The Reading of the Will – Murder Mystery Game
$29.99
- Game Length:
- Group Size:
- Download:
- Play Format:
- Age:
The Duke of Felthorpe has been found dead in his locked bathroom. Was it a tragic accident — or something far more sinister? If it was murder, how did the killer get in? And how did they escape?
Setting: The Duke’s grand country house provides the setting for this mystery. Following his tragic death, guests are here to find out what he may have left them in his Will.
Plot: This is a classic locked-room murder mystery. When the Duke’s Will is revealed, shock and outrage spread. As the mystery unfolds, new clues emerge, accusations fly, and dark truths come to light. The solution isn’t random – when all the facts are laid out, only one person could have done it.
Characters: Everyone gets to play a character. Some of you are family, some loyal servants, and all of you expected to benefit from the Will.
Time Period: The story unfolds with everyone sitting round the same table. Although set in the modern day, it lends itself well to being played as if it belongs in the past: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s – take your pick!
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.
Character Roles & Participation
This game has 6-8 characters in it for guests to play. Everyone is here for the Reading of the Duke of Felthorpe’s Will. They sit together round one table and, when prompted to do so, gradually share what they know with each other. The characters are:
Monty: The duke’s son and heir. Not very bright.
Mandy: Monty’s wife. Beautiful, pushy. A part-time model.
Susan: The duke’s daughter. A teacher. Clever, underappreciated, unmarried.
Roxanne: The duke’s full-time nurse. Good with needles.
Larkin: The duke’s lawyer. Slick and cunning.
Nobbs: The duke’s butler. Loyal, long-suffering. Used to be a monk.
Chef Humble: The duke’s cook. Short-tempered, unreasonable.
Trish: The duke’s maid. Young, trusting, naïve.
Game Running Order
Timings vary every time a game is played but allow yourselves about 2 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
As organiser, you will have your own character to play and start by welcoming everyone to the event. Character name badges and character information booklets are given out.
People open their character information booklets, read the information for section 1 and start playing.
The Game Unfolds
The plot is broken down into five different sections/time zones: Friday evening drinks, Friday evening dinner, Saturday lunch, Saturday evening dinner, Sunday lunch.
Each section/time zone lasts about 20 minutes. Allow another 20 minutes at the end where people can make their accusations.
You can, of course, run each section/time zone one after the other without breaks. Or, if you prefer, you can save each section for its actual time zone and allow the plot to unfold over an entire weekend.
In each section/time zone, characters discover more and reveal more about what they know.
New pieces of evidence – e.g. a Coroner’s Report – may emerge and are read out to everyone.
Expect the unexpected, too: surprising things will happen as the mystery progresses.
Final Accusations & Reveal
As the final section/time zone concludes, guests will have found out plenty about what each character has been doing. Now it’s time for each of them to decide who they think has committed murder and why. They then take it turns to make their accusation public.
There is only one solution that fits all the clues and makes sense of what’s happened. This is now read out to everyone and the wicked murderer exposed.
Almost the end, but not quite… Before leaving, people usually chat about how the mystery unfolded for them, what surprises there were along the way and what fun they had playing their character.
Age Rating
The characters in this story all have secrets and some have done things they’d rather keep hidden. Murders don’t just happen without reason, and every suspect has something to feel guilty about.
While there’s nothing more extreme here than what you’d see in a crime film or TV drama, this mystery is designed for adults. Some parts of the story might be too difficult for younger players to follow, so we recommend it for ages 14+.
Occasions
With just 6-8 characters, this is perfect entertainment for your next dinner party. Will add something special to a birthday dinner, too. And, because the plot can be run in sections over a whole weekend, you can combine it with other fun activities, too.
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
You won’t need extra props for this plot. Everything is already available via information booklets and paper evidence. However, if anyone wants to enhance how their character looks with a prop of some kind, we recommend the following:
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 two files for you to buy and a free introduction to download. They include invitations, character information sheets, instructions, running order, evidence reports (e.g. a Coroner’s Report) and solution.
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 files you get when you buy the game. You then hand these documents out to guests while the game is taking place.
There are booklets for each character to use and we pack a lot into our mysteries. The story unfolds page by page. There will be at least 60 pages to print out but don’t worry – some of these only have a few lines of information on them.
Names Badges
These can be printed out or created by you. 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 links and a password. These should be with you in hours but can take longer if the Internet is misbehaving. There are two files for you to download. These have all the information you need on how to set up and run the mystery. A step-by-step guide tells you what to do before the game. Another one sets out what to do during it. There are booklets to get ready for each character, clues and paper evidence to share as the plot unfolds. And there is a solution for the final reveal.
It’s all 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! Instead, there are two downloadable, printable documents for you to print out and put together.
How many people can play, and what if my group size changes?
This game is for 6-8 players. 6 are essential to making the game work and 2 are droppable. All is explained in the Organiser’s notes.
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. all you need is a table for everyone to sit round.
What meal works best?
The plot is very English. Any tradionally English meal will work well – Sunday Roast, Shepherd’s Pie, Lancashire Hotpot, etc. It’s relaxed enough for you to enjoy a multi-course meal while the mystery is going on. Or just fish and chips. Or tea and biscuits! Whatever will work for you should work for this plot.
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 Things To Do In Advance 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 becomes available to everyone as the plot unfolds. 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?
At a pinch, you may find a way to do so. But it works much better with everyone in the same space.
What should we wear?
Dressing up is optional but highly encouraged, and costumes add a lot of charm to the event. 1924 is a glorious time for all kinds of magnificent outfits. 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?
One table, 6-8 chairs and somewhere you can all easily hear each other. It definitely works best in a private room but, at a push, a quiet corner might work, too.
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.