Monday, May 30, 2005

Death in them thar hills

Questions or comments about "Death in them that hills?" Please post them here.

27 comments:

Jack Pachuta said...

Great, jc. I'm pleased you had a good time. This is my most-popular mystery.

Jack Pachuta said...

Thanks, sylveen. I'm pleased everything went so well.

Anonymous said...

I used this mystery for a "Date Night" for couples at my church. The ten role players dressed very professional and true to their character. We had 40 people attend and everyone really enjoyed the night...we are already looking forward to doing another one...the script was very well written and easy to facilitate...thank you

Jack Pachuta said...

Jennifer, thanks for your questions. DITTH should work very nicely for you. Invitations are included in the packet. That's all you need to send to the "investigators" in advance - they'll get everything else after they arrive. Of course, your role players will get their information before the party. You'll have a great time. Let me know how it goes

Jack Pachuta said...

The home version will work just fine. Ask people to come in "Wild West" gear. Everyone has jeans and a plaid shirt - although some people will get carried away.

alaskagal said...

I'm a little confused what to do with all the clues 1-32... do i hand them out... and if i do , to whom? thanks!

Jack Pachuta said...

Hello alaskagal! Attach a clue to the letter and newspaper clipping that you hand out when guests arrive. This will "prime the pump" for the investigation. If you have additional clues, find creative ways to distribute them. (fishbowl, best costume, etc. etc.) Are you near Wasilia and do you know my Alaskan friend, Jay Jennings? He a genius at Internet marketing. Happy sleuthing!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone completed this mystery for a group of 300 or more? I have the task of planning a murder mystery event for a college banquet and I'm a bit overwhelmed! I am just wondering how this will work for such a large group, does everyone get the chance to participate?

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Class President,

Many people (including me) have used this scenario for large groups with great success. Take a look at http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=183046 to see how I used it here in Wisconsin, then call my investigative offices at (262)377-7230 for a personal sleuthing consultation.

Anonymous said...

I am hosting DITTH for my husbands birthday (The mystery will be a surprise for him) The party will only be 10 of us and I am nervous that my brother in law and his girlfriend will not show- if that is the case can two people play double roles - or is there another way to fill an absence if there is one?

Jack Pachuta said...

A tricky situation indeed - one that illustrates absence does not always make the heart grow fonder. Do this: Assign them the roles of Flint Flames and Tricia Truehart. If they don't show, read their narratives (on the back panels of their roles). Let everyone save up the questions they have for them until the final round of questioning, then you (or your significant other) find the answers to the queries in the role player information. This, of course isn't the idea way to handle it, but it could work. Perhaps a Wild West cattle prod could assist their willingness to attend your memorable event.

Anonymous said...

Thanks- well, I had already given them their roles when I learned of the no show possibility. I did however alreay assign my brother in law Flint Flames and his girlfriend the Saloon Girl. Can I do what you suggested with the saloon girl role? I am kind of stuck now- Thanks for the cattle prod idea.....

Jack Pachuta said...

No problem, That should work.

Anonymous said...

Well, my brother in law and his girlfriend not only showed- they really got into it. We decorated our house and the dinner table(I live in AZ so it was easy) I put a clue in everyone's mug at the dinner table and another clue under their chili bowl on top of their plate so they would find them when we sat down for dinner. During dinner we passed around the clues- some shared, others did not! The party was a blast. Since there were 10 0f us I had 5 teams of two and limited each team to 4 questions per suspect. It helped move things along!
No one even came close to solving the crime- but we laughed, joked and had a great time. Some of the conclusions people came up with were so creative. My friends and husband really impressed me. I read the solution over birthday cake and Ice cream. I had never done this before and your instructions were great- one of my guests is an attorney and I had to keep reminding him that the liar does not know they are lying so stop asking them "Are you sure..."
Another guest even asked me if you have other mysteries. Thank you for helping me surprise my husband with one of his best birthdays!!

Anonymous said...

I am looking for ideas how Bertha Crump can dress in character, any suggestions?

Sandie said...

Does anyone know how an 'Editor' in DITTH would dress for that era please. We are holding our event in 2 weeks but are stuck with this costume for my partner

Anonymous said...

does anybody have a copy of Dusty Jones's opening speech?
the person in charge of keeping all the papers together did a bad job. i would prefer not to pay for the monologue, but i will if need be.

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Anonymous. Let me know who you are and I'll send you a copy at no charge. Email me at jack@pachuta.com.

Lisa in HR said...

I am in charge of a summer employee bank party. I would love some ideas on the costumes that you have used and maybe more ideas on the decorations too. I know most employees will not go to extremes with their dress and I think if I had suggestions to give them they will be more willing to work with me. Thanks

KatMitch said...

We are in the process of having our Dinner Mystery Theater (DITTH) - set for Saturday, 2/27/10 at 5 p.m. (dinner served at 6 pm). We are having fun with costumes, menu planning and decorations. I bought a CD 'The Sting' to have as a piano playing in the background (Scott Joplin songs). Would also like 'Sundance Kid' music too! I was wondering if someone who has already finished their night to help us with possible questions we might get for the major & minor role players. Thank you! (our actors are kind of clueless (play on words;-) and your input would help them formulate their answers. Thanks Jack and everyone!

Scout Mom said...

We are planning a murder mystery dinner fundraiser for our boy scout troop and wanted to make sure this is approptiate for families and kids (ages 8 and up) The "Death in them that hills" seems perfect for this types of event. We wanted some of the boy scouts to play key rolls. Are there any of the female main rolls that you can suggest we could change the name and be a male role?
thank you!

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Scout Mom,

You'll have no problem with the mystery. It's been used by many similar groups. Keep in mind that a variation of the speeling of an alcoholic beverage is a clue. The male and female roles are gender-specific. Relationships that create the scenario are built in.

Hope that helped.

Scout Mom said...

we wanted to do the mystery dinner fundraiser on two different nights and I wanted to know if there was a way to have a different ending, or murderer so the second group wouldn't get filled in and know the ending. Any suggestions?

Jack Pachuta said...

Since my mysteries are crafted with intertwining facts leading to only one solution, it isn't possible to change the prep without adjusting multiple roles. Last year the local Cedarburg Players staged the mystery five times with the same ending and no problems. Swear the audience to secrecy in a humorous way.

Unknown said...

This is my first, and I'm afraid of not doing a good job. Help me understand please because I'm a visual person...the clues... do these people come in costume? I thought you would read the clues out loud but it looks like people come up with their own questions based on the clue given, is this right?

Cris

Unknown said...

What is the best way to do the Mystery on zoom? I have done several of your mysteries but never on zoom. The questioning is my concern.There's only about 14 of us - Thanks Cindy from Nebraska

Unknown said...

What is the best way to do the Mystery on zoom? I have done several of your mysteries but never on zoom. The questioning is my concern.There's only about 14 of us - Thanks Cindy from Nebraska