Its a Thursday night, we are at Mermaid distillery (The Wishing Well Inn) famous for Mermaid Gin. A murder has been committed and everyone’s a suspect, even me but before we work out “whodunit” we head to get some refreshments first.
To set the scene: 1923, and the party seems endless at Jay Glittersby’s New York mansion…until a shot rings out, and an unwelcome guest is found dead. Was the motive revenge, jealousy, or greed? Is the murderer a flapping dancer, a jazzy musician or a slyly deferential server?
Prior to the evening we were given our characters: TRAGG STARR College boy, all-round athlete and RARA “SIS” BOOMBA College girl, cheerleader, naïve. Our friends were: SUZY CUE Flapper and BLAKE BODDUM Flapper’s date, Charleston contest winner, dancing maniac.
So with costumes adorned we went to meet the rest of the suspects:
- JAY GLITTERSBY Rich mansion owner, mysterious past, sleek and secretive
- SHAY D. SORT Gangster type, trying hard to appear respectable
- GOLDIE DIGGS Gangster’s moll, on the lookout for a rich man
- IMOTTA BOUNDS Tennis champion, always looking for a game
- MIMI CRYE Glamorous silent movie star, overly dramatic
- JIGG O. LOW Foppish movie star’s escort, in love with himself
- AVERY KEYES Piano Player, jazz lover, flirty with guests
- JINN SLINGER Bartender, has heard it all, insincerely sympathetic
- UPTON SLEEVES Butler, discreet, keeps secrets—for a price
- SHAN TOOZY Band Singer, wears a gardenia, sings the blues
- PARRY T. ANNYMALL Party hopper, drunk, wants to kiss everyone
- N. TERLE OPER Gatecrasher, tries to blend in, overly friendly
- COUNT TOFOUR Bandleader, smooth, bossy, jazzy
- WANNA DEBEST Society Dame, snooty, thinks she’s superior to all
In this game, eveybodytakes on the role of a character attending a lavish party at the mansion of the wealthy and famous Glittersby family.
All the guests made an amazing effort in costume and certainly looked the part and played their in great form.
The game began with an introduction from the game master, who explained the rules and sets the scene for the murder mystery. Each player was then given a character profile, which includes information about their background, relationships with other characters, and potential motives for committing the crime
With introductions over we made our way over to the dining area where we had our selection from the specialist menu:
Starter choice of:
- Eggs Florentine
- Chicken Liver Pafait
- Tomato and Basil Soup
Main Course of:
- Salmon Rissoto
- Garlic Roast Chicken
- Beetroot Wellington
The dinner service ended with us being given our player profiles, which included information about our background, relationships with other characters.
The lights suddenly went out. A shot rang out followed by a scream and as per cliché, when the lights came back on, we found a dead body holding a note on the bar room floor.
Several rounds then entowed and we took it in turns to interrogate each other over the murder of Shan Toozy. Within each round there were additional pieces of information brought to the table. There were finger prints on the murder weapon, a gun which had delivered one single shot to the head ‘right between the eyes’ and some information on some evidence of betting which had come to light between the murderer and victim. However it was never clear whether these were red herrings which also made the interrogations more challenging.
In all, the evenings entertainment came to a close with us accusing a suspect of murder using our intuition. whether it was a case of a few too many cocktails, I had absolutely no idea. The clues were there but the acting of the characters certainly made int difficult to judge. My guess along with 99% of the others, was incorrect with just one person guessing correctly. It was non other than our Suzy Cue!
To reassure you, there are no spoilers here. The game can be played multiple times with a different murdered and victim each time at random, which is why I would highly recommend this for a fun packed evening which can easily be carried out in your own home. As a tip, it would be worth considering playing with fewer players if you want to glean the most information out of the evidence and interrogations This can be time consuming if you are looking to keep it within a shorter time scale
The final cherry on the cake for this awesome evening was that the organiser provided awards for best acting, interrogations, correct accusation, best dressed and best suspect. Just a little extra piece of fun and happily I won the Oscar for best interrogation, but have no idea why 🙂
This Murder Mystery is a popular 1920s-themed murder mystery game that can be played in a local bar or restaurant with a group of people. The game is typically designed for 8-10 players, but it can be adjusted to accommodate more or fewer participants.
Playing the Great Glittersby Murder Mystery game in a local bar or restaurant was a hilarious and engaging way to spend an evening but can easily be done at home too although a venue can provide a suitable atmosphere for the 1920s-themed party, with period decorations, music, and costumes to enhance the experience
It may also be helpful to have a designated space for the game, such as a private room or section of the bar or restaurant, to minimize distractions and ensure everyone can hear and participate in the game.
If you are interested in creating your own Glittersby evening, I have found a website, which at time of writing sells this online. You can find it here:
Be sure to let me know what you think and feel free to give me any recommendations of your own.