Murder Mystery for Office Parties and Team Events

• Everyone plays their own role and is involved all evening.
• Colleagues who rarely work together have to talk to each other to solve the case.
• The programme is ready-made: instructions, roles and timeline are included.
• You don't need a venue with equipment – a large table and some food are enough.

Each murder mystery is written for one table – with our games, four to ten people depending on the story. The number of players is shown on every game.

For larger teams, split into several tables that play at the same time. Each table needs its own printed materials and its own host. A nice side effect: at the end you can compare which table cracked the case first.

1. Set the date and format: an after-work event or a full evening with dinner? Allow two to three and a half hours of playing time.
2. Collect the number of attendees and work out how many tables you need.
3. Choose a game that suits the group size and the mood of the team.
4. Hand out the roles in advance – ideally, let volunteers put themselves forward for the bigger parts.
5. Sort out the food: catering, a buffet or a restaurant with a private room. What matters is that you can sit at the table undisturbed.
6. Pick a host for each table who reads the instructions beforehand and guides the evening.

Nobody needs to be able to act. The booklets say what each character knows and wants to hide – anyone who enjoys it can ham it up, everyone else simply reads aloud.

Give the boss a suspicious role: it lightens the mood, as long as nobody is made a fool of. And avoid giving the two most conflict-laden roles to colleagues who are currently at odds in real life.

• In the office: redecorate a meeting room and order food in – affordable and no travel needed.
• At a restaurant: book a private room so you can accuse each other without an audience.
• At someone's home: the cosiest option, but best for small teams of up to ten.

The Christmas party can be a murder mystery too, and with a Christmas-themed game the setting fits straight away. Menu and decoration ideas are on the page Christmas murder mystery dinner.