The Final Curtain – Murder Mystery Game
$37.99
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Real-life tragedy strikes at the Littledean Theatre Company when its leading actor, Vincent Royle, dies onstage. Police suspect murder most foul.
Setting: Set in 1926, The Final Curtain is a mystery full of scandal, gossip, and intrigue. Everyone plays a character connected to the Littledean Theatre. Be one of its cast or crew and figure out who’s behind Vincent’s untimely demise.
Plot: As the story unfolds, you’ll chat with others, uncover secrets, and try to solve the mystery. Near the end, teams make their guesses before the Inspector reveals the truth. The murderer is caught, justice is served, and everyone has a fantastic time!
Characters: Want the spotlight? Take on the role of a star actor. Prefer to stay in the background? You can be the dresser, box office manager, or assistant stage manager.
Time Period: The Final Curtain is set in the Roaring Twenties. Flappers, feather boas, beads, pearls and headbands – you get the picture! It takes place during an after-show party for the actors and backstage crew of the Littledean Theatre.
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 will be actors (leading lady, rising star, ingenue, etc.) and backstage crew (stage manager, wardrobe mistress, box office manager, etc.). They all have different information and personalities and views about the theatre company they belong to.
A Character Selection Guide comes with the game. This guides you on who to keep and who to drop. One person gets to play two characters!
Jay Fitzharing: The owner and manager of Littledean Theatre, Jay directs all the plays there and is proud of the reputation the theatre has built up over the years.
Esmerelda De Young: The leading lady at the theatre for many years, Esmerelda has played roles ranging from Shakespearean heroines to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
Quentin Bleeker: Quentin is the assistant stage manager and male understudy at the theatre. He wants to be an actor and dreams of fame and fortune. In the meantime he moves furniture and make tea for the actors.
Deirdre Jenkins: Deirdre is an assistant stage manager and female understudy. She has the small role of ‘parlour maid’ in the current production which has been warmly received.
Sterling Braydon: The stage manager who is responsible for the technical running of the show. Sterling knows almost everything that goes on in the theatre.
Felicity Frank: Felicity is a young actress. This is her first job and she has been at the theatre for six months. The Littledean Bugle says ‘she will go far’.
Patrick O’Neil: Patrick and Vincent trained at RADA together and were friends for many years. Patrick supplements his actors’ wages with various business ventures and investment schemes.
Brian Booth: When not propping up the theatre bar, actor Brian is often to be found playing cards with Patrick in his dressing room.
Errol Blackstone: A character actor of the old school, Errol has had a long and successful career since his first job playing Romeo opposite Esmerelda De Young’s Juliet in Tunbridge Wells.
Sandy Deeley: The box office manager of the theatre for many years, Sandy is the first face the audience sees and makes sure it’s always happy and smiling.
Pip Overton: Jay Fitzharing’s personal assistant, Pip has the kind of organisational skills that are essential to the efficient running of the theatre.
Bert, Stage Door Keeper: Bert keeps a watchful eye on the comings and goings in the theatre and is very strict about backstage visitors during the show. However a bottle of whisky can usually persuade him to turn a blind eye.
Madge Blunt: Madge has been the cleaner at Littledean for over twenty years and has great loyalty to the theatre. She has seen all the shows and is an expert on Restoration Comedy. Her child, ‘Spangles’, also works at the theatre.
‘Spangles’ Blunt: ‘Spangles’ is Madge’s child and has just started working as a dresser for the actors. Spangles is very ambitious and hopes one day to be Head of Wardrobe.
Inspector Blewitt: One of Scotland Yard’s finest, the Inspector has been put on this case because of his keen interest in amateur dramatics. Blewitt’s Widow Twankey from last Christmas is still talked about in hushed tones.
Karsten von Greebling: German, forceful and very ambitious, Karsten is owner and manager of Soudley Theatre, Littledean’s neighbours and arch rivals. Karsten directs all Soudley’s plays and believes anything Littledean does, Soudley can do better.
Fenella Spears: Fenella recently joined Soudley Theatre as an actress. She is already receiving high praise for her elegant arm gestures and exquisite diction.
Victor Noble: Soudley Theatre’s leading man, Victor regarded Vincent Royle as his inferior in every way. “Appalling actor, appalling human being,” was how he summed him up.
Ernestina May: Soudley Theatre’s leading lady for many years, Ernestina prides herself on rising above the cattiness which can bedevil her profession. “Unlike Esmerelda De Young,” she says, “I never have a bad word to say about anyone.”
Terry Stafford: Stage manager at Soudley Theatre, Littledean Theatre’s arch rivals. Terry’s vast knowledge of all things technical and close attention to detail means Soudley never runs short of spanners, nails, lights — or biscuits!
Jim, Stage Door Keeper: Like his good friend Bert at Littledean, Soudley’s stage door keeper Jim knows a lot about what goes on in his theatre. “I’ve seen many things you wouldn’t believe,” he says.
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
Bad people who behave badly are great fun to play. The characters in this plot are often vain and selfish. They lie, cheat on one another, gossip, keep secrets, spread rumours and do things that make them believable as suspects in the murder.
It’s all light-hearted fun and, we think, unlikely to offend anyone. It is, though, primarily written for and aimed at adults. Quite a lot goes on and there’s plenty for everyone to do – if they want to. For this reason, while children do sometimes play characters in it, we say it’s really best suited to those aged 12+.
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 7 to 20 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?
This game is set in 1926. Dressing up is optional but highly encouraged, and costumes add a lot of charm to the evening. Flapper dresses, pearls, waistcoats, or vintage suits are all great choices. 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.