Sit Down Event?
Another way to use our flexible murder mystery party game format is for a sit-down event. What do we mean by this? Think a gala, where everyone is sitting down at tables, perhaps for a multi-course dinner. Another example of this is at a seniors’ centre or a luncheon.
In this case, we recommend formatting your mystery event a bit differently. Instead of having everyone up and mingling, finding the suspects to question, let your guests remain seated and have your suspects move from table to table to answer questions. Your sleuths at the tables can, and probably will very naturally, start working together as a group, sharing theories and discussing who to question next and what to ask between suspect visits.
For this type of mystery party, you can largely determine which murder mystery kit size is right for you based on two main factors:
1. Your Volunteers
Of course, the number of suspects you will have in this case greatly depends on the number of volunteers you have to be suspect characters in the murder mystery. You will need, at a minimum, six volunteers to be suspects in the murder mystery (six suspects is the smallest interactive mystery kit we offer, to keep the quality of the experience high). Once you have your initial six, the next thing to consider is…
2. The number of tables you will have
You will want your suspects to be moving from table to table with no more than one at a table at a time, without them doubling up at any one table at any given time. So, your maximum suspects should always automatically be your number of tables. What we have found, though, is that to give people a bit of time between the suspect visits at their table (to discuss, think and decide what questions to ask who next), opt for a package that is 1-2 suspects LESS than the number of tables you have. So, for example, if you will have 10 tables at your event, opt for a 9 or 8 suspect package. If you have 14 tables, go for around 12 suspects.
Another thing to consider is the total number of suspects you have (circle back to the start of this topic to match your total number of guests for a bit more advice!) as well as what else is happening at the event. We want our guests to be entertained and engaged, but never overwhelmed. As we always say, it may sound backwards, but as the number of participants (and other activities taking place at your event – awards, shows, speakers etc) increases, your number of suspects should actually DECREASE.
A few more things about sit-down mystery events!
Because you are speaking to the group en masse with a sit-down murder mystery event, in some cases with a stage and a mic, you can have a lot of fun with the suspect introductions (optional, but perfect for this situation to add a bit of entertainment), the Announcement of Murder and The Big Reveal.
Have your suspects make their initial visits to each table, and then have them circle back a second time to allow the sleuths at the tables to ask any follow-up questions they have and verify alibis.
Most of all, have a great time! The dynamic of a sit-down mystery party event is different than our mingle-mystery format – a lot of working together, some serious deduction and, of course, a LOT of laughter.
Take me to the mystery party themes!
