The Auction – Murder Mystery Game
$44.99
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A wealthy Baroness has just died. Her Last Will and Testament says her most valuable antiques must be sold off to the highest bidder. You attend the auction where this happens.
Setting: Wealthy guests and family members come together for this auction of the famous Von Munchen Treasures. As the different bidders mix and mingle, mysteries start to unravel. Affairs, blackmail, forgery, theft, broken promises – murder isn’t the only misdemeanour those gathered here may be guilty of.
Plot: Each guest takes on a unique character, from wealthy antique collectors to dodgy ne’er-do-wells, adding intrigue to the story. Expect surprises, clues and twists, with plenty of ways to solve the puzzle.
Characters: As the event wraps up, the auction heats up with fierce bidding. But the final question remains: who is the killer? Before the truth is revealed, everyone gets a chance to point fingers and make their accusations.
Time Period: While The Auction takes place in the present day, you can set it in a different time period if you prefer. For instance, you might choose the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s. If you do, be sure to let everyone at your party know which period you’ve selected and ask them to disregard the few modern references within the story.
How the Game Works
Everyone has a character in the plot. One of them will be the murderer. The others all have information about themselves and other characters that may or may not be relevant to the murder itself. Talking to people, finding out what they know – this is the key to unlocking the mystery.
As well as trying to identify the murderer, every character has other objectives to pursue. These lead them into making deals, sharing information, and getting involved in plenty of fun and games along the way.
Character Roles & Participation
Which of these characters are in your game will vary, depending on your final numbers. Among them may be: antiques dealers and antiques collectors. A cardinal. A wealthy banker. A charity worker. A girl guide. A butler. A Lady. And more.
A Character Selection Guide comes with the game. This guides you on who to keep and who to drop.
Freddie Farr: The Baroness’s lawyer, and also a personal friend for many years. Freddie will decide who inherits the money raised by the auction.
Cardinal Bowden: Once the Baroness’s local priest; the Cardinal is here on behalf of the Vatican. Rumour suggests he may become the next Pope.
Glenda Goodheart: Once the Baroness’s local priest; the Cardinal is here on behalf of the Vatican. Rumour suggests he may become the next Pope.
Joan Dunn: President of CONS (Care of Newborns Society): a charity which looks after unwanted children from rich backgrounds. It seems CONS will inherit most of Audry’s fortune.
Sir John Bates: A wealthy banker and good friend of the Baroness. Sir John is expected to bid highly in the auction.
Jay da Silva: A rich South American, Jay often travels to Britain on business, and used to visit Audry von Munchen regularly.
T.J. Shade: Shade runs the famous ‘Shady Regalia Antiques’ shop in London, which specialises in military artefacts.
Simmie Shade: T.J.’s adopted child, Simmie used to be quite a tearaway but, at the age of thirty, has now settled into a promising career in home security.
Inspector Clu d’Eau: The detective, who is investigating the death of the Baroness, has never got over the embarrassment of having such a silly name.
Jeeves: The Baroness’s long-suffering butler, Jeeves will be attending the auction as a mark of respect for his late employer.
Alison Williams: Alison owns a small shop in a neighbouring village. She is unlikely to be able to afford anything here.
Linda Lovitt: The Baroness’s maid for the past three years. She is out of a job now, as well as being heavily pregnant!
Lionel Big: The owner of ‘Wartime Antiques’, Lionel has a most unpleasant manner. He is T. J. Shade’s main business rival.
J.J. Sly: This surly, aggressive man is not known in the antiques trade, and no one can think of a reason why he should be at the auction.
Pat Gaffney: This wealthy Irish property owner is rumoured to be the new owner of Audry’s estate. Pat’s strong accent and sense of humour add life to any party.
Sterling Saunders: An entrepreneur from Soho whose millions were made out of whatever Soho does best.
Harvey Salmon: A money-lender of great repute. It is always wise to make repayments to Salmon Enterprises on time…
Father O’Leary: The local priest who took over from the now Cardinal Bowden twenty-five years ago. He conducted private services for the Baroness regularly.
John Doe: After spending many years in South America, John is now a journalist for ‘Yesterday’s News’, the magazine for antique dealers.
Glee Bloomfield: An antiques dealer from London, Glee has an eye for a bargain and is looking for one at the auction.
Sue Bromley: A young and promising archaeologist who was on the expedition with the Baroness when the artefacts were discovered.
Lady Miriam Bates: Sir John’s charming wife, Lady Miriam looks down on all those she believes lack her wealth and breeding.
Sam Snoop: Wherever there’s money, you will also find the gutter press. Sam is the News of the People’s foremost ‘investigative journalist’.
Ringwald Crump: Crump is a talented but struggling artist whose main role model is Vincent Van Gogh.
A.B. Burns: Recruited by Freddie Farr to run the auction, A.B. has worked for the family firm of Burns, Burns & Burns for many years.
Elsie Earnapenny: A keen member of her local girl guides group, Elsie is often seen raising money for good causes.
Dan, the gardener: Dan has been Audry’s gardener for the last fifteen years. A cheerful old soul, he is very proud of his cabbages and raspberries.
Jeff Williamson: Jeff is a local lad whose mischievous nature frequently gets him into trouble with the police.
Ann Smith: Ann guarded the relics for the Baroness when they were abroad. She is responsible for ensuring no one tries to steal or damage them at the auction.
James Bond: Bond doesn’t talk much about work except to say that it involves plenty of travel and meeting new people.
Yngvar Nilsson: Yngvar is “big in fish”. This charming and mild-mannered Norwegian can talk for hours about the best way to smoke a herring.
Mark Beard: Mark is an earnest American journalist who writes about antiquities for various specialist magazines. He thinks the auction relics should be returned to Turkey.
Karla Herbflauer: A German academic based at the University of Bremen, Karla is here to see for herself the wonderful treasures Audry found on her expedition.
Jason Velour: Stylist for the glossy magazine ‘An Englishman’s Home’, Jason is always on the lookout for inspiration for his sumptuous photo shoots.
Mickey Two-Fingers: Mickey’s main interests include biting the heads off chickens, attacking people with his hammer and being nice to his mum.
Alabama Mason: A writer and biographer, Alabama was just starting to write the Baroness’s life history when the tragic death occurred.
Buffy South: Buffy is very artistic, as you can tell from how she dresses. She can do all kinds of clever things with ink and drawing paper. The three year sentence she served for forging a legal document was, no doubt, just an unfortunate misunderstanding.
Councillor Fry: This local councillor would attend the opening of an envelope and loves hobnobbing with the rich and famous.
F. Coppit: An antiques dealer whose main interest is jewellery. If you have any valuable items to sell, Coppit should give you a good price.
H. Hacker: Sam Snoop’s main rival. Works for the Daily Dirt and enjoys talking about and reporting on crime.
Game Running Order
Timings vary every time a game is played but allow yourselves about 3 hours if it’s happening over a meal. This sample running order gives a rough idea of what you might expect.
Before The Event
The organiser prints out all the necessary paperwork and gets the plot ready following our instructions. They also send out invites about a week in advance, using pages in the downloadable free intro.
Arrival & Introductions
The organiser has their own character to play and starts by welcoming everyone to the event. Character name badges and character envelopes are given out. If you’re having a meal, this section often happens over drinks beforehand.
The Game Unfolds
People open their envelopes, read the information inside and start playing.
New pieces of evidence – a Will, perhaps, or a Coroner’s Report – emerge and are read out to everyone. At this stage, people also busy themselves in small groups as they question and interact with each other in character. They may have secrets to conceal or reveal, items to buy or sell, people to find or avoid, information to obtain or share.
If you are having a meal, this section often happens after the first course is served and runs through till dessert.
Final Accusations & Reveal
Everyone gets the opportunity to make their accusations. Usually, they do so in teams and agree on a team solution which they think best fits all the facts. A Team Spokesperson shares this publicly with everyone else then the police inspector reads out the correct solution. Prizes may be given out to the Best Team of Detectives, Best Actor and Best Costume. The murderer is arrested.
Almost the end, but not quite… Before leaving, people often talk over what they did during the game, what scrapes their character got into, how they interacted with others. Big secrets and funny things that happened can at last be shared and discussed.
Age Rating
We offer two versions of this game. One includes references to drug use, so it’s best for people aged 16 and older who may not be bothered by such content. The other version removes these drug references and replaces them with different content, making it more suitable for players aged 12 and up.
Both versions can involve characters doing bad things: lying, stealing, cheating on their partners, blackmailing people, committing fraud, committing murder. It is all treated in a fun, light-hearted way and usually goes down very well. but, if you think any of your group may be offended by this kind of content, we recommend you find something else to do.
Occasions
Our games are perfect for every kind of party, social event and business function. They work brilliantly for private dinner parties, company team-building events, charity fundraisers, birthdays, reunions, anniversaries, stag dos, hen dos. They bring people together and get them talking and having fun.
Costumes
People don’t have to dress up in fancy dress for our murder mysteries. However, encouraging guests to do so will add a lot to the fun. Getting them to wear what they think their character might wear also means you’re sure to end up with some amazing photos.
Useful links for costumes
The Cutter’s Guide is a magnificent free resource full of pictures and information about what people wore when. Be inspired!
Amazon, eBay and Etsy are all great online places to go looking for costumes you can hire, make or buy.
Sewdirect is also somewhere we recommend visiting if you fancy having a go at making your own costume.
Props
Some games have props in them which become part of the plot. In our Auction game, for instance, some “antique relics” are sold off during it.
Wherever a prop is needed in a plot, we’ll always make it available as a printable picture in the mystery pack you download when you buy the game. However, if you’d prefer to replace the print-out with a physical item, please feel free to do so.
Toy departments, fancy dress shops, prop hire stores – it’s amazing what you can find in them. And if you know anyone who has access to a 3D printer, get talking!
Useful links for props
Etsy for all kinds of new and second-hand items including props and costumes.
Leafnin Cosplay has some excellent advice on how to make props out of paper mache.
Paperwork
The game consists of various files and documents for you to print out. They include invitations, character information sheets, evidence reports (a Last Will and Testament, perhaps, and a Coroner’s Report) and paper representations of any physical props in the game.
Printer, etc.
A lot of what’s in this game can be screenshot online and sent to people as attachments.
However, things work better if you use a printer. Print out various documents from the PDF file you get when you buy the game. You then hand these documents out to guests while the game is taking place.
When getting the paperwork for the mystery ready using a printer, you will also need paper, envelopes, paper clips and scissors. The amount of printing varies and depends on how many of you there are. Expect to print out anything from 30 – 60 pages.
Names Badges
These can be printed out or made up. Advice on how to do so is included in the game. Also, Canva has some useful free online resources to help you create your own, personalised name badges.
Have Questions?
Whether you’re hosting a murder mystery for the first time or just want to make sure it’s the right fit for your group, our FAQ should cover what you need to know. From what’s included in the download to costume tips and group size flexibility, these answers will help you plan the perfect murder mystery night with confidence.
What’s included in the game download?
When you purchase our game, you’ll receive an email with a link and a password. This should be with you in hours but can take longer if the Internet is misbehaving. The download is a PDF with all the information you need on how to set up and run the mystery. A step-by-step guide on what to do before and during the game, notes for each character, clues and evidence to reveal throughout the evening, and a solution for the final reveal. It’s designed to be easy to follow, even for first-time hosts.
Is this a boxed game? Is it posted to me?
No, no, no, no and no! A downloadable, printable PDF document for you to print out and put together.
How many people can play, and what if my group size changes?
This game is designed for 16 to 40 players. Everyone has their own character to play. Some are essential, some aren’t. This allows you to adjust which characters you use if people drop out or are added later.
Can the organiser play the game, too?
Yes. There is a character for the organiser to play which allows them to be as involved as everyone else in the game. And they won’t find out who the murderer is till the end.
Can I run it over a meal?
Yes, but it’s not essential. It will run quicker without food. The key thing is to make sure people can circulate easily while the game is happening as well as enjoy their food.
What meal works best?
People sometimes hold our mysteries in grand settings with all kinds of exotic food being served. We reckon they work best, though, where the emphasis is on being relaxed and informal. A buffet or food that’s easy to share – these usually work better than a formal, sit-down meal.
Do players need to do or read anything in advance?
We recommend that they do. Everyone should receive an invitation before the event. This gives some background on the plot and tells them which character they will play. Reading it in advance helps create a buzz, allows people time to sort out costumes (if they want to) and means they’ll have less to read at the start of the game.
What does the organiser need to do in advance?
There are invites to put together and send out, character sheets to print out, plus items of evidence to get ready. It’s all clearly set out in a Step-by-Step guide which comes with the game.
How difficult is it?
The game is suitable for players of all experience levels. The information you need to solve the crime is freely available but can only be found by talking to others. The solution is logical and satisfying.
Can I customise it and make changes to it?
No, not really. Doing so may affect something vital in the game which won’t become clear until you play it. Also, the format you receive the game in prevents it from being edited.
Can I play the game virtually, online?
No. It’s designed to be played by everyone gathered together in the same space. Trying to include some players via video link won’t work, either. However, we do have two two games – Murder in the Red Room and The Chocolate Bar Mystery – which are meant to be played virtually online.
What should we wear?
Although this game is set in the present day, many hosts choose to set it in a specific era such as the 1920s, 1930s, or 1950s for a more immersive experience. Dressing up is optional but highly encouraged, and costumes add a lot of charm to the event. For ideas, you can check out the Cutter’s Guide or search online for themed fancy dress options.
How much space do I need to play this game?
Allow plenty of space for it. During it, even if it’s happening over a meal, people will want to be able to get out of their places easily so they can circulate and speak to lots of other people. Don’t cram everyone in round one table and make it hard for them to move around.
Will I need to make the room look different?
No. It’ll work in any kind of room as long as it’s big enough. Dressing yours up to suit the theme is a nice extra touch but – as with costumes and fancy dress – by no means essential.
Can I play the game again with a different group of people?
No. Buying it from us allows you to play it just once and within one year of purchase. If you do want to play it again, you’ll need to buy it again.
Troubleshooting
If you have trouble buying our mystery or don’t receive confirmation that you have bought it or aren’t able to download it, please go here to find help on what to do next.