For this WICKED AWESOME Family Fun Idea we we invited some of our closest friends over for a Dastardly Dinner Whodunnit- Here’s what we did & how we did it…
I am convinced that I have Peter Pan syndrome… I NEVER want to grow up. Give me an excuse to throw a party and dress in costume and it’s on! Krista’s like me in that way, and last Christmas she asked for a Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game… so, naturally, I bought her five.
We decided the perfect time to try out one of the Murder Mystery Games would be over the summer while we were at the family cabin since there is a never ending revolving door of guests and visitors. The game we chose to play was called, “Death By Chocolate,” and required 6-8 players. We utilized all 8, and assigned the roles to our guests in advance so that they could properly get into character and acquire a costume. Because the kids were the ones hosting the dinner party, they were also the ones who prepared, cooked and served the food- SCORE! This game called for a three-course meal, and there is also an online video to play at dinner to develop and keep the story moving along.
See the details below for what we did for our version of “Death By Chocolate”
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The Menu
First Course:
House Salad
Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Mushroom, Cheese & Croutons w/ Italian Dressing
(prepared by Krista)
Second Course:
Baked Ziti
Ziti Noodles, Red Spaghetti Sauce (Tomato & Basil), Mozzerella Cheese w/ Spices
(prepared by Kylie and Syd)
Third Course:
Chocolate Brownie Bites
((the game requires a chocolate dessert, but any chocolate dessert will do))
(store bought)
Beverages:
Red Wine (for the adults)
Red Sparkling Grape Juice (for the kids)
Ice Water (for everyone)
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The Cast
Ashley (me):
Marchioness Duchamp - Avant Garde Artist - Russian Accent
Eric:
Chocolate Bertrand - Belgian Chocolatier - Texan Accent (he claimed he was from Belgium, TX)
Pops:
Mike Bison - American Boxer - American Accent (w/ a lot of snarling and growling)
Krista:
Dr. Doris Johnson - Amateur Archaeologist - British Accent
Kylie:
Dame Barbara Carthorse - Romance Novelist - French Accent
Jen (one of my good friends):
Dr. Sigmund Fraud - Controversial Psychologist - German Accent
Syd (her daughter):
Maria Von Schnapps - Businesswoman and Socialite - Valley Girl Accent
Kennedy (our neighbor):
Little Fitz (& Ziggy) - Cabaret Ventriloquist - Comedic Performer Accent
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The Costumes
Marchioness Duchamp:
Long Dk. Green Dress, Brt. Green Shoulder Scarf, Black Beret w/ dark 1920’s Makeup
Chocolate Bertrand:
Cowboy Hat, T-shirt, Tie, Jeans, Boots w/ Blu-Blockers
Mike Bison:
T-shirt, Basketball Shorts
Dr. Doris Johnson:
Button Up Khaki Shirt Dress w/ Head Lamp
Dame Barbara Carthorse:
Red Sparkly Formal Gown, White Scarf (around head) w/ Oversized Sunglasses
Dr. Sigmund Fraud:
Button Up Striped Shirt, Knee Length Skirt, Eyeglasses w/ Legal Pad and Pen
Maria Von Schnapps:
Black and White Formal Dress
Little Fitz & Ziggy:
Maroon Sequined Romper w/ Bunny Stuffed Animal (as Ziggy the ventriloquist dummy)
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I have to be honest, as this was our first Murder Mystery Dinner Party, there was a bit of a learning curve involved. Keeping everyone following the script while allowing for adlibbing made things challenging at times, but it also had us bowling over in laughter. I think what surprised everyone the most was how into character Pops got. He took the Mike Bison (boxer) role to a whole new level with his growling voice inflection- nobody saw it coming! Eric claimed his character, who was supposedly a Belgian Chocolatier, was from Belgium, Texas. So he donned a cowboy hat and adopted a distinctly southern accent: alright, alright, alright. Krista nailed her archaeologist costume (we went thrifting to find the perfect costumes the day of the dinner), and Kylie wowed everyone with her commitment to staying in character without falter. For once, it was not only acceptable, but it was encouraged for me to be as dramatic and eccentric as possible (hell yeah!), and our friends who joined us seemed to get a kick out of the whole ordeal. Truthfully, though sloppy at times, the messiness of it all just added to the entertainment of the evening.
And, you know that never ending revolving door of visitors at the cabin I mentioned earlier? Well, a family friend unexpectedly dropped by in the middle of our Murder Mystery Dinner Party, and the expression on his face when he walked in the door was absolutely priceless!
I TOTALLY recommend participating in one of these with your family and friends. It was a barrel of laughs, created memories of a lifetime and had the kids cooking for and serving us for a change! You can also create your own, but I would suggest a pre-prepared store bought version first to get the gist of how things roll. I can’t wait for our next one.
***Here's the link to our "Death By Chocolate" game, but I will say that this game is a little mature for younger kids. Ours played along perfectly, but there were some parts in it that were a tad controversial for younger children. The good news is that University Games has a plethora of Murder Mystery sets you can choose from!
Happy FriYAY family fun day!
XO-
Ash
*names have been changed to protect the innocent