This game is licensed for personal, private use only. If you plan to use it for any commercial purpose, public event, business, organization, school, fundraiser, church, promotional activity, paid event, or any use that generates revenue or provides a commercial benefit, you must purchase a Commercial License.
- Type Download
- SKU HATTER
- Age Range 14 to Adult
- Minimum # of Players 8 Suspects
- Max Players (Main Game) 18 Suspects
- Max # Available (Sold Separately) 224: 40 Suspects, Up to 184 Team Roles (6 Teams)
- Difficulty Rating Moderate, 6/10
- Roles Flex-Gender with 2 Optional Males (See Host Character List)
- Game Duration 2 - 4 Hours Average (Flexible)
- Setting At historic Bloodwood Castle, Bloodworth Falls’ elite gather in a luxurious ballroom wearing extravagant hats for the scandal-filled event of the year.
- Game Format Murder | Guided Clue Mingling | 4 Rounds
- Vibe & Content Notes Outrageous Hats & Elite Guests * Glamorous Scandals & Rivalries * Clean, Lighthearted Mystery
- Publication Date 2017. Last Revised: 2024
A whimsical castle murder mystery party game set during the most extravagant Hatter’s Ball in Bloodworth Falls. This colorful mystery is packed with outrageous hats, elite socialites, political scandals, old rivalries, revenge plots, blackmail, suspicious histories, carefully guarded secrets, eccentric personalities, and murder at the event of the year.
Murder Mystery Party Game Synopsis:
The neighborhood socialites have declared the Hatter’s Ball the event of the year in the isolated town of Bloodworth Falls. Mayor Riley White has organized the extravagant gathering inside the historic Bloodwood Castle as a diversion from the scandals that have plagued the town in recent months. Of course, it is no coincidence that the ball is scheduled immediately before the upcoming mayoral election.
The guest list has been posted online, and your greatest adversaries have already submitted their RSVPs. The opportunity to confront those who have crossed you—and perhaps settle a few old scores—is simply too tempting to ignore.
Bloodwood Castle will soon be filled with elite residents, eccentric personalities, political schemes, concealed grudges, suspicious histories, and carefully guarded secrets. You have decided to attend, but first, you must find the perfect hat. Whether the evening ends in fashionable celebration or calculated murder remains to be seen. This is where your story begins.
Host a Large Group Game:
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Main Game: 18 unique suspect characters
- 8 characters are required, and 10 are optional.
- Includes 2 optional male roles.
- May be played by co-ed, all-female, or all-male groups.
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Expansion Pack #1: 6 additional unique suspect characters
- Sold separately.
- All 6 unique characters are optional.
- Each expansion character leads an optional expandable team.
- Includes Lou Violet’s Magician’s Assistants.
- Includes Izzy Maroon’s Makeup Artists.
- Includes Cass Chocolate’s Production Assistants.
- Includes Bruno Ivory’s Entourage Members.
- Includes Maria Lime’s Silver Dollar Mobsters.
- Includes the John and Jane Doe expandable team.
- Expands the game to 24 unique suspect characters.
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Expansion Pack #2: 16 additional unique suspect characters
- Sold separately.
- All 16 characters are optional and may be added in any combination.
- Designed to be added after Expansion Pack #1.
- Expands the game to 40 unique suspect characters.
All 40 suspect roles are unique characters. The six expandable teams use duplicate, non-suspect roles and may include up to 30 players each, allowing the complete game to accommodate up to 224 players.
This is the instant download version of the game. Simply download, print, and prepare everything you need to play, with no shipping fees or delivery wait.
PDF files included:
- Host Instructions
- Printable Game Materials
- Solution
- Optional Extras, such as the free invitation
For the boxed kit, also called the Party Pack, use the link provided on the product page.
Printing Tips
For the best results, open and print the files using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from Adobe.com. Other PDF viewers may alter fonts, spacing, colors, page sizing, or interactive features.
- Download the PDF files to your computer and note where you save them before opening or printing.
- Select Actual Size or 100% Scale unless the instructions specify otherwise.
- Do not select Fit to Page, as this may resize cards, labels, or other game materials.
- Confirm that the paper size is set to US Letter, 8.5 × 11 inches.
- Print one test page before printing the complete game.
- Use standard printer paper for any worksheets or investigation sheets.
- Use heavier paper for invitations, clue cards, and other materials that will be handled during the game.
- Print in color when possible for the intended appearance.
- Do not select double-sided printing.
- Allow ink to dry completely before cutting, folding, or assembling the materials.
Printer settings and results may vary by printer.
An overall great mystery! The guesses of who was the murderer were all over the board with a few people getting it right. A great mind-bending mystery. The only thing I noticed was missing is who initiates the finding of the body. This was one element that was said to be on a character card (directing someone to discover the body) and it was not there. I self-iniated it as the host and the story continued without a hitch.
We had a great time with the murder mystery but we were really confused that the characters/storyline didn’t really match up with what we thought was the theme. We have done other ones where the character and storyline match with the theme which added to the fun!
I love these games, I host big events every year where everyone has an amazing time. (People have said that the parties are the highlight of their year!) But something that I always need to edit is the pronouns in the game material.
The format is currently "s/he", "him/her", "his/hers" instead of they/them/their and not only is it really hard to parse when there are several instances in one sentence, it's less inclusive.
I always do a find and replace for these in the pdf and it adds extra work every time. I'm happy to do it because it makes my non-binary guests more comfortable, but a change here would make the games even better than they already are.
Oh! And we always add pronouns to the name badges as well. It makes the game run a lot smoother!
This game was a bunch of fun with our group of 9 people. It was relatively easy to set up and by the end everyone was arguing over who they thought the killer was and defending themselves against accusations. We have already planned on doing another mystery game very soon.
The mystery game in itself is great. Easy to follow and easy to play. I would not order the PDF file again. The PDF file is not east to convert and having the materials printer can cost the same as purchasing the game if you don't have a printer handy.
I purchase this for my daughter 14 birthday party and every one was excited to play.