My next review is going to involve the "How to Host a Murder" line of murder mystery games. These games set the bar for boxed parties back in 80's. I own them all and they are now considered Out of Print for the most part. This review is about their Halloween themed game, "An Affair to Dismember." This was one of the last games to come out for the line and you can still find it pretty easily at online retailers.
I find that most people either love or hate this series. I think, for the most part, these boxed games are about the best for detail and character involvement. But, like anything else, some scenarios in the line are better than others.
Each game comes with 8 character booklets (thus for eight guests), 8 invitations, a map of the crime scene, a host's guide complete with menu and costume suggestions, a booklet of secret clues (not every character gets one), and either a cassette tape or CD which usually has a detective or other character on it who describes the scene of the crime and the various clues found. Usually the tape/CD is played at the start of the party. Once in a while, it is used a little later. Some of the later titles, including this one, also have a track of various sound effects/mood music depending on the theme. None of the games use the tape/CD to reveal the solution of the game, unlike Murder a la Carte and other boxed games.
The game is played in four rounds. At the start of the game, the guests read their personal dossiers which give them the facts they know about themselves, (which were included in the invitations), and then their secret information, which usually gives them their possible motive for the murder about to be revealed. None of the games in the line has ever told the player (or players) who are guilty that they have committed the crime at this point in the game.
After that, in each of the four rounds, the characters are given facts to conceal, (which is information about what their character has been up to), and facts to reveal, which are facts they must reveal about the other suspects in each round. It's a casual, sit-down game, with facts and suspicions discussed among the players.
"An Affair to Dismember" takes place in the spooky town of Deadbolt, Transylvania. The most well known, powerful and wealthy person in town is Neville Aster-Night, who lives at the Castle Von Morgue. Neville is hosting a Halloween midnight buffet, to celebrate his engagement to the french innkeeper, Lizzie Bordeaux. His guest list includes some of the world's most "creepy" characters. These include...
Lizzie Bordeaux: The gothic French Innkeeper of Deadbolt's "Motel California."
King Aldrinktotat: A 3,000 year old mummy that was unearthed 20 years ago.
Glumda: The wicked witch from the land of Depressed.
Balihi: The Rogersandhammerstein Monster, who is a famous Broadway musical star.
Angela Deth: A sadistic dentist.
Asthmadeus: The "Prince of Dimness," he is "The Prince of Darkness's" dim younger brother.
Aretha Garlique: The famous flamboyant clairvoyant and mystic.
Hannibal Schecter: The world's only kosher cannibal.
As you can see, the "How to Host a Murder" line is very tongue-in-cheek and the characters make a great mix of personalities and costumes. There isn't anyway to add any other characters. So, if you have more than eight guests, you can give them silly names and a reason to be there, but they will have little to do except watch, ask questions and take notes. Then, at the end of the game, they can try to guess the identity of the murderer along with everyone else.
CONS: The game is limited to eight guests. Normally this isn't a problem, but if someone cancels at the last minute, it could ruin your evening. The host will have to do some quick thinking. Normally, I would opt not to play a character and this way I could at least fill in for the missing role. But if a couple has to cancel on you, it may make it a bit rougher to do. I'd advise making an excuse as to why they couldn't be there, read their facts out loud and try to answer questions posed by the other characters. Also, though the "How to Host a Murder" line is more thorough and plays fair with clues and solutions, they have an awkward writing style at times. Certain games, (this one included), hints at certain events and actions taken by the characters in their booklets, but because they try to be clever about it, the player may not be given all the correct information. For example, one of the characters is told in round one that they were sneaking something in a cooler out of the castle. But they never tell the player what that is. Later, in round four they are told they shipped it somewhere, but again not giving all the vital information. Meanwhile, in round one, another character has spotted the player with the cooler. When asked about it, what should the player respond? The writers of the line try to make each character look suspicious and when reading your secret information, you will, at times, think you may be guilty, but unless your booklet spells it out that you are the killer, you shouldn't assume you are. I've also noticed that sometimes players are given facts about the other characters before that character gets their own information and this sometimes causes confusion. Suffice to say, many of these games are not good for novice players. But the game does encourage you to say "You don't know" if you really don't know the answer to a question.
PROS: Even though they are sometimes written in odd ways, (and this could also just be simple editing mistakes), this line of games is very detailed and the plots are very humorous and very involved. Many characters have inter-connecting story lines and it is very humorous. The game references a lot of pop culture and adds to the fun.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I really enjoy this line of boxed games, despite the odd writing at times. The detail and fair play clues keep the guests involved. I would also recommend that the host or hostess read through everything way before the party. It's better if you know what's going on and then, to avoid confusion, you can casually try to point your guests in the right direction when facts are unclear. Also, you should make up a list of facts that were learned in each round and at the end of each round, sum up what the group has learned. Again, this takes some prep time but it's worth it. This particular scenario is great for a Halloween party. It's more upbeat and a lot of fun. The way in which the information is presented can be confusing at times, but the characters are detailed enough that your guests should be able to ad lib some quick responses to awkward questions. The game is really good, but not perfect, so I'd give this title 4 out of 5 stars.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
A Taste of Transylville Terror!
It's August and that's a special time for me. It's time to plan my annual Halloween Murder-Mystery Party! I love playing various parties throughout the year, but Halloween is usually the time I try to go all out and throw a really fun and quirky game. There are some great Halloween themed games out there and I hope to share some with you over the next few weeks. This time around I'd like to discuss the Halloween Murder Mystery Party "A Taste of Transylville Terror," a great game that can be found at www.acemurdermystery.com They have a nice selection of games and have been around for a few years. One of Ace's great concepts is that the characters you and your guests portray are famous faces from both history and fiction. And the games are very funny as well.
"A Taste of Transylville Terror" takes place in Transylville, a small town in Transylvania, (I mean where else would it be?) The year is 1856 and the local town beauty, one Virginia Vestalata, has fallen to her death from the church bell-tower. Actually, she's been pushed...murdered! The village is in an uproar and they are pointing the finger at a certain group of strange creatures that inhabit the village. For you see, Transylville is home to some of the world's most famous (or is that infamous) monsters. The suspects (and your guest list) includes:
Gomez von Adums: eccentric patriarch of the strange and macabre von Adums family.
Morticia von Adums: dark beauty and matriarch of the von Adums family.
Count Dracula: the famous and feared immortal vampire!
The Bride of Dracula: Count Dracula's 7th and current wife.
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde: The brilliant experimental scientist who wrestles with his sadistic alter ego.
The Wicked Witch: The reclusive and evil spinster who loves to cast spells on others.
Frankenstein's Monster: The slow-witted creation rejected by both his creator and society.
Kruella Le Deville: A mean, cruel and ruthless woman. She always gets what she wants.
Lurchio: The large, frightening but faithful manservant to the von Adums family.
Poison Ivy: Ex-botonist now criminal mastermind who uses plant poisons on humanity.
The story takes place at the von Adums family mansion. Though all the monstrous guests have been invited to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Gomez and Morticia, it turns into a murder investigation, as each creature seems to have a connection to poor Virginia. Not to mention the fact that the townsfolk are outside, armed with torches and pitchforks. Once Virginia's ghost manifests to the party and tells her sad tale, the guests realize a murderer is among them and must try to bring Virginia's killer to justice. If they succeed, her spirit can go off to it's heavenly reward, if not, she will be bound to wander the earth forever more. Pretty dramatic, don't you think?
This party was a blast to run and even though I played it several years ago, it's one that my guests still talk about today. Let's face it, when you get older, Halloween doesn't always hold the same charm it did when you were younger. This game gives you the chance to dress up in some classic costumes and relive the fun with a famous group of monsters. And various online and local retailers have tons of Halloween decorations for you to just go all out. The setting is the dining room in a creepy old manor house. A few cobwebs, candles (or better yet LED candles) placed about the table. A few pumpkins and spiders here a there, black lace and spooky pictures placed around the room all add to the fun. Serve up a creepy buffet meal, with some of your favorite dishes themed to Halloween and you can't go wrong. Those aren't BBQ chicken wings, those are bat wings smothered in well, that red sauce could be anything, right? Is that pasta or worms? You get the idea.
The game comes with a set of instructions, 10 invitations for each guest, 10 character booklets, a variety of secret clues for each guest and 2 CD's. One CD has Virginia's ghost, who explains the details of the crime and acts as host and bookends the various game rounds. The second CD is a spooky sound-effects CD meant to be played on a separate player in another room, to provide background sounds.
It should be noted that two of the above characters are optional and you and your guests will know from the start that they are not suspects. Lurchio and Poison Ivy are there if you need more characters, otherwise the game can be played with just 8 people. The scripts, booklets and clues are written so that if you use all 10 characters, everyone gets a chance to participate, but if you don't use one or two of the optional characters, the other guests can seamlessly take the optional characters clues and various dialogue as needed. Basically it comes down to, "If Lurchio isn't playing, you should ask the following..." It may sound a little awkward, but it works just fine.
The game plays out in three rounds. Each round the guests are given questions to ask the other guests as well as answers to the various questions they will be asked. The game designers also numbered each question and answer, so one guest has Question #1 and another guest has Answer #1. This works out great and helps with people who may loose their place. As the evening wears on and the drinks are flowing, this becomes more handy than you realize.
At the start of each round, there is some scripted dialogue that each guest reads aloud, like a scene from a play. And throughout the various rounds, the guests will be instructed to reveal secret clues. All in all, a very simple game to run. You are encouraged to ad lib as much as you like, but novices can play just as well as seasoned vets.
CONS: I really don't have any. I loved this game and it was a huge success. The only negative I could give, and it's small, is that its pretty scripted. So if you like to ad lib, you may feel like you're missing out.
PROS: The game is well written. My biggest pet peeve, being a mystery enthusiast, is when the solution doesn't make any sense. All the Ace party games come with complete and believable solutions. The clues are there and if you're sharp enough to spot them, you can solve the mystery. If you don't, when the answer is revealed you can at least sit back and go, "oh yes, now I remember." In addition, the game is filled with lots of humor and tongue-in-cheek play. I also like the fact that the guests decide the fate of the victim. There are actually two different ending tracks on the CD. One you play if the majority of your guests get the solution correct and another if the majority of the group was wrong. A very clever touch. Also, in there various games, there tends to be one or two action scenes to liven up the party. Sometimes the guests get into fake duels and things like that. It gets some of your guests up out of their seats and brings another dimension to the game. This particular game only has one small scene like that but the other games from Ace have more dramatic scenes like this. I recommend them all.
FINAL THOUGHTS: "A Taste of Transylville Terror" is a great Halloween themed game. It's fun, entertaining and very well written. A little scripted, but good writing makes up for that. And if you play it around Halloween, it's pretty easy to gather decorations and costumes. I highly recommend this game and give it 5 out of 5 stars!
"A Taste of Transylville Terror" takes place in Transylville, a small town in Transylvania, (I mean where else would it be?) The year is 1856 and the local town beauty, one Virginia Vestalata, has fallen to her death from the church bell-tower. Actually, she's been pushed...murdered! The village is in an uproar and they are pointing the finger at a certain group of strange creatures that inhabit the village. For you see, Transylville is home to some of the world's most famous (or is that infamous) monsters. The suspects (and your guest list) includes:
Gomez von Adums: eccentric patriarch of the strange and macabre von Adums family.
Morticia von Adums: dark beauty and matriarch of the von Adums family.
Count Dracula: the famous and feared immortal vampire!
The Bride of Dracula: Count Dracula's 7th and current wife.
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde: The brilliant experimental scientist who wrestles with his sadistic alter ego.
The Wicked Witch: The reclusive and evil spinster who loves to cast spells on others.
Frankenstein's Monster: The slow-witted creation rejected by both his creator and society.
Kruella Le Deville: A mean, cruel and ruthless woman. She always gets what she wants.
Lurchio: The large, frightening but faithful manservant to the von Adums family.
Poison Ivy: Ex-botonist now criminal mastermind who uses plant poisons on humanity.
The story takes place at the von Adums family mansion. Though all the monstrous guests have been invited to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Gomez and Morticia, it turns into a murder investigation, as each creature seems to have a connection to poor Virginia. Not to mention the fact that the townsfolk are outside, armed with torches and pitchforks. Once Virginia's ghost manifests to the party and tells her sad tale, the guests realize a murderer is among them and must try to bring Virginia's killer to justice. If they succeed, her spirit can go off to it's heavenly reward, if not, she will be bound to wander the earth forever more. Pretty dramatic, don't you think?
This party was a blast to run and even though I played it several years ago, it's one that my guests still talk about today. Let's face it, when you get older, Halloween doesn't always hold the same charm it did when you were younger. This game gives you the chance to dress up in some classic costumes and relive the fun with a famous group of monsters. And various online and local retailers have tons of Halloween decorations for you to just go all out. The setting is the dining room in a creepy old manor house. A few cobwebs, candles (or better yet LED candles) placed about the table. A few pumpkins and spiders here a there, black lace and spooky pictures placed around the room all add to the fun. Serve up a creepy buffet meal, with some of your favorite dishes themed to Halloween and you can't go wrong. Those aren't BBQ chicken wings, those are bat wings smothered in well, that red sauce could be anything, right? Is that pasta or worms? You get the idea.
The game comes with a set of instructions, 10 invitations for each guest, 10 character booklets, a variety of secret clues for each guest and 2 CD's. One CD has Virginia's ghost, who explains the details of the crime and acts as host and bookends the various game rounds. The second CD is a spooky sound-effects CD meant to be played on a separate player in another room, to provide background sounds.
It should be noted that two of the above characters are optional and you and your guests will know from the start that they are not suspects. Lurchio and Poison Ivy are there if you need more characters, otherwise the game can be played with just 8 people. The scripts, booklets and clues are written so that if you use all 10 characters, everyone gets a chance to participate, but if you don't use one or two of the optional characters, the other guests can seamlessly take the optional characters clues and various dialogue as needed. Basically it comes down to, "If Lurchio isn't playing, you should ask the following..." It may sound a little awkward, but it works just fine.
The game plays out in three rounds. Each round the guests are given questions to ask the other guests as well as answers to the various questions they will be asked. The game designers also numbered each question and answer, so one guest has Question #1 and another guest has Answer #1. This works out great and helps with people who may loose their place. As the evening wears on and the drinks are flowing, this becomes more handy than you realize.
At the start of each round, there is some scripted dialogue that each guest reads aloud, like a scene from a play. And throughout the various rounds, the guests will be instructed to reveal secret clues. All in all, a very simple game to run. You are encouraged to ad lib as much as you like, but novices can play just as well as seasoned vets.
CONS: I really don't have any. I loved this game and it was a huge success. The only negative I could give, and it's small, is that its pretty scripted. So if you like to ad lib, you may feel like you're missing out.
PROS: The game is well written. My biggest pet peeve, being a mystery enthusiast, is when the solution doesn't make any sense. All the Ace party games come with complete and believable solutions. The clues are there and if you're sharp enough to spot them, you can solve the mystery. If you don't, when the answer is revealed you can at least sit back and go, "oh yes, now I remember." In addition, the game is filled with lots of humor and tongue-in-cheek play. I also like the fact that the guests decide the fate of the victim. There are actually two different ending tracks on the CD. One you play if the majority of your guests get the solution correct and another if the majority of the group was wrong. A very clever touch. Also, in there various games, there tends to be one or two action scenes to liven up the party. Sometimes the guests get into fake duels and things like that. It gets some of your guests up out of their seats and brings another dimension to the game. This particular game only has one small scene like that but the other games from Ace have more dramatic scenes like this. I recommend them all.
FINAL THOUGHTS: "A Taste of Transylville Terror" is a great Halloween themed game. It's fun, entertaining and very well written. A little scripted, but good writing makes up for that. And if you play it around Halloween, it's pretty easy to gather decorations and costumes. I highly recommend this game and give it 5 out of 5 stars!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Pasta, Passion & Pistols
This is a review of the boxed murder-mystery game "Pasta, Passion & Pistols" by BePuzzled. If you've played any of these boxed dinner party games before, than there really isn't anything new or inventive. They all are pretty standard. I think it's the setting and characters that make each episode stand out.
This game takes place in an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, NYC. The theme alone is a host's dream. It's very easy to create an Italian setting. For me, I order from different retailers on line, such as partycheap.com and orientaltrading.com, among others for various props and decorations. For the restaurant setting, I used various card tables and set them up around the room. I then got red-checkered plastic tablecloths for them. Each one I put an old mason jar and filled it with an LED candle. I got a few Italian flags and put each one in the jar with the candle. I also comb various dollar stores and over the years have amassed a collection of various tableware. I have small vases and I got a cheap bunch of carnations at a local food store. I divided the flowers into the various vases. Finally, each table was set with good quality disposable silverware and plates.
Italian food is the easiest to make. The boxed set comes with various recipes, from easy take-out to cooking your own full course meals. I didn't bother with any of it, so I can't attest to how easy/hard they are. I made my own baked Ziti and chicken Parmesan. Plus I added a nice salad and plenty of Italian bread. Meanwhile, my guests made their own dishes to help with a big buffet meal. (BTW, just a tip. Buffet meals at these events are the best way to go, it gives you more time with your guests and with playing the game. Formal dinner, served in courses can be a nice touch but much harder to pull off).
The game comes with invitations, instructions, an audio CD, name tags, a police report, several secret clues and character booklets for each guest. Everything looks nice, no issues there. The game features eight characters, or should I say suspects in the murder mystery. They are:
This game takes place in an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, NYC. The theme alone is a host's dream. It's very easy to create an Italian setting. For me, I order from different retailers on line, such as partycheap.com and orientaltrading.com, among others for various props and decorations. For the restaurant setting, I used various card tables and set them up around the room. I then got red-checkered plastic tablecloths for them. Each one I put an old mason jar and filled it with an LED candle. I got a few Italian flags and put each one in the jar with the candle. I also comb various dollar stores and over the years have amassed a collection of various tableware. I have small vases and I got a cheap bunch of carnations at a local food store. I divided the flowers into the various vases. Finally, each table was set with good quality disposable silverware and plates.
Italian food is the easiest to make. The boxed set comes with various recipes, from easy take-out to cooking your own full course meals. I didn't bother with any of it, so I can't attest to how easy/hard they are. I made my own baked Ziti and chicken Parmesan. Plus I added a nice salad and plenty of Italian bread. Meanwhile, my guests made their own dishes to help with a big buffet meal. (BTW, just a tip. Buffet meals at these events are the best way to go, it gives you more time with your guests and with playing the game. Formal dinner, served in courses can be a nice touch but much harder to pull off).
The game comes with invitations, instructions, an audio CD, name tags, a police report, several secret clues and character booklets for each guest. Everything looks nice, no issues there. The game features eight characters, or should I say suspects in the murder mystery. They are:
- Mama Rosa - wife of Pepi Roni (restaurant owner and victim) and matriarch
- Angel Roni - Pepi and Rosa's aggressive daughter
- Marco Roni - Pepi and Rosa's sensitive, soccer-loving son
- Rocco Scarfazzi - Pepi's Identical Twin brother and Italian "businessman"
- Tara Misu - Rocco's young fiancee, used to be his maid back in Italy
- Bo Jalais - French manager of Rocco's vineyards back in Italy
- Clair Voyant - neighborhood psychic and Mama Rosa's friend/adviser
- Father Al Fredo - Italian priest and longtime friend of both Roni and Scarfazzi families
As you can see, the characters are cliches and are very fun and easy to play.
**SPOILERS TO FOLLOW**
CONS: I will never reveal the ending to the game but a few things need to be said. Two of the above characters don't feel like main suspects. From what I've gathered on the internet, they were originally extra characters who were not suspects. Later, when the game was reissued, they gave these characters motives and included them as required characters. They really have flimsy motives and not as big a role as the other six.
The game is also very scripted. There are three rounds of play. Before each round, there is a scripted act to perform, like reading lines from a play. Then, in each round, you are given facts/questions to reveal and answers to give when questioned by the other suspects. All in all, standard format for these games. However, there is very little room for improvisation. Of course, my group tends to do so anyway, but I can see this may be a problem with a group of beginners.
And finally, do keep in mind answers are written in the third person and your guests may have trouble just reading the answers off the page. You have to turn everything into the first person narrative.
PROS: Many of the problems I have with these boxed games is that everyone has a motive but when it comes time to puzzle out who did it, it seems the answer is pretty random. This game is one of the better ones, in which the answer makes sense and there are enough clues to spot the culprit. However, and this is just my opinion, I think it's pretty easy and/or obvious if you're playing with people who really get into the game, as far as the solving part. My group is more laid back and not too picky. In the end, no one guessed the solution so maybe I'm wrong about that.
The other great thing about this game is the theme is so easy to use and it's more down to earth than some of the other games. Most of your guests should have an idea about the characters and how they should be played. And believe me, the bad Italian accents will fly around all night.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND ADVICE: If you're looking for a lighthearted murder-mystery with a few twists and an easy going atmosphere, this is a great game for you. Many people on line have complained that the CD is a problem. Honestly, if you read the directions in the Party Planner, you will find that the CD is played at the end of every round EXCEPT round three, the last round. Many people have been putting it on and hearing the solution to the crime before it was time. So like anything else in life, please READ THE DIRECTIONS! For beginners, this game may take the first round to get a feel for the game, but I don't think you'll have much trouble. For veteran murder mystery buffs, it's an easy one to play, but it may be too easy and too scripted for your tastes. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars. Good, Fun, but could be better!
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