Library Type
Public
Cost and Funding:
$45 - Individual Games, $100 - Annual Membership, $200 - Lifetime Membership
Partnership:
Broadway Murder Mysteries
Description:
Using a New Year’s promotion, the library purchased a lifetime membership with Broadway Murder Mysteries to have access to all of their murder mystery games. It is not necessary to purchase their games to host a murder mystery but their packages offer everything you would need to set up a game. Most of the games are rated 13+ but some are designed for kids. The games can be played in person or virtually over Zoom.
Game packages come with host guides, both in person and virtual, character descriptions and scripts, questions menu, evidence menu, and bonuses to make the experience more immersive such as fake mustaches and Zoom backgrounds.
After the “murder” takes place, the game is broken up into several sections: introductions, three rounds of evidence followed by questioning, and then confessions. It is the host’s job to guide the game through these sections. They are given their own script in the evidence menu or, if they are uncomfortable playing a part, there are links to YouTube videos for them to play to move the game along.
The players (between 6 and 20) are given scripts and a secret number. The scripts have guilty lines and innocent lines. At the beginning of the game, a secret number is drawn. The player whose secret number matches the number drawn must read their guilty lines. Everyone else reads their innocent lines. After the three rounds of questioning (questions are provided in the questions menu), everyone guesses who they think the guilty person is. Then one by one, the rest of the secret numbers are drawn and the innocent players make their innocent statements until only the guilty person remains to make their confession.
Tips:
We allowed participants to choose a role when they signed up so we had both a paper sign-up sheet and a list of available characters on the Facebook event description which we would update when someone signed up for a particular role.
Even though the scripts say not to read ahead, we gave everyone their scripts ahead of time to help them get more comfortable with their characters.
Six is the recommended minimum number of participants. BMM provides scripts for up to 20 people. Additional people can participate by observing and guessing who they think the murderer is. We don’t advertise this when we set up a game, just if people ask, because we don’t want everyone registering as detectives rather than participating as characters.
For more information about Broadway Murder Mysteries, please visit: https://www.broadwaymurdermysteries.com/
Tags: Adults Basic Children Teens
