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
The Last Papillote, a Christmas murder mystery for 6
December 24, a grand house in Lyon, France, in the pouring rain
Solange Fontanieu, the queen of the papillote, eats her golden papillote at midnight in front of the 1780 nativity scene. She had promised a revelation. The chocolate tastes of peanut, and her epinephrine pen only clicks. A quarter of an hour later, she is dead. One of you six swapped the papillote.
- 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- 7:15pmCocktails in front of the nativity scene. The epinephrine pen is checked in front of everyone.
- 11:28pmSolange sets the golden papillote on its cushion, her purse beside it.
- 11:30pmMusic trivia, door closed. “Nobody leaves.”
- 12:00amShe eats the papillote. It tastes of peanut.
- 12:25amThe emergency doctor pronounces her dead. Nobody leaves.
- 12:50amSix guests, six secrets. Your move.
The prologue
The opening of the text the host reads aloud. The rest is in the game.
On December 24, you arrive in Lyon, France, on the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, at the grand house of Solange Fontanieu, seventy-three, head of the Maison Fontanieu, which has made papillotes since 1921. A papillote is the Christmas chocolate of Lyon: a chocolate wrapped in gold paper with a little motto rolled up inside. The whole city calls her “the queen of the papillote.” It is pouring rain.
Every Christmas Eve at midnight, in front of her 1780 Neapolitan nativity scene, she eats the golden papillote she made herself and reads the motto hidden in the paper. This year, the invitation promised: “The motto will be a revelation. One of you will understand.”
At midnight, she ate the papillote, read the motto, then froze: “That taste... Peanut?!” Solange is severely allergic. Her epinephrine pen only clicked.
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.
- Solange Fontanieuthe victim
- Gaby FontanieuSolange’s grandchild, runs the Maison Fontanieu factory
- Noa Berthierhead chocolatier of the Maison for twenty-five years, cooks the Christmas Eve dinner
- Claude Ardouinantiques dealer, close to Solange for thirty years
- Lou Kerjeanillustrates children’s books, first Christmas with the Fontanieus
- Robin Lacazetonight’s designated Santa, a school nurse
- Eden Valmonttango teacher, very close to Solange for three years
In this game
For the mood
Ugly Christmas sweaters, chocolate papillotes, a yule log for act 3.
- Host guide11 pages
- Six character booklets60 pages
- Clues, solution, ballots and name tags42 pages
- To print113 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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Two holidays, one payment
Christmas and New Year’s Eve bundle
Both holiday mysteries in one payment: one PDF set per game, six players each, host included.
$47.90instead of $55.80 for both games
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.