Murder Mystery Party | Bloodwood Masquerade Ball
A murder mystery party game in a masquerade ball theme for 8-18 players, ages 14 and up due to difficulty. This is an in-person, face-to-face formatted game. Characters are flexible gender, so this game may be played co-ed, all female or all male. There are two expansion packs available (purchased separately) to include 40 unique player roles. Also, the game is expandable to up to 200+ players with duplicated team players.
This is the instant download version of the game, you will have everything needed to play within the download, and there's nothing to ship, so you avoid shipping fees. No waiting, just download, print, prepare and play! Don't want to prepare your game? No worries - for the party ready pack (boxed set), click on the link below in the helpful links section.
INCLUDED: There are four PDF files to download with this game - a host instruction file, printable file, solution key, and an optional free invitation file. You must use Adobe Reader (free software that you can download at Adobe.com) to view the PDF file, as a PDF is an Adobe product.
FORMAT: this is a traditional, mingling, clue-based game (downloadable version) for in-person groups. For virtually-formatted games that are ideal for video chat platforms, click here.
GIFTING: the standard game license does not allow transfers, so you cannot purchase a download as a gift. For gifts, click here for gift certificates, or use the link below for the boxed version of the game (party pack).
This game was updated on 5/24/24 and prior versions will not be seamless.
Helpful Links:
Bloodwood Masquerade Ball Decor Kit
6+ character Expansion pack #1 - Purchased separately
16 character Expansion pack #2 - Purchased after Expansion pack #1
Boxed version - My Mystery Party will prepare your party ready kit
Pinterest board - more DIY food and decor
Direct your guests here - the corresponding pre-game site at Your Mystery Party
Murder Mystery Synopsis:
Bloodworth Falls is an isolated town plagued with scandals. The townsfolk bicker in the streets, and many believe the local government is corrupt. Nevertheless, the mayor is hosting a mysterious masquerade ball in the old Bloodwood Castle. The tickets to the event have sold out in record time. The townspeople are curious to discover why the mayor would put effort into doing something positive in this hopeless town of gloom. Anticipation for the event hangs thickly in the air, and many are already hunting for the perfect mask.
You are worried about what will happen when toxic people come together this night. You are alarmed, as you didn't purchase your ticket - somebody placed it in your mailbox in an unmarked envelope. Somebody wants you there, but you're unsure why. This is where your story begins.
How to Host a Larger Party:
- 18 unique players from the main game.
- 6 unique players from expansion pack #1 (purchased separately)
- 16 unique players from expansion pack #2 (purchased separately)
- Up to 20+ duplicate Magician's Assistants led by Lou Violet, Expansion Pack #1.
- Up to 20+ duplicate Makeup Artists led by Izzy Maroon, Expansion Pack #1.
- Up to 20+ duplicate Production Assistants led by Cass Chocolate, Expansion Pack #1.
- Up to 20+ duplicate Entourage Members led by Bruno Ivory, Expansion Pack #1.
- Up to 20+ duplicate Mobsters led by Maria Lime, Expansion Pack #1.
This instantly downloadable game accommodates 40 unique players by using both expansion packs and an additional yet optional ability to expand to over ~140+ guests by using teams (duplicate players) with expansion pack #1. View the character list of expansion pack #1 for further details. The game may expand above 200 by adding more expandable team players, but not much further than that.
Commercial Licensing:
If you wish to host this (or any other) game for profit &/or in public &/or as a benefit to your organization or business - you will need a commercial license.
- Minimum age:
- 14 years for difficulty - no foul language, sexual content, drug references
- Difficulty Rating:
- 6/10 - moderate difficulty level
- Gender of character roles:
- Flexible besides 2 optional males
- Number of players in main game:
- 8-18 players - all unique suspect roles
- Expansion pack(s):
- 6 unique suspect roles in Exp #1, 16 unique suspect roles in Exp #2
- Expandable team players:
- With the purchase of expansion pack #1 (purchased separately): Expands to 130+ players with team players (non-suspect team roles).
- Date of publication:
- May 1st, 2014 - Last revised on 05/24/24 with minor format changes
- Game license:
- Single, private use. For the game license Terms and Conditions, see below.
Reviews
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Soooo good
Hosted this party for my wife’s birthday. We did the electronic version, and it came with clear, super easy to follow steps to make the party a success.
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Great fun!
I invited mostly neighbors and a few random friends. We played the preparty game and that really got things going. When guests arrived so many of them (and many had never met IRL) had already "talked" and it gave them some ideas on things to small talk about in character while waiting for everyone to arrive. I did a lot of finger food for people to just eat as the night went on so there was no need to work dinner around the events. All of the guests did a fantastic job playing their character parts and really got into it. The second round we had a little very minor snafu as we have two "nearsest" bathrooms and the victim could not find the items placed there for them. They did a great job inproving and made their own victim sign until they could be discovered and then I helped them out with the right stuff. After round 2 we played the optional dance party game. I was not sure how my guests were going to do. I wan't sure how *I* would do because I do NOT dance. This was so much fun. Everyone was a great sport and we had dance teams Tap Dancing, Tribal Dancing and doing Ballet to "I'm Sexy and I Know it". I was sure I had overestimated the game as I scheduled it from 7-10 and we weren't doing dinner but it actually was 10:00 when we were in round 3!! Part of that was that this game is set up so great that it was hard to wrap up round 1!! There was so much great conversation going on and people were having so much fun! Anyhow, we did get to the part about who did it. It turns out the murderer was the IRL spouse of the victim so that was fun. I loved how it includes the "extras" in the reveal and how there were some twist endings that played out based on how someone answerd a particular question. There were so many fun twist and turns to this game. We are already ready to place a purchase for another game that our kids can play along with this time. I have hosted quite a few of these in the past but they were all the boxed games that are highly scripted. I loved that this allows for so much more creativity and for guests to really move around and talk and listen in on other conversations.
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So much fun!
My twins wanted to do this for their 16th Birthday party. We had a wide range of ages even an 8 year old ( she is a very good reader) playing the parts. Everything is laid out for you. Everyone had so much fun getting into character and wearing their costumes! We were told by some of the kids it was the best birthday party they've been to. We plan on doing this again for a family get together this summer!
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16th birthday party
The download materials come very organized and easy to understand the flow of mystery. Will definitely buy another mystery from them.
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Lots of Fun
Instructions were lengthy but easy to follow! Game play was lots of fun, not too easy or difficult. Only two of eight people were able to guess the correct murderer in the end, but everyone had a great time.
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So much hilarity
Great time, great game, and the instructions were super easy to follow. Company get together and everyone had a memorable experience.
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Fun!
I hosted a 2018 Valentine's Day Party for the Adult Singles from our church. I had over 60 Players. The event was a hit! I also had door prizes and and did 2 mini games in between. The so you think you can dance challenge was the highlight of the night to me. I am interested in doing another one before too long for a large group again.
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Just what we needed
I wanted to host a murder mystery party for my 30th birthday, and I pulled the trigger on the idea just a week before the actual day. My Murder Mystery Party made the process easy to plan and follow, and the writing of the story and characters provided ample fodder for guests to dive into.
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Great Product!
We used the game at our daughter's 14th bday party. We had 20 girls. This was just perfect for them. The game was well planned and organized. Also had easy to follow instructions & I appreciated the suggestions for food and optional games. The kids played their parts enthusiastically and had alot to discuss. The characters were interesting and described well, so no one felt they didn't have a good part. The victim & murder reveal were really fun & well planned in the game. I liked that the game kept those hidden as long as possible. Also really liked that the victim could keep playing. The clues & instructions to each character were also well done & organized. But not too rigid that you can't add your own flare to it. We added an appearance by an Inspector modelled after the Pink Panther Inspector Clusaeu (played by my husband) to deliver some important Info in the game. We bought the extension, which is a good option & I'm really glad they have it. However, 20 people is alot, even with the extension I think the game is still best played with 15-18 people. With so many guests some people didnt get long enough conversations with each other to learn all the info about the other characters. However, it is doable. Loved this game & product. Well worth the money spent & super fun. The kids kept saying how much they enjoyed it.