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| This is the mystery of the evening - box, a clue book, and the business card that one of the characters brought to promote her fictitious business. |
I love taking part in murder mystery dinners - as writer, as host, as unwitting participant - they are so much fun. However, it can be a little challenging to make everything work smoothly. Writing one takes a large chunk of time, so I like to use the kits. However, these pre-boxed sets are generally written for couples, and I have a ton of great girlfriends (not all of whom have an associated partner who is willing to come along). Last night, I used a women's only game from a company that I found on the internet (note: I purchased this several years ago, and they do not seem to be selling online any longer) - this allowed me to be in the dark about the murderer as well.
If you have not tried this sort of game, here's the general outline:
- there's a theme - essentially a reason for all of the outlandish characters to get together. Last night, the theme was contestants in a reality bachelor show type of contest trying to convince a prince to wed.
- each character has a name that reflects their background, goals, or other personal trait. For example, I was playing Destiny Wilbemyne - an aspiring singer/songwriter looking for her big break despite her lack of talent.
- each character has a personal agenda of why they wanted the murder victim out of the way
- the game starts with a message / statement / announcement that the victim has been murdered and the players are the suspects.
- then there are several rounds of clues - those you try to keep hidden and items that you reveal about other characters as they try to defend themselves. This is the main part of the game as you try to figure out motives and opportunities.
- finally, characters read (in ascending order from least opportunity / motive to the killer) a final epilogue that reveals how the crime happened
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| Clare (the wealthy black widow), Destiny (the star to be), Wanda (the royal do-gooder), and Lacey (the wedding planner) |
Our menu was:
First course (Dips):
Individual Seven Layer Dip Cups - recipe from this site
Fiesta Dip
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
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| The last strawberry tart |
Blue Corn Chips
Cheesy Phyllo Crackers - recipe from this site
Pita Chips
Pretzels
Whole Grain Crackers
Cheese Tray
Second Course (Cold Appetizers):
Devilled Eggs
Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels - recipe from this site
Prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed with feta
Third Course (Hot Appetizers):
Sausage Cheddar Balls
Spanokopita
Pepper Poppers
Ham & Cheese Spirals - recipe from this site
Dessert:
Individual White Chocolate and Strawberry Tarts
Doing this recipes many did make my kitchen a disaster zone by the end of the evening, but I would make any of them again. I was taking a bit of a gamble on trying 7 brand new recipes in one party; however, the guests pronounced themselves stuffed (in the best of ways) by the end of the evening.
The evening was great fun - three of us (including myself) did figure out who the murderer was. Some of my favorite moments from the evening were - singing (as badly as only Destiny could) several of the clues, Jade's side stories about the lamb-ahs (llamas) on her daddy's Texas ranch, Goldie's waitress wedding dress costume, Lacey's insistence on the need for ruffles and descriptions of the weddings that she had helped to plan, etc. My friends are so clever and had great costumes and props - I, unfortunately, did not take many photos - the off-the-cuff remarks were often much funnier than the actual written clues. I look forward to the next party because I was reminded of how much fun I have with these games.
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| Mary (the self-help guru), Goldie (the waitress), and Clare |
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