Murder Mystery Party Help Center & FAQs

Billing

Can I reuse a game I've purchased?

Yes! Once you purchase a game, it's yours. You can host multiple parties for the same game, though you'll need to create a new 'Party' instance each time to manage a new set of guests and RSVPs.

What is your refund policy / money back guarantee?

If you are not 100% satisfied, contact us within 30 days of purchase, and we can exchange the game or refund your money.

Can I get a custom murder mystery game written for my party or event?

Yes! Choose "Create a Custom Game" and tell us your theme, setting, era, audience rating and number of guests, whether it's a birthday, a Halloween murder mystery party, or a corporate murder mystery for your team. We create a complete, original murder mystery party game with characters, clues, portraits and invitations. Custom games start at $150 for 6 characters, plus $4 for each additional character, up to 14.

Which license do I need for a corporate, fundraiser or ticketed murder mystery event?

Choose your license when you buy a game: - Personal (included): private parties with friends or family. - Non-Profit (+$100): registered nonprofits hosting fundraisers or community murder mystery events. - Business / Organization (+$200): companies or groups, such as a corporate murder mystery or team building murder mystery, even if the event is free. - For-Profit / Retail Sales (+$250, custom games only): ticketed events or any event generating revenue, such as murder mystery dinner theater, public events, or client events run by a murder mystery event planner or venue.

Gameplay

What is the Game Room in the Host-Party app?

Unlike boxed games or downloadable PDF games, Host-Party provides a companion app that is available to your guests to read their clues, take notes, and submit their accusations. The distribution of clues can be done on a timed basis or under the host's manual control. This option eliminates the need to print out tons of paper (some murder mysteries can be over 100 pages) and makes facilitating the game flow easier.

Do I or my guests need acting skills to participate in the murder mystery game?

No acting experience is required! Our games are designed for everyone to enjoy, regardless of their performance background. Each player receives a character guide with clear instructions and prompts to help them engage with the story comfortably.

When do I start each round.

Most rounds take around 30 minutes to complete. Your guests need to mingle so they have the opportunity to share and uncover important clues. As players finish sharing their reveal information, you will notice a drop in energy. This is when you shoudl advance to the next round. Announce the end of the round and ask the players to read their next set of clues either in the Guest Packet or through the Game Room in our app. Don't stress about the timing. The important thing is that everyone is having fun, so there's no harm in letting the rounds linger a bit. Often, hosts get caught up in the murder mystery game or hosting their party and forget to advance to the next round. To avoid this, you can set the game to Auto advance in the manage tab of the game room. This will distribute the clues automatically every 30 mintues.

Can guests put their own face on their murder mystery character?

Yes! In our murder mystery party games, each guest can upload a photo from their invitation page and our AI creates a character portrait with their likeness, dressed for the role and set in the world of the mystery (up to 3 tries per character). Their portrait appears in the Game Room for every suspect to see, which makes for great photos at your murder mystery dinner party. Guests can also upload a photo to use as is.

Can guests play the murder mystery game in another language?

Yes. Our murder mystery party games, including the invitations and the Game Room, can be played in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese or Japanese. Each guest picks their own language with the language selector, so a mixed-language group can solve the same murder mystery together, which is ideal for international friends, families and corporate murder mystery events.

General

Do I need to print out all of the game materials?

While printing our game materials is an option, most hosts prefer to use our Game room in the companion app to distribute the materials electronically.

Can I add more characters to my murder mystery?

Yes! You can add more characters using our AI character generator or by hand. Generating characters will create a character and a set of clues that weave into the storyline. There is a fee of $4/character to use this feature.

Do any of the guests need to be a Victim?

We certainly hope not! Some games cast a guest as the victim. We have found that people generally prefer parties where they are not dead, so we have designed all of our murder mystery games to have the victim a role not assigned to a guest.

Can the host play a suspect role in the murder mystery game?

Yes. The games are designed for our hosts to play one of the suspect character roles. As the host, you will have access to a lot of the game materials, so you need to be careful not to peek into the solution round or character details that might reveal the culprit. With this said, many hosts have shared that knowing the outcome is just as fun because you can watch and see the reactions as things unfold. So the decision is yours.

Do your murder mystery game kits include dinner menus?

Each murder mystery party includes 3 dinner menu suggestions to help you coordinate your meal with the game's theme.

Are your murder mystery games scripted or clue based?

In general, there are 2 types of murder mysteries: scripted and clue-based. - Clue-based murder mystery games typically have clues that are distributed to each guest. These clues provide details that they are instructed to conceal or reveal. - Scripted murder mystery games have scripts that actors act out. These are mostly designed for large groups or murder mystery dinner theaters. At this time, all host-party games are clue-based mystery games, designed for home based murder mystery dinner parties.

Getting Started

How do I host my first murder mystery party?

Hosting is easy! First, browse our inventory and purchase a game. You can ask our virtual assistant available at the bottom right of all pages for help finding the right game. Once purchased, go to 'My Games' and click 'Host Party'. You'll be guided through setting a date, location, and assigning characters to your guests. Our app handles the invitations and provides a dedicated portal for every guest.

What equipment do I need for my murder mystery party?

A printer, if you plan to print the murder mystery party invitations and/or mystery game materials. If you don't want to print the game materials, the host will need a device (laptop, tablet, or phone) to manage the game, and your guests will need their own devices (usually a phone) to access their character dossiers. We also recommend having a device with a good speaker for audio clues and narrations.

Hosting

How can I best capture the 'budget-restricted' office vibe of Brickman’s Paper & Staples for my party?

To authentically set the scene for 'The Mandatory Holiday Mangle,' lean into the dreary corporate aesthetic by using harsh, cool-toned lighting and minimalist decorations like a single strand of tinsel or a small, sad-looking artificial tree. Encourage your guests to wear standard office attire with one 'forced' festive accessory, such as a cheap Santa hat or a tacky holiday tie, to highlight the satire of a forced company celebration.

What is the best way to set up my home to reflect the setting of 'A Very Deadly Christmas at Evergreen Estate'?

To recreate the isolated atmosphere of Evergreen Estate, you should designate three specific areas of your home to represent the Grand Hall, the Library, and the victim's private Study. Since the plot revolves around a record-breaking blizzard on Christmas Eve, consider closing the curtains to simulate being snow-bound and using holiday decorations and 'storm' sound effects to immerse your guests in the setting.

How should I decorate my venue to best represent the dreary atmosphere of 'The Mandatory Holiday Mangle'?

To lean into the 'budget-restricted' theme of Brickman’s Paper & Staples, keep decorations intentionally underwhelming. Use harsh fluorescent lighting, sparse or mismatched holiday tinsel, and perhaps a single, sad-looking artificial tree. Serving 'budget' refreshments on plain paper plates will help immerse your guests in the humorous, low-effort corporate office setting.

Since the mystery 'A Very Deadly Christmas at Evergreen Estate' takes place in specific locations like the Grand Hall and the Study, how should I arrange my hosting space?

To best represent the isolated Evergreen Estate, you should designate three distinct areas in your home to serve as the Grand Hall, the Library, and the victim's private Study. If you are limited on space, you can use themed signage or room dividers within a single large room to differentiate these zones, helping guests immerse themselves in the blizzard-bound setting.

How can I best recreate the 'Oasis of Orchids' atmosphere when hosting 'Murder at the Moonlight Mai Tai'?

To capture the Royal Hibiscus Resort vibe, host your party in an outdoor space decorated with tiki torches and tropical floral arrangements. You can further enhance the setting by creating a designated 'VIP area' using bamboo furniture or screens, and setting up a central focal point to represent the traditional Hawaiian pig roast sand pit.

What do my guests see in their RSVP Guest portal?

Each guest gets a unique link to their Guest Portal. There, they'll find their character's name, backstory, secret objectives, costume suggestions, and a place to take notes during the investigation. They can also RSVP directly through their portal.

Are the mystery games required to be played over a dinner?

Our murder mystery games include dinner menu suggestions that pair well with the mystery, but serving a meal wiht the game is not required.

Do Host-Party mystery games include invitations?

Yes. All of our murder mystery games include elegant printed and electronic email invitations. There are two styles for the printed invites to support both single-sided and double-sided printers

What if I have extra guests for my mystery party? How do I add more characters?

All Host-Party murder mystery games can be expanded to support additional guests for a small fee ($4/character). Here is how it works: 1) Click the "Generate Characters" button from the guest list/character list in your game or party 2) Select how many additional characters you want 3) Our system will generate a selection of characters to choose from. 4) Select your character(s), and our system will create their backstory, motives, and a set of clues to weave them into the mystery. For best results, we recommend keeping your murder mystery game to 12 or less character suspects.

Can I host a virtual or remote murder mystery party?

Yes. Choose the Virtual Game Room when you set up your party. Guests join from their own phone, tablet or laptop using their invitation link, receive their clues in real time and submit their accusations online. Pair it with your favorite video call app and you have a virtual murder mystery party game that works for long-distance friends, remote teams and online team building murder mystery events.

Can Host-Party send reminders to my murder mystery party guests?

Yes. Turn on Automatic Guest Notifications & Reminders in your party settings and we'll send your guests their costume suggestions and party reminders before the big night. Everyone arrives in character and ready to play, so you can enjoy hosting your murder mystery dinner party instead of chasing RSVPs.

What is the Detective Board in a murder mystery game kit?

Many of our murder mystery game kits include a Detective Board: an illustrated board of the suspects and evidence that helps guests piece the case together. It appears in the Game Room and is included in the printable Print Kit, so you can display it at your murder mystery dinner party as both a clue tracker and a centerpiece.