New Year’s Eve
Midnight at Grouse Lodge
December 31, a mountain lodge cut off by snow
- 6 adult players
- about 2 hours of play
- PDF you print at home
- the host plays too
$27.90See the game
Murder at the Offsite, an office murder mystery party for 6
A leadership offsite on the French coast, a November storm, a hotel locked in
The night before she presents her “Cap Atlantique 2028” plan, the president of Marchal-Dutour Stationery is found dead in the meeting room. Storm, road closed, staff gone. Her slide deck arrives three slides at a time, and each of you finds out who keeps their job. One of you six poured the poison.
- 6 adult players
- about 2 hours of play
- PDF you print at home
- the host plays too
$27.90paid once, instant PDF download, $4.65 per player
Buy and download, $27.90- 7:30pmDinner at La Véranda. The wind picks up.
- 8:50pmHélène raises her glass: “Tomorrow, 9 a.m., Cap Atlantique 2028. Tonight, no questions.”
- 10:07pmThe power fails across the whole peninsula.
- 10:41pmThe Atlantic room is opened. Hélène is on the floor.
- 11:15pmSix executives, six secrets, one slide deck. Your move.
The prologue
The opening of the text the host reads aloud. The rest is in the game.
In early November, the leadership team of Marchal-Dutour Stationery (notebooks, binders and pens since 1962) holds its annual offsite at Hotel Les Embruns in La Baule, off season: the hotel is yours alone. Hélène Marchal-Dutour, fifty-eight, president, third generation, is due to present the “Cap Atlantique 2028” plan at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Nobody has seen the deck.
That night, Storm Octavie hits the coast. At 9 p.m., the staff go home. At 9:10, the road is cut off. At 10:07, the power fails across the whole peninsula. At 10:41, Lior opens the Atlantic room: the president is on the floor, her thermos of herbal tea beside her.
Help will not come before morning. The president’s tablet is hunting for a little signal to download her deck, three slides at a time. Each of you is about to find out who keeps their job. One of you six has killed Hélène Marchal-Dutour.
The cast
Six roles, one victim. This is what each guest may know about the others before the party; the rest is in the booklets.
- Hélène Marchal-Dutourthe victim
- Alix Delmasruns sales, fourteen years in, always has an “opportunity” to pitch
- Yaël Fontainekeeps the books and built the numbers behind the plan
- Swann Kerhoëlruns the Ancenis plant, twenty-seven years on the floor
- Lior Salaünthe president’s right hand, in charge of organizing the offsite
- Mika Pennecruns marketing, fluent in “touchpoints”
- Elliot Rollandruns purchasing, frank to the point of recklessness
In this game
For the mood
Offsite outfits, name badges, lukewarm coffee, a slide deck nobody understands.
- Host guide10 pages
- Six character booklets60 pages
- Clues, solution, ballots and name tags34 pages
- To print104 pages
Plan on ten envelopes: six with the character names, four marked 1, 2, 3 and S. The cards are cut out with scissors.
Preview: the layout of the PDF pages, text hidden.
Six players, no more, no fewer
Who knows the killer?
- no : the host
- no : the other guests
- yes : the killer alone
Every role holds a piece of the story: without one of the six, the case cannot be played. You are one of the six, the host plays like everyone else.
A guest cancels?
If you find a replacement before the start, they take the open role. The host guide has you hand out the booklets on arrival, with fifteen minutes of reading. The six roles stay essential: the game does not work with five. Better to know that before you send the invitations.
No game master
Nobody runs the game from the outside. The host hands out roles without knowing which one is the killer’s, and the host guide does not say.
Clues arrive in envelopes at set times, and the solution waits in envelope S until the vote. Everyone learns the ending at the same moment.
How do you play a murder mystery at home?
Plan on a 15 to 30 minute welcome, then about two hours of play: the host guide times every step. Each act opens a clue envelope, and everyone reads, alone, the next part of their booklet.
- Rules and prologuethe host reads aloud
- Act 1introductions, first accusations
- Act 2searches, private talks, alliances
- Act 3last clues, closing pleas
- Votesecret ballots
- Revealenvelope S, confessions, points
In the host guide
- a ready-to-copy invitation
- an outfit idea for each role
- roles to hand out by each guest’s temperament
- the running order, act by act
More for the same night
More printable mysteries
1920s party
The Blue Parrot
Paris, Saturday, October 30, 1926, a speakeasy hidden behind a tea room
- 6 adult players
- about 2 hours of play
- PDF you print at home
- the host plays too
$27.90See the game
Pay and download
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Questions
A guest cancels: what now?
If you find a replacement before the start, they take the open role: the host guide has you hand out the booklets on arrival, with fifteen minutes of reading. The six roles stay essential, the game does not work with five.
Who plays which role?
The host guide describes the six roles and suggests an outfit for each. The names are unisex: every role works for any gender. Choose by your guests’ temperament: the guide does not say who the killer is.
How long does it take?
About two hours of play, plus arrival and dinner. The host guide times every step, from the opening to the reveal.
What do I print?
The host guide, the six character booklets, the clue cards, the solution, the ballots and the name tags. Letter or A4, black and white is fine. Plan on ten envelopes: six with the character names, four marked 1, 2, 3 and S.
How do I get the game?
The download links appear on screen right after payment. Nothing is shipped: you print at home.
How much is a game?
$27.90 for six players, $4.65 per player. Paid once, no subscription.
Is it for kids?
No. The games are written for adults: a murder, secrets, a few glasses of champagne.