How to Prepare for an Online Murder Mystery Game:
As the popularity of online murder mystery games has increased exponentially over the last six months, one of the biggest questions I’ve gotten from my friends is how exactly do I prepare for a murder mystery game? In most cases, when you’re playing a Dastardly Deeds Murder Mysteries game this is expanded upon in the rules and background document for the player. This document usually includes a background story as well as a basic breakdown of how to play the game. I’ll come right out and say it, this is in no means revolutionary and I can make the vague assumption that any other murder mystery games out there use a similar structure for their basics for players. In general, reading any background information and rules for the current game is an excellent place to start. Once you have a firm understanding of the setting and the scenario it’s a good idea to try to wrap your head around the rules and the gameplay style. It’s noteworthy that sometimes without the context of your specific character background it can be a little more difficult to comprehend the full scope of the rules. I’d recommend for most people that your read your specific character after you’ve had a chance to go through the setting and the rules, but I know some people who greatly prefer to do it the other way around. At the end of the day, you will need to determine the method that works best for you.
Become your Character! Something as simple as a paper hat can change your persona.
Every Murder Mystery is Different:
Every murder mystery by every company is going to be unique in their own way. Even within Dastardly Deeds Murder Mysteries there are different components and slightly different rules based off the scenario, setting, situation, and type of gameplay. The only core conceptual rules that don’t tend to fluctuate between games involve the use of items and abilities. These mechanics are usually static and self-explanatory within the confines of any given game. Another key concept for effectively preparing for an online murder mystery game involves asking questions of the host before the game. No game functions perfectly, and there are always different ideas presented by players that may contest with the set rules and the information the host has. By asking the host contextual questions before the day of the game not only will you make their life easier when it comes time to play, but you might inadvertently help smooth out gameplay for other players who may have similar questions. By simply emailing, texting, or calling the host for questions beforehand you can avoid potential tribulations and pauses during gameplay. I’m also assuming everyone reading this is a smart person, probably smarter than me. You very well may have conceptualized certain contingencies that are not expanded upon in the rules of any given game. If you bring up these contingencies or discrepancies with the host ahead of time, this will allow them to formulate an articulate plan on how to manage certain scenarios if they do end up occurring during the course of your game. Keep track of your shit and plan. Everything will work out A-okay.
Become your Murder Mystery Character:
After you have these essentials down, it’s time to move into more entertaining aspects of how to prepare for an online murder mystery game. The next step is becoming your character. Now please, as someone who want to college for acting, don’t go all method actor on me. Not only is it nauseating to watch, but most of the people whom I’ve met who are method actors are also some of the worst. I’m sorry, but if you need to pretend to do meth to play a character addicted to meth, go f yourself. Simply put, that’s not acting – that’s doing. At the end of the day putting on a standing ovation worthy performance is not what any of these games are about. Dastardly Deeds Murder Mysteries are about having fun pretending to be someone else for a night and joining in on the laughs with your friends as you all take on various roles. So how then do you prepare beyond knowing the rules, background, and your character? Find yourself a dope costume, obviously! It’s certainly true that while many Dastardly Deeds Murder Mysteries are slightly more esoteric than most of the run-of-the-mill games out there, it’s still easy to craft some form of costume for almost any occasion. As pointed out by several friends, this is a little more difficult right now since many of them don’t feel comfortable running to the thrift store like they normally would for a murder mystery. At the end of the day, just make do with what you’ve got on hand. Having a costume is a great thing to add ambiance for you and the other players involved, but it’s certainly not a deal breaker, especially for online games. Beyond everything I’ve discussed above, there is one factor for preparing for an online murder mystery game that is more important than anything else.
Excuse me doctor, but are you a cold blooded murderer?
Join your Game on Time:
Log in on time. No scratch that, log in ahead of time! Time and time again as we have started to gravitate towards different video platforms, we have had technological difficulties from multiple players. Most of these issues can be ironed out ahead of time if players will simply log in a half hour or 15 minutes before the game starts. As a player you can preemptively circumvent technical issues by knowing the video platform you are using ahead of time. Make an account, sign in, and test out the functions of your video platform before the day of the event. Not only will this streamline the process for you, but it also can get the game started on time for all the other players participating. Not all video platforms are equally as user friendly. Some of them require a little bit of know-how and elbow grease before you can get them operating smoothly. I can’t emphasize this stage of preparation enough. The most important thing about getting ready for an online murder mystery game is knowing that your video chat will work. Even if you are left bumbling through your character background all evening long, this is small fry compared to potentially ruining a playthrough for a dozen other players when you’re unable to join. This goes for hosts and players alike. It is quintessential as the host to know the video platform you’re using pretty much inside and out. These are the essential tools that you will need to prepare for an online murder mystery game. There is one additional factor that can certainly increase the enjoyment of your evening.
Alcoholic Beverages for Gameplay Enhancement:
I’ll start this off with a caveat. In accordance with local laws, if you are too young to imbibe alcoholic beverages, just don’t. Okay? Thanks. If, however, you are of a legal age to enjoy some alcoholic refreshments, I highly suggest adding this accoutrement to your next online murder mystery game. I certainly do miss getting together with friends and playing murder mystery games in person, but a lot of people have been overlooking the silver linings. I have no need to charter myself a ride share service to take my drunk ass home at the end of the night when I’ve been drinking in my basement all evening anyway! I know this may not be a huge boon to all of you, but as someone who lives on the outskirts of town, it’s certainly saved me a small fortune over the last six months. It’s given me an excuse to get way too drunk to properly host games. Oh yeah, as a side note to the host, you probably shouldn’t get as drunk as I do during these games. Now, that is solid advice! We’ve even found in the past that theming a specific drink to your character can actually add beneficial plot development. For this very reason we’ve even included signature drink recipes into every character in games like Celebrity Mixer Party. They certainly aren’t required (I’m not gonna make you drink gin if you don’t like gin), but they can add a lot of ambiance to the scenario. Another example comes from our playtests of A Game of Mutually Assured Destruction. I can promise you both players in the Russian bunker were drinking vodka, our Americans were drinking shitty light lagers, and our French players were drinking wine. How they were able to smuggle all of this alcohol into their secret government bunkers, we may never know, but I still like the idea nonetheless.
One moment doctor… Sometimes even a doctor needs to finish their beer.
I think that just about covers all the basics on how to prepare for an online murder mystery game. At the end of the day don’t feel too daunted by any of these steps. These games, after all, are made for all participating to have fun. Even if, during the middle of gameplay, things must come to a stop to clarify rules or determine the outcomes of a specific or unusual situation, so be it. The point is to get together with your friends in an online venue and have a good old-fashioned game night. At the end of the game if you’ve smiled and laughed, then call it a success overall! Just to recap, these are the things I suggest you know and prepare before going into an online murder mystery game game: know the background setting, the rules of the game, the story behind your character, how to use the video platform that you’re playing on, and procure yourself some form of liquid refreshment. Now get to that comfy spot on the couch and start playing some online murder mystery games!
