How to run a murder mystery around a seated dinner

How do courses and rounds fit together?

Match one round to each stretch of the meal. Guests learn something new in each round, talk it over while they eat and then move on to the next course. The kit's host guide walks you through each round, so you do not have to memorize anything.

A simple Classic schedule has three rounds. Round one goes with the starter and the first conversations. Round two goes with the main course, when guests share what they have found and start accusing. Round three goes with dessert, followed by the final vote and the reveal.

• Starter: arrivals, introductions and round one.
• Main course: round two, when the clues start to collide.
• Dessert: the last round, then ballots and the reveal.

Which length fits a dinner?

Classic is the best fit for most dinners. It has 3 rounds and takes 2 to 3 hours, which matches a three-course meal with a bit of time for chatting.

Choose Quick (2 rounds, 1 to 2 hours) if you serve one main dish or the guests have somewhere to be. Choose Epic (4 rounds, 3 to 4 hours) for a long, slow dinner with a separate cheese or dessert course.

Keep the food and the game from fighting

Serve food that can be eaten with one hand and does not need constant attention. Guests are passing booklets, reading names and gesturing at each other, so a messy plate is a problem.

Do the cooking before the guests arrive. If the host is also the game runner, a casserole or a slow-cooked main beats anything that needs to be plated in the middle of a round. For menu ideas, see /blog/dinner-menu-ideas.

Give guests a few minutes to eat in peace between rounds. People accuse each other much better after a bite of dinner.

Use the phone features at the table

Each guest has a name tag and table card with a QR code that opens that person's own character page on their phone. In party mode, the host steps through the evening on their phone, and each guest's page unlocks round by round so nobody reads ahead. The reveal text is never sent to guests' phones; the host reads the solution aloud at the end.

Guests can also read from a printed booklet if they prefer paper. The kit prints on letter or A4, and color looks best, though black and white works.

Seating and who sits where

Seat people who do not usually talk next to each other. The mystery gives them an instant conversation, and the table cards make the seating chart easy. If you want drama, seat characters with a secret connection across from each other.

Themes that fit

• Renaissance Banquet: The story already happens around one long table, so the dinner and the mystery are the same event. Create this one
• Victorian Manor: A grand estate with a stormy night suits a dressed-up sit-down dinner. Create this one
• Celebrity Chef's Kitchen: Food is part of the plot, which makes the menu a talking point. Create this one

Questions hosts ask