter egos, it is bad form to reveal another person’s real identity.
The second guise, the person who writes the pastiches, is the actual real life writer. That person is
therefore secret for now, but may be revealed through the evening. As such they are only revealed to
each of you in your personal information pack
Last edited:
