You have questions? We have answers.
Q. I want an easy-to-arrange party. Won’t this involve a lot of organising on my part?
A. Write Me A Murder aims to make your party as trouble-free as possible for you, the host. Once you’ve decided on a venue and a date for your party, all you have to do is give us that information, along with a little info about your guests, any preferred theme and whether the whodunnit will take place over dinner! On the day/evening, you will find that the party runs itself, and will be just as much fun for you as the host, as it will for the other guests. Plus, you don’t have to be creative to host a Write Me A Murder party. All instructions and everything you need for a smooth-running party will be included in your host’s guide. At the end of the evening, everyone will be congratulating you on what a fantastic party you’ve just thrown!
Q. How long do the plots take to work through on the night?
A. Our plots are designed to run for a minimum of 2.5-3 hours (longer for bigger groups). Generally, they’re held over dinner, with one round of the plot being played over each course. However, they can be held as standalone parties (ie not over dinner) but we do recommend you set aside an entire evening/afternoon. There’s a lot of information to bring out, clues to read, even a crime scene to examine so for an average group of 12 people, we recommend a minimum of 2.5 hours.
Q. I still don’t get it – what exactly is a murder mystery party?
A. If you’ve never attended a murder mystery party before and aren’t too sure what’s involved, don’t worry! Imagine your friends and family, in great costumes, appearing in an episode of Columbo crossed with a game of Cluedo, with a shot of CSI thrown in for good measure. The host’s guides and the character booklets make everything clear – you can’t go wrong. Follow the clues and you’ll be on your way to being the new Sherlock Holmes! Of course if you have any further questions you can always contact us and we will try to answer them.
Q. I’m not quite sure if a couple of my guests will be able to attend – what can I do?
A. If you’re not sure that one or more guests will be able to attend, don’t worry, just let us know when you order your murder mystery game and we will write them a peripheral role. In other words, there will be a role for them if they can attend, but they are not pivotal to the plot, in case they are unable to be with you. Peripheral characters, even though they know they are not the murderer, can still have a lot of fun guessing who the guilty party is!
Q. I don’t want to print out the paperwork for the evening. Can you send it to me?
A. No problem. If you would like the entire plot paperwork printed by us and sent to you by post, please let us know at the time of enquiry so that we can incorporate the extra fee into your quote. Note that there is a £40 fee to cover printing and postage.
Q. Won’t I find out who the murderer is in advance – especially if you send me a plot to download?
A. Some written clues and the solution are always sent to you by post, in sealed envelopes, so you won’t be tempted to peek until it’s time to open them on the evening!
Q. My party is in less than nine weeks’ time – what shall I do?
A. No problem, for an extra fee we can write you a plot in less time – but we do need an absolute minimum of six weeks’ notice. Please note that at particularly busy times for our business, we might be unable to accept a booking with less than nine weeks’ notice.
Q. I need some costumes – help!
A. We can recommend costumes for your event, which you can easily create either from your own wardrobe or find in fancy dress shops. If the costume or accessory you are looking for is proving hard to find, contact us and we’ll see what we can do to help you out.
Q. Are your games suitable for children?
A. Let us know if children are going to be at the party and whether they want a role. Our plots can easily be written around children being present, we might just have to tone down the juicy details a fraction occasionally! If they’re of a suitable age, they can sometimes be given a role for the evening (for example, official “police photographer” or even to take fingerprints if mess isn’t a problem!) We can also create a party for children – we generally recommend that 12 is the youngest suitable age as it’s difficult for younger children to concentrate for long enough or to take in enough information to solve a mystery.
Q. What if something goes wrong on the evening?
A. We’re confident that nothing will, but if something untoward does happen on the evening, such as one of your character booklets goes astray, the dog eats the certificates or whatever, don’t panic. The beauty of having downloaded it all is that you can just log back in and reprint anything you’ve lost. If someone fails to turn up at the last minute, someone good at multi-tasking will get to play two characters!
More questions? Email us at Write Me A Murder and we will be happy to help.