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As the holiday season approaches, we all have a lot of family gatherings, celebrations and awkward small talks in our futures.
A few years ago, after yet another holiday celebration with my family went stale, my family introduced a new tradition into our holiday festivities: murder mystery games.
On New Year’s Eve, my aunt brought out a role-playing murder mystery board game she bought at TJ Maxx and convinced us all that it would be “so, so fun” to play. Needless to say, we had a blast and have integrated this tradition into all our holiday festivities since — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, birthdays, you name it.
We’ve dabbled with unsolved case files and detective mysteries, but nothing tops the role-playing murder mysteries to lighten up a family gathering and give everyone a chance to laugh at themselves.
Each player is given a character to play and through mini conversations, planned dialogue and included case materials, you each guess who the murder is at the conclusion of the game.
Unlike most board games, murder mystery games allow for creative control, more players and as much or as little involvement in the game as each player wants to give. They’re perfect for a family event.
Some games come with recorded materials as part of the “evidence,” maps of the crime scene or even props for the characters. If you want to get a little crazy, the games also contain invitations that you can send to each player, inviting them to attend your game/holiday.
The characters created for the game are quirky, weird and hilarious to watch each member of my family play.
Watching my dad play the character of a retired boxer who thinks he should have gone pro and my grandma play a “woman of the night” whose dialogue consists only of flirting with every other character, is a new inside joke that has never been lived down.
Holidays can be stressful, so why not introduce something to take some of the pressure off?
Here are some of the best examples of murder mystery games that my family has enjoyed.
Murder at Mardi Gras
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Cocktail for Murder
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Champagne Murder
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https://www.instagram.com/p/DRJLBaCjlrM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Death By Chocolate
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Murder Noir
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Of all the games we have tried through all the holidays, these are the ones that stick out the most. From the characteristics of the players, to the evidence material to the storyline, these are the best.
Integrating a game night aspect into the holidays (especially if the game is themed for the holiday) has changed the way my family gatherings go and give us all something extra to look forward to. In the thick of stressing about holiday preparation, we can be sure that once the day rolls around, there is always something silly and fun to look forward to.
Above all, adding these murder mystery games into our celebrations is an opportunity to create funny holiday memories amongst our family, and they always give us something to look forward to.
This Thanksgiving is a perfect time to try out integrating something so simple into the routine. Give it a try! See who jumps on board and gets into the game. Maybe this can be your new holiday tradition too.