Murder Happens: Beatniks and poetry. Party game where each player is a suspected character and one is the murderer, 6-12 adults

Murder Happens games are murder mystery party games you put on at home. It can be played around a whole meal or just snacks. You can go all out with costumes and decorations, or just play it around the kitchen table. The game works either way because it is written and designed with richly detailed characters, an intriguing story, map, crime scene photos, and art that create an immersive experience.
Each player takes on the role of one of eight suspect characters in the murder mystery. They must figure out which player is the murderer by going through all the evidence and clues and interrogating the other players. Meanwhile the guilty player tries to mislead and derail the others. The story is engrossing and dramatic, but there is also lots of laughter and fun.
You can relax because your party will be a success and everyone will love it, and as host you can also play a character. The rules are simple, hosting is easy with the step by step instructions to guide you the whole way. There are online support materials, costume suggestions, character backgrounds, and music suggestions. The game can be as simple or complex to put on as you want. It is designed with self contained immersive story and art, but you can also add costumes and props to make the experience even richer.
In addition to the eight characters to be played there is an auxiliary character that can be played when there are more than eight guests. The auxiliary character has access to all the materials and can cross examine the suspects just like any character players, so they get the full experience of the game. There are also instructions for playing with as few as four players and for dealing with no shows. Your unreliable guests can not ruin your game.
The game pieces you get in the box begin with the introduction which sets up the whole scene and story background. You can watch this being read by Detective Thrasher at murderhappens.com by clicking on the “More Info” button. There are narratives for each suspect which is what they saw, did, and know about other characters. There is a murder scene map, crime scene photos, a police report, and clue cards that are bits of information that come to light during the game. All these have clues that can help you to successfully identify the murderer, as long as they don’t distract and confuse you.
These games are also a great team building experience. As the game is being played you will see who emerges as the natural leader or organizer, the detail oriented players and the logical ones, etc. Some players will stay in the background but come through with crucial details when it counts, some are reticent and don’t want to draw attention to themselves, others will be boisterous and comics. All these characteristics will surface without the players really knowing what is happening and they wont feel like it’s a test, they will just be their natural selves having fun playing a game.

The Story

In the medium sized town of Richmond, north of San Francisco, is a flourishing beatnik community. It’s not a big time city but they have gained some notoriety for their poets and artists. Richmond has the typical big city intrigues of politics and the art business. It also has drugs, wild music, orgies, political scandals, anarchists, wild philosophers and even some bikers that are all part of the scene.
Throw into the mix characters with criminal backgrounds, frustrated writers, fake artists and fake beatniks and you have a recipe for the oldest crime known to man.
Get out your bongos, berets, some Jazz, red wine, spaghetti, and garlic bread. Brush up on your beatnik lingo and you will set the mood for this titillating tale of coooool cat intrigue.