Monday, May 30, 2005

General Mystery Comments

Just want to share comments about murder mystery parties? Do it here.

30 comments:

Jack Pachuta said...

No problem, Krisf13. The solution is on the final pages of the file. If you want to play along, run the pages off without looking (a WARNING is on the pages) and place them in a sealed envelope.

Anonymous said...

Chief Inspector, I am a youth pastor and want to do a mystery dinner for Oct.29 youth night. My High school group (14-17years old)is between 20-30 kids. My Jr. high is much smaller and about 8-10 kids (11-13 yrs old). What do you recomend for each group and on such short notice? Pastor Kerry

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Pastor, "Death in them thar hills" has been used by many youth groups. Two church groups have testimonials on my website. You will find a misspelling of "tequila" in the scenario - a clue, naturally. No violence or awkward relationships to concern yourself with. As for the second group, on my site you'll find a testimonial for "I Loathe a Parade" used as a 13th birthday party. It could work for you even though Independence Day is long gone (or not yet here). If you'd like to look at the other scenarios and pick out one you like, just ask me to review it with you to make sure it's what you're looking for. Hope that helped.

Anonymous said...

Do you have any mysteries that would work for only 4 people?

Jack Pachuta said...

Thanks for your question. Nothing yet, but in the works is "Dinner Table Mysteries." That site will have mysteries for 4 or 6 people (2 or 3 couples) designed to be played over dinner. Look for it in 2007.

Anonymous said...

Where do you recommend buying party supplies and costumes? I think you sent out a link on your mailing list a month back. Can you list that company again?

Jack Pachuta said...

Thanks for your question. Here are the links:

http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com/u/costumez/t.asp?id=1156

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1654359-808541

Have a great time!

Anonymous said...

We are doing "Lurking Down the Bunny Trail" in about 2 weeks. I'm having a hard time coming up with a costume idea for Bernie Benson and Paul Dizzy. I've drawn up a picture of "Ricky Rabbit" that I thought I could put on a shirt for Paul Dizzy...but I don't know what to do to set Bernie apart from the others. Any ideas?

Jack Pachuta said...

Because Bernie is a bunny breeder (try saying that 10 times quickly), consider bib overalls with a few carrots sticking out of the pockets. I like your Paul Dizzy idea. Be sure to give him a bowtie, too.

tekhopper said...

Hello: My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary in a 14th century Chateau in Bordeaux France with around 18 of our family and dear friends. We will be catering a formal dinner in the Banqueting Hall of this fabulous and historic castle. We want to host a murder mystery, that begins at the end of this sumptuous meal, that takes us through the night. We are very interested in any great ideas and also which game would be appropriate for the venue. If anyone is interested in seeing the castle the website address is www.chateaumarouatte.co.uk. Thank you in advance for all your suggestions. Chris and Morton

Anonymous said...

I am getting ready to purchase another one of your fabulous murder mystery plots. We have already enjoyed both Evil, and Cat Screamed. I liked both of them, and my guests found them challenging enough. Can you please give me a good idea for this year's selection?

Thanks

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Anonymous, (As a Chief Inspector, I encounter that name frequently.) It sounds as if you enjoy my Classic Mysteries - the ones that have proven their value over the course of my entire crime-fighting career. So . . . "The Curse of the Comet" might be a good choice. HOWEVER, take a look at my repertoire of holiday mysteries. If you enjoy some of the tongue-in-cheek references in my plots, "Murder Plays A Sour Note" would be a lot of fun, especially for a group that likes to eat, drink and be murdery. Let me know how it goes.

Anonymous said...

I am running a mystery party for our office gathering. We will be having a sit down dinner and will have appx 40-50 people. We are wanting more of a skit type, but yet want those in the cast to not really know the murderer.(so they can play and enjoy it as well) Do you have a suggestion on how to do that with your mystery? Or is it better to have each table play out each of those characteres? Since they will not be able to mingle about. We are also wanting to keep it short and simple due to time constraints. Another thing was we wanted to have the murder occur via food poisoning during the event. Sorry if my questions are all over the place. I still have not figured the most efficient way to do this for a group 40 or more. This is my first time with a large group. Thanks!

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Anonymous,
NONE of my suspects knows who dit it - that way they can play along. Any of my mysteries can work with a group that size. Pick the one you like best. Take a look at "Death in them thar hills." It could work for you.

Anonymous said...

I will be throwing a surprise birthday party for my cousin who is turning 50. Her birthday is on Valentine's Day. Her favorite food is Italian, which is what will be served. I thought about the Valentine Murder, however, after reading what is included, etc. the investigation begins the day after the death. Do any of your Mystery games have a role for the victim? Which mystery game would you recommend.

Jack Pachuta said...

Thanks for your question. Both of my large-group mysteries, "Death in them thar hills" and "Love Writes a Deadly Verse" have roles for the victim - although you'll have just as much fun "The day after."

Peaster Band Boosters said...

Our booster club would like to use one of your mysteries as a dinner theater/fund raiser for the students going on the spring band trip. Do we need to get special permission to use it in this manner? Also, hints on have this as a dinner theater would be helpful.

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Peaster Band Boosters,
No problem. Since you are a non-profit, I would be happy to let you use it as a fundraiser. Please do the following . . . in all of your literature, include my name as author and indicate my website: www.mysteries-on-the-net.com. After you've purchased it, call me at (262)377-7230 and I'd be more than happy to give you tips over the phone.

Anonymous said...

HI I noticed in one of your forums someone mentioned a script and you mention theaters "perform" your murder mysteries. Do your mysteries come with scripts that people have to read line by line?

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Anonymous,

My mysteries are a combination of scripted initial comments and unscripted interation with the audience. Many theatre groups enjoy this format. I am in the process of fleshing out Murder on the Petulent Express into a complete theatrical script, though. Would that interest you?

Anonymous said...

I'm planning a ladies member guest golf tournament (approx 40 ladies) Would one of these kits have about 18 clues that I could leave in the holes and the teams that par the hole get the clue? I would like for them to play for the clues on the course then try to figure it out over dinner. P.S. I'm not good at these things so it would have to be explained quite clearly.

Jack Pachuta said...

Dear Anonymous,

"Murder is Par for the Course" has been used with great success by many similar groups. All of my mysteries come with three pages of step-by-step instructions. SO . . . You'll have no problem organizing the event. Call me at (262)377-7230 if I can help.

ToddT said...

I am hosting a 40th bday party. Adults only. Equal number of men/women. Can you recommend a party that will involve as many people as suspects as possible. Thanks

Jack Pachuta said...

Todd,take a look at "Death in them thar hills." It's been used with great success by groups around the world. Happy Sleuthing!

Unknown said...

We are planning a small party with the murder mystery "Death Ahoy." My daughter has hosted several of these small dinner parties. She was impressed that with this one, no one knows who the killer is until the very end. That keeps it more exciting for everyone.
We'll let you know what we think once we have had the party.

ChristiL said...

Hi! I am hosting the Valentine's Mystery for about 100 people. I will have 10 tables of about 10 investigators each. Should I give ALL clues to each table?? Or should I randomly give some clues to the tables? Thank you!

Jack Pachuta said...

Christi,

Thanks for your question. The clues are meant to stimulate the questioning process and get people to mingle. So - No, give each table a different set of clues to encourage them to talk to each other.

Unknown said...

OH NOOOOOOO!!!!! I completely missed the 50% off sale that ended at midnight last night!! Waaaaahhhhhh!!!! Do you plan to do it again any time soon??? Your murder mysteries are the BEST, and we've done many of them!

Beth in Waco

Unknown said...

Hello, Inspector.

Do you have a place where it shows which characters in a given mystery could have their gender changed without impacting the storyline? I adapt your mysteries for use in middle school, and sometimes we don't have enough men to play the male roles. I know I can read the who thing and make a determination (and I have done so before, turning Mick Flashburg into Micki, for example), but I wondered if the work had already been done and posted somewhere.

Thank you!

Jack Pachuta said...

A good point, but alas I have no such information. Many of my customer sleuths have done this, though. Some simply adopt the guise of the other gender.