- 1). Create a guest list. Pick friends of your spouse, acquaintances from church, co-workers and anyone you think might be up for a little fun. The key is to invite a wide variety of guests who don't know each other and use solving the murder as a means to get them to mingle and get to know one another.
- 2). Send out invitations. Since this type of party generally includes a bit more preparation from the hosts and the guests, actual paper invitations are best. These need not be fancy and can be printed on your home computer printer, but should include a brief description of the concept. Assume that people have never been to a murder mystery party before. You may also want to consider adding a theme to the party, such as 1920s gangsters or 1960s hippies. This gives your guests n idea how to dress for the party and gives you some decorating tips.
- 3). Choose a narrator, ideally one of the hosts. This person will call all the suspects/detectives together and introduce the crime. Your narrator will also serve as a person to answer questions for the guests during their investigations.
- 4). Create a menu. Finger foods which can be eaten while investigating and strategically placed around the house will help keep people circulating and prevent the entire party from taking place around the punch bowl. Mini egg rolls, burritos and even corn dogs are excellent choices, or you may want to consider a menu that matches the theme.
- 5). Introduce the crime. having the murder take place in a room not initially used as part of the party will allow your narrator to lead everyone to the crime scene simultaneously. Have the location of the body outlined in masking tape and place clues where they can obviously be found. A good example might be a disposable lighter and crumpled cigarette pack found near the body of a non-smoker.
- 6). Enlist a murderer. Preferably before the night of the party enlist the aid of one of your more secretive guests and draft him (or her) to play the role of the murderer. They can even be given carte blanche to kill again if the situation warrants it.
- 7). Wrap it all up. At the end of the night, meet back in one of the bigger rooms for dessert and the great reveal when guests can present their theories and the murder is unmasked.
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