Murder Mystery Party
While social secretary at Bristol Uni's Atheist society two friends and I wrote a murder mystery party. The aim was to have a funny evening where people would play as characters as caricatures of fictional and historical characters, each with their own motivations, secret agendas, and a piece of the mystery... In the end we ran two parties (of nine players each) simultaneously. One party managed to figure out the killer, while the other unfortunately failed. All had great fun, everyone getting really into character with some fantastic costumes. Each player was given a character sheet with the backstory (see right), a brief personal history, help on attire and mannerisms. Obviously this may be run in future years at Bristol Uni (or other societies), so I can't divulge too much information!Greg Atkins and I wrote the story and ran a game each (in character as the Devil). Oliver Mounsey helped out with the writing and played a supporting character.
BACKSTORY
Thawing! The cold war between heaven and hell (as documented in the autobiography “The Bible”) has finally waned! Huzzah! Realising their similarities over their differences, the ineffable and perfect holy God, and Lucifer, the Morning Star, Master of Abortions, Ruler of the Denizens of Hell, and Goatee of the Year winner 1985–2010, have decided to end all this silliness. Really, they were getting nowhere, and the whole situation didn’t even make logical sense. Oh yeah, all powerful God can’t even cope with a little rebellious angel. And why does the Devil torture his subjects? They’re his subjects!
Anyway, on the eve of the signing of a new historic treaty, Chief Negotiator Jesus (Heaven’s side), and Chief Negotiator Simon Cowell (Hell’s side) have wrangled a gigantic, epic party for members from the realms of good/evil/fiction, and everyone has a great time. But strange things are afoot. Background whispers between conspiratorial parties have circled. People are desperate to lean on each other, to influence things for their own end. And at the end of it all, as the party breaks up, the oppressive air of murder hangs lightly overhead...