How to host a murder mystery party for 6 people

Six players is enough, if the cast is written for six

Yes, six people is plenty. The worry with a small group is that the killer is too easy to spot, and that is true of kits written for twelve and stretched down. A kit written for exactly six has six characters who each hold a secret, a goal and a reason to lie, so suspicion spreads around the table instead of landing on the quiet one.

Because Gather & Gasp writes the kit from scratch for your headcount, there are no spare characters to cut and no roles that sit unused. Everyone at the party has a booklet and something to do in every round.

Pacing and round length for a small table

With six, rounds move fast because every conversation involves most of the room. Expect people to finish sharing and comparing clues quicker than a big group would, so a Classic kit (3 rounds, 2 to 3 hours) fits comfortably around a dinner.

If your friends like to chat, choose Epic (4 rounds, 3 to 4 hours). If it is a weeknight or you are starting late, Quick (2 rounds, 1 to 2 hours) still works with six, because there is less ground to cover.

• Quick: good for a weeknight or a first-time group.
• Classic: the usual choice, with room to eat between rounds.
• Epic: worth it if your six are talkers and you have the whole evening.

Should the host play?

The host can join as a seventh person if you want to, but the kit is cleaner when you run the game and six friends play. The host guide holds the full solution, so the host knows who did it.

If you want to play yourself, order the kit for the number of people who will actually be suspects. Count yourself in when you set the player count and take one of the characters. You then run the evening from the same guide while holding a character, which works in a pinch but means you know the answer.

Room, food and setup

Six fits at a normal dining table, so you can eat and investigate in one place. Print the name tags and table cards, set each guest's card at their seat, and let them open their phone page by scanning the QR code on their tag.

Serve food that works one-handed: sliders, a charcuterie board, a big pot of something. Guests are reading and whispering, so skip anything that needs a knife and fork at the tense moments.

If one of the six cancels

A cancellation hurts more at six than at twelve, because one missing person is a sixth of the cast. You have two options. The host can play the missing character, or you can redistribute that character's key information among the others. If you have a day or more, generate a fresh kit for five, which takes another 15 to 25 minutes.

Themes that fit

• Victorian Manor: A drawing room, a storm and a will reading suit a small, close cast, and everyone can sit around one table. Create this one
• Film Noir Detective: Tight alibis and shadowy motives work well when there are only six people to suspect. Create this one
• Snowed-In Ski Lodge: A small group trapped together by a blizzard is exactly what six players feels like. Create this one

Questions hosts ask