馃獝 Sci-Fi 路 2140s
Mars Colony Murder Mystery Party
Red dust, thin air, and a settlement where everyone knew the commander's secrets.
6-12 players, sweet spot 8 路 the full kit is ready in about 20 minutes. Or name your guests and see who they play, with the opening scene, free in about 30 seconds.
Ares Settlement, the 2140s. Forty souls under a pressurised dome on the Tharsis plateau, growing potatoes in treated regolith and arguing about water rights. Tonight is Landing Day, the anniversary of the first boots on red ground, and the whole colony crowds into the common hab for rehydrated cake and a speech from the commander. Outside, a sandstorm builds across the plain and the relay to Earth drops out. When the storm clears, the colony has one commander fewer.
The fun of Mars is scarcity. Every guest wants something the colony does not have enough of: water credits, a seat on the return ship, a lab with a working centrifuge. Accusations turn on who had airlock access during the storm and who altered the atmosphere logs. Geologists blame the agronomist, the agronomist blames the corporate liaison, and everybody blames Earth. The reveal comes as the relay reconnects, with the colony deciding what to report to mission control.
Perfect for
Sci-fi fans, engineering and science teams, and adult birthday dinners for groups who like their mysteries with a problem-solving streak.
Cast size
6-12 players, sweet spot 8. Every kit is written for your exact headcount and gender mix, so nobody doubles up and nobody sits out.
Who is at the party
A taste of the cast a mars colony kit produces. Your mystery is written fresh, with its own suspects, secrets, and one guilty guest.
The Deputy Commander
Next in line by regulation, and the only person who held the override codes during the storm.
The Agronomist
Runs the greenhouse that feeds the dome and has been quietly diverting water credits to a project nobody approved.
The Corporate Liaison
Sent by the company that funds the colony, with a return ticket and a list of who is no longer worth the freight.
The Rover Mechanic
Was outside during the storm, or so the airlock log says, and the airlock log has been edited at least once.
Setting the scene
Costumes
- An orange or rust-coloured boiler suit, or plain overalls, with reflective tape on the sleeves says surface crew.
- Beige and khaki layers with a bandana pulled over the mouth, dusted with a little cocoa powder for red grit.
- A sharp blazer over a base layer for the corporate liaison who still dresses for boardrooms on Earth.
- Ski goggles pushed up on the forehead and fingerless gloves for anyone who works outside the dome.
- A grey thermal top, cargo trousers, and a fitness tracker worn as a habitat wristband for the indoor crew.
Food and drink
- Loaded baked potatoes, the one crop that grows on Mars, with a toppings bar so guests build their own.
- A rust-red 'Tharsis sunset' of blood orange juice, ginger beer, and lime, with tequila for those who want it.
- Dehydrated fruit and nut 'ration packs' portioned into small paper bags stamped with a colony logo.
- A red velvet Landing Day cake, since it is the anniversary and the colony allows itself one indulgence a year.
Atmosphere
- Bathe the room in red and amber with a coloured bulb or a red gel over a lamp, and keep one cold white spot for the airlock.
- Play desert ambient and slow electronic tracks, plus a looped windstorm effect that rises when the relay goes down.
- Scatter terracotta pots of sand and a few rocks along the table as the dome's regolith garden.
- Tape a WATER CREDITS REMAINING tally on the wall and let it tick down each round for a little pressure.
Host tip
Give the sandstorm a job. Announce it as the first act break: the relay to Earth goes down, the lights drop to red, and nobody can call for help. That single beat explains why the colonists must solve it themselves and gives shy players an excuse to whisper accusations over the wind noise. Prepare a printed atmosphere log as a table prop, and hold the reveal for the moment the relay comes back online.
How your kit comes together
Set the table
Pick Mars Colony, your player count and gender mix, the difficulty, and the tone: campy, dramatic, or dark. Add your guests' real names if you like.
We write the mystery
A complete, original plot with a victim, a killer, red herrings, and a web of clues that lets the table solve it. Usually 15-25 minutes; we email you when it is ready.
Print and play
Download the host guide, one booklet per character, name tags and ballots. Or send each player a private link to read their part on their phone.
Questions hosts ask
How is a Mars colony murder mystery different from a space station one?
A colony is a settlement, so the characters are farmers, engineers, and administrators with long-term grudges rather than a crew passing through. The mood is frontier town rather than submarine. Gather & Gasp writes each kit from scratch around your theme and guest list, so the two never feel like the same party with different wallpaper.
Can teenagers play a Mars colony mystery?
Teens do well with it, since the science-fiction and problem-solving angle keeps them engaged. Set the tone to campy when you create the kit and the murder becomes closer to a cartoon than a crime scene. Younger children usually work better as assistants to an adult character.
What do we need to prepare beyond the kit?
The printable kit gives you a host guide, character booklets, name tags, and accusation ballots, ready in about twenty minutes. Add red lighting and a wind sound effect on a speaker and you have the dome. Everything else on this page is optional garnish.
If you like this, try
Space Station Omega
No one can hear you scream. A crew member is dead.
Doomsday Bunker
The world ended last week. Someone in the bunker decided that wasn't enough.
Polar Expedition Camp
Endless white, dwindling rations, and an explorer who won't see the thaw.
Ready to gather the suspects?
A custom mars colony mystery for 6-12 players, written for your guests, in your inbox in about 20 minutes. Kits from $19.99.
Create your Mars Colony mystery