Bad Santa | A murder mystery game

A hilarious Christmas-themed murder mystery party game for a minimum of 10 players, ages 14 and up (due to difficulty). There are various kit sizes available, and you can play from 10 to 200+ players using the expandable teams (see the host character lists below). Larger kit sizes are available by request.  

This game is corporate-friendly, and does not contain any highly-inappropriate content (drugs, foul language, sexual innuendos).

Spoil yourself, and choose the party ready (spoiler-free) option above, and our dedicated staff will fold and slip your clue cards for rounds one, two, and three into the envelopes to prevent you from seeing spoilers on the round cards. Without the party ready option selected, you will have some assembly required with your kit and there will be spoilers upon opening the kit and viewing the rounds 2 and 3 clue cards. 

Required: There are two required videos to play during the game. You will be able to stream from YouTube, Vimeo, or download from Vimeo or your account (re-posting them is not allowed). There are back-up transcripts.

Format: This is the traditional in-person, mingling format. Click here for the virtual selection

Helpful Links:

 Sample game materials - see the game content, example plotlines, and format. 

 Game Trailer Video

 Pinterest Board for Bad Santa - DIY decor, food and more.

 Murder mystery prop emporium

 Instant downloadable version - no shipping, no waiting. The download is not seamless and does not come with the boxed set, as you'll have everything you need with the boxed set. 

Kit A: 10-20 suspects

 Host character list for Kit A

 Free, 20 player printable invitation

 Corresponding pre-game site for Kit A

Kit B: 10-30 suspects

 Host character list for Kit B

 Free, 30 player printable invitation

 Corresponding pre-game site for Kit B

Kit C-F: 10-50 suspects

Kits D-F have expandable teams up to 150 players. If you need a larger kit size, contact us.

 Host character list for Kit C-F

 Free, 50+ player printable invitation

 Corresponding pre-game site for Kit C-F

Murder Mystery Synopsis:

A master of deception, the reclusive Christopher Clause tricked many people into attending what he referred to as the ‘most wondrous party of the year.’ After everyone arrived at Clause Manor, Christopher had his staff lock the guests inside with no chance of escape. The party-goers were shocked to see Christopher, wearing a Santa suit in a faraway location, pop onto a monitor in the living room. He warned that someone would be leaving in a coroner’s bag! The eccentric millionaire was a mastermind and had selected the guest list meticulously. It wasn’t long before tempers flared inside of the holiday pressure cooker while they worked on Chris's demented riddle. There wasn’t much surprise when a dead body emerged, and a killer lurked among them. Christopher popped back on the monitor, laughing and cheering with delight. His twisted plan had fallen into place. He gave another riddle for the guests to solve and announced that he would be contacting the authorities. He cautioned that all attendees would be a suspect in this murder if they didn’t find the killer before the red and blues swirled in the front driveway. The guest scurried about, interrogating each other until they could turn over no more stones. Once they found the killer, the detainees were able to leave the manor, never to speak of the night’s events again.

Commercial Licensing: 

If you wish to host this (or any other) game for profit &/or in public &/or as a benefit to your business or organization - you will need a commercial license - click here.