Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine and Murder
Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine and Murder Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Party Instructions
It is your duty as a party organizer to see that the rules are observed and to keep the players in order. It may be helpful for you to provide each guest with a pad and pen for notes. However, on no account should you read any of the Character Booklets or listen to the Compact Disc in advance. Cast your guests according to the character profiles printed on the invitations, keeping a character for yourself, but remember that no one will prove to be quite what they seem. There are eight characters in all—six suspects and two extra guests (four men and four women). The six suspects must be present at your mystery party for it to play properly. It is not essential for the Extra Guests to be present. These two roles should be filled only if you are inviting more than six people to your party.
The Characters
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| OTTO VON SCHNAPPS | A wine merchant |
| TINY BUBBLES | Wife of vineyard manager |
| RALPH ROTTINGRAPE | Vineyard manager |
| MARILYN MERLOT | Actress |
| PAPA VITO | Vineyard worker |
| HEDY SHABLEE | Vineyard owner |
| BONNY LASS | Mystery novelist (Extra Guest, Non-Suspect) |
| BUD WIZER | FBI agent (Extra Guest, Non-Suspect) |
The Invitations & Costume Suggestions
Try to send out your invitations early. Encourage your guests to enter into the spirit of the evening by dressing in appropriate costumes, as suggested in the invitations. They can choose to arrive elaborately dressed or simply just bring along a single prop. Improvisation is the key to the success of the evening. If extra guests turn up, they can join in and question the suspects too.
The Game Contents
- 1 Party Planner
- 8 Party Invitations & Envelopes
- 8 Place Cards
- 8 Character Booklets
- 6 Secret Clues
- 1 Compact Disc with Clues and the Solution
Pregame Instructions
When your guests have all assembled, give each one their proper Character Booklet, and ask them to spend a few minutes reading the RULES OF THE GAME and the INTRODUCTION pages. You must explain to your guests that they should not read beyond the STOP notices at the bottom of the pages until they are instructed. When you are sure the guests have had time to absorb the information, and after the CD introduction, let each one introduce themselves as the character they play, using the facts in the paragraph titled WHAT THE WORLD SEES.
The paragraph labeled THE TRUTH is for the guests' personal information only, and should not be revealed at this point. Then play the CD to learn what crime has been committed and to set the scene.
The Game Schedule & Rules
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CD. Start the CD featuring Bridget Bordeaux. The narrator will advise you when to pause the CD.
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FIRST DIALOGUE. All characters now act out their parts.
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ROUND ONE. Have suspects take a few minutes to review their individual bits of information, then begin asking questions and revealing facts in any order. (Make sure all the facts are revealed before continuing to step 4.)
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CD. Continue the CD to wrap up Round One. The narrator will advise you when to pause the CD.
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SECOND DIALOGUE. All characters now act out their parts.
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ROUND TWO. Suspects first review their individual bits of information, then begin asking questions and revealing facts in any order.
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CD. Continue the CD to wrap up Round Two. The narrator will advise you when to pause the CD.
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THIRD DIALOGUE. All characters now act out their parts.
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ROUND THREE. Suspects first review their individual bits of information, then begin asking questions and revealing facts in any order.
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OPTIONAL. Each character may choose to read their final statement as written in their booklets.
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ACCUSATIONS. Each guest now reveals their opinion as to the identity of the murderer.
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CD. Continue the CD to hear Bridget Bordeaux reveal the solution to A TASTE FOR WINE AND MURDER.
Once you have listened to the first section of the CD, everyone should turn to the FIRST DIALOGUE. This is a prelude to ROUND ONE, which follows immediately.
You will find that each page in the numbered rounds is divided into FACTS YOU WILL REVEAL and FACTS YOU WILL REVEAL ONLY AFTER CHALLENGED. Between each round, ensure that your guests have a few minutes to absorb the material before proceeding. The object of each round is for every guest to use the information from FACTS YOU WILL REVEAL as prompts for questioning the other guests, while only revealing their own secrets from FACTS YOU WILL REVEAL ONLY AFTER CHALLENGED when directly asked.
NOTE: When questioned, the player cannot lie, though he or she may be evasive. If challenged directly, however, they must tell the whole truth. At some point in the game, the murderer will be informed in their Character Booklet that he or she has committed the crime, and given information to help them avoid detection.
At the end of ROUNDS ONE and TWO, Bridget Bordeaux will be on the tape to help you by summing up what you should have discovered.
It is your duty as the party organizer to bring each round to an end by asking if your guests have revealed all the necessary information. This is an appropriate moment to move on to the next course of your meal, or to refresh the snacks and drinks.
Remind your guests that they should not read beyond the STOP notices until you instruct them to do so and that the Booklet they have been given is for their eyes only.
Secret Clues
There are six documents labeled CLUE #1-#6 with the name of the character who is to read each one. These should be given to the correct suspect at the start of the game. They should not be opened or read until they are instructed to in their Character Booklets.
After ROUND THREE, guests have the option of reading their version of the events out loud, as written on the last page of their Booklet, or they may choose to dive in and make accusations immediately. If the statements are read, beware, because one of them is untrue – the murderer's. Play the CD for the final time to hear the SOLUTION, as discovered by Bridget Bordeaux.
Allow approximately 3 hours to play the game.
Setting the Mood
Be as inventive as you would like with your choice of foods, beverages, music and decor. All suggestions are optional, but will help to create the ambiance appropriate to the game scenario. Enjoy and have fun!
The Underwood mansion, brightly lit and richly decorated is the scene of a congenial gathering of family and friends. Meeting and greeting at the door were Ralph Rottingrape and his wife, Tiny Bubbles. As the guests lifted their glasses to toast their hosts and the new vintage of Pinot Noir, a small tremor shook the building. Used to such things in California, the guests were generally unmoved until the old wooden floor buckled, revealing the well preserved body of former vineyard owner, Barry Underwood. Much shaken, the guests cast their eyes about watching each others expressions, and wondering who was responsible for this vintage murder mystery.
Setting the Scene
The dining room table is elegantly set with a wine colored tablecloth adorned with small clusters of grapes. Dinner napkins in matching colors are set alongside simple oversized plates. Crystal wine glasses, for both red and white wine shine at each place setting. Bowls filled with clusters of red and green grapes, arrangements of avocados, tomatoes, and colorful seasonal vegetables are scattered throughout the room. Gaily colored flowers fill several vases. Bottles of wine, both red and white with handwritten Underwood labels and baskets of bread and crisp breadsticks are set on the table. The room is softly lit, aglow with candlelight and the soft tones of California Dreamin' can be heard in the background. Guests mingle, toasting each other and their host and exclaiming that this will be the best year yet for Underwood wines. The room shakes and the mystery unfolds.
Music Suggestions
- George Winston
- Otmar Leiber
- Sadé
- Mozart String Quartet
- Willie and Lobo