Radio Silence on Ares
Murder mystery dinner for 6 to 8 players on a Mars station in 2152
- Players
- 6–8 players
- Duration
- approx. 3 hrs
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ages 16+
- Cast: 3 male, 3 female, 2 any gender
- 2 optional roles
- Host plays along
Content notes: Violent death, Affair, Panic attacks, Alcohol, Gambling debts, Grief for the dead
One-time purchase · digital download (PDF)
Please choose an edition first.
In accordance with § 19 of the German VAT Act (small business regulation), no VAT is charged.
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Klarna
- SEPA Direct Debit
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
What's it about?
Mars, 2152. On the Ares Research and Drilling Station, nine people are trapped by the storm: the main airlock is sealed, and there has been no contact with Earth since 7:30 p.m. The head of the galley has invited everyone to dinner in the mess. At 10:07 p.m. Commander Marit Halvorsen is found dead in the observation dome. There are no police up here.
You play the eight who were on the station that night: physician, chief engineer, geologist, radio officer and pilot, plus the head of the galley, the greenhouse keeper and the consortium's envoy. Every character saw something, and every one has a reason not to tell it all right away. Over three rounds you compare times, routes and the station's logs; five props come to the table over the course of the evening, and twice the station computer MIRA speaks up. At the end everyone names a suspect, and then the sealed solution is opened.
The case is of medium difficulty and can be worked out from the materials; nobody has to guess. The host plays along, since the host guide contains no solution. If one or two people cancel, those roles stay empty, and the guide explains how the evening runs then.
The kit comes as a Print version with one role booklet per character, which you print and fold yourself, and as a Digital version in phone format for sending. Both contain the same case.
The characters
Kim Varga
Head of Supply and Galley
Kim keeps the supplies in order and turns freeze-dried rations into meals the crew talks about for days afterward. Tonight Kim has invited everyone to dinner in the mess.
Dr. Lena Okafor
Station Physician
Lena patches up cuts, measures radiation doses and knows every crew member's medical file. She's the first one people call and the last to leave.
Tomás Reyes
Chief Engineer, Life Support and Power
Tomás keeps the air, water and power running and knows every pipe on the station by its first name. Since the storm he barely sleeps.
Dr. Yuki Hartmann
Head of Geology and Drilling Program
Yuki led the deepest drilling operation on Mars; the first drill core from 400 meters down is her pride and joy. Without her drilling program, the station would not exist.
Viktor Sandström
Envoy of the Operating Company (Nereid Consortium)
Viktor has been on Ares for two weeks, sent by the consortium to assess whether the station is still worth it. He is polite, well dressed and asks a lot of questions.
Sanna Kowalczyk
Communications and Navigation Officer
Sanna is the voice of the station: every message from Earth crosses her desk. Since the antenna failed in the storm, she has been trying to get it working again.
Ezra Moll
Botany and Hydroponics
Ezra tends the greenhouse that grows every fresh tomato on the station and talks to the plants when no one is listening. Ezra is the youngest crew member.
Dario Ferrante
Shuttle Pilot
Dario flies the shuttle between the station and orbit and considers himself the best pilot on Mars. In the storm he is stuck like everyone else, and bored out of his mind.