A printable Christmas murder mystery for 6 to 12 players (or teams up to about 30). Rated PG, no alcohol, fine for ages 10 and up
$14.99Instant PDF
Buy now, instant download $17.99Or buy on Etsy $14.99Instant download from Gumroad: one ZIP with US Letter and A4 PDFs. Nothing is shipped.Instant downloadSecure checkout through Gumroad or EtsyFile problem? We fix it or refund you
Good for
Office and team Christmas parties
Family gatherings with kids 10 and up
Church, club and school holiday parties
Groups of 6 to 30 (with Detective Teams)
It's the 100th staff holiday party at Merryvale's Department Store: an Ugly Sweater Parade, Santa's Grotto, gingerbread and hot cocoa. At 8:30 the owner, Sterling Merryvale, steps into the spotlight to name who will lead the store next. At 8:41, halfway through his speech, the great brass Christmas Star falls from the mezzanine and kills him. Whoever loosened it hasn't left the building.
Each guest gets a character with something to hide. In three short rounds, the clue cards and what people admit to whittle the suspects down to one. There is no alcohol, romance, bad language or gore, and it plays standing up with snacks in about 90 minutes, so it suits an office break room as well as a family table.
The mystery works with any mix of the six optional characters, so a last-minute cancellation doesn't break it. It was tested with every possible mix of guests, and each one leaves exactly one culprit. Nobody can be ruled out in Round 1, so the whole room stays in the game until the end.
Why $17.99 when our Hollyberry Lodge mystery is $5.99? Hollyberry is a Christmas Eve dinner party for 6 to 12 adults. Merryvale is built for bigger groups: Detective Teams let up to about 30 people play, every guest gets a Detective Notebook, and the license covers office, school, club and church parties.
What's included
Host guide: quick start, casting, evening schedule, big group and office notes, read-aloud host script
The solution to read aloud, with a proof chart and answers to the questions guests ask
12 character booklets (6 essential, 6 optional), each with a secret, prompts for 3 rounds and costume ideas
18 clue cards, 6 per round
14 editable invitations and 20 editable name tags, including Detective tags for extra guests
Detective Notebook, accusation sheets, WHODUNIT? bunting, 3 party signs and 3 award certificates
57 pages in both US Letter and A4
Details
6-12 players; every role works for any gender. More than 12? Detective Teams, up to about 30 people
Ages 10 and up, and fine for work
About 90 minutes standing up with snacks, or up to 2 hours over a meal
Workplace use (office, school, club or church party) is included in the license
Editable fields work in free Adobe Acrobat Reader, Mac Preview, Chrome and Edge
Sold as a printable download (personal and workplace use) through our Etsy shop and on Gumroad.
Questions & answers
Is it really OK for an office party?
Yes. There is no alcohol, no romance, no bad language and nothing gory. The motives are about jobs, money and the store's future, nobody has to act, and workplace use is included in the license.
What if we have more than 12 people?
Cast the 12 suspects, then put everyone else into Detective Teams of 2 to 4. Each team gets a Detective Notebook and hands in one accusation. That works for about 30 people.
What if someone cancels?
Leave out any optional character and the mystery still has exactly one solution. If an essential guest cancels, another guest can double up or the host reads that part.
How do I get the files?
Gumroad emails you a download link right after checkout. Unzip it, start with READ-ME-FIRST.txt and the Quick Start page, and print at 100% / Actual size.
