I could really do with some feedback on this murder mystery idea. It's been rattling around in my head for a few days now and I'm trying to work out if there's mileage in it.

Any help much appreciated.

THICKER THAN WATER (will do as a title for now)

Family tree

The first player starts a family tree by writing a name for their character. They add one characteristic for that character: e.g. “Decisive”.

Each other player adds another character to the family tree, indicating a relationship with another character in the tree (child, parent or marriage). They add an opposite of that character’s characteristic as one of their characteristics: “e.g. “Procrastinating”. They also add a new characteristic for their character: e.g. “Bloodthirsty”.

When everyone has a character, pass the sheet around again. Ensure that, for each of their children, parents and spouse, your character has a characteristic that is an opposite of one of that relative’s characteristics.

Mystery Cards

Take five pairs of Mystery Cards each. There are two sorts of Mystery Cards. First, there’s Relationship Cards:

Blackmailer / Blackmailed
Fraudster / Fraud Victim
etc

And Weapons And Wound Cards:

Pistol / Gun Wound
Garotte / Strangle Marks
etc

Now take turns, going round the table. On your table, take a pair of Mystery Cards from your hand, give one to another player, and put the other one in front of you. You can’t give Weapons to people: you give them the Wound and keep the Weapon.

When someone’s been given three Relationships and one Wound, they’ve been murdered! Scream!

Once someone’s been murdered, discard any pairs of Mystery Cards that weren’t given to anyone. Also, if you weren’t the victim, discard any Wounds you were given.

Decide where the murder took place, who found the body and so on.

Now, you’re going to investigate the murder. But the point isn’t to find out who did it: it’s to frame someone and to uncover dirty secrets along the way.

The Victim’s Player

If you’re the victim’s player, make a new character, by adding them to the family tree, as above. This character’s purpose is to avenge the victim’s death, by discovering secrets about the others.

Then carry on playing. You’re just like the other players, except, while they’re concerned with their reputation, you’re concerned with the Victim’s reputation. They control their own Mystery Cards and you control the victim’s Mystery Cards.

Also, you’ve got new characteristics, because you’ve got a new character.

Investigating

Again, take turns, going around the table.

On your turn, you can request one of two scenes, which another player (doesn’t matter who) will frame for you:

A Questioning Scene

Pick one other player to be in the scene with you.

Play the scene. Describe what you’ll do to make them give up their secret.

Toss a coin. If it’s heads, you may either:

1. Reveal one of their Mystery Cards, by turning it face up. Together, narrate what form the Mystery takes: “I’ve got blackmail notes, telling me to leave the town, otherwise there’ll be an accident.”

2. If they have a Relationship Card face-up, demand they tell you who gave it to them. That player must turn the Mystery Card that is the other half of the pair face-up, if it isn’t already. Together, narrate how you discover the other partner in the Relationship. “Look how the typeface on the letters is slightly worn on the left-hand side. That matches the typewriter in Davis’ apartment!”

3. If they have a Relationship Card face-up, place a token on it. A Relationship Card may have a maximum of two tokens on it. Together, narrate how the Relationship is worse than it seemed before: “The other night, a car drove straight at me. I had to jump out the way. It was them, trying to kill me.”

A Framing / Blaming Scene

You’re attempting to frame or blame someone else. Describe what you’re doing.

Toss a coin twice. If it’s heads both times, you may transfer one of your Mystery Cards to another player. Even if it’s face-up and has tokens on it. Describe how the other person becomes responsible for the Relationship or Murder Weapon.

Discovering the Murderer

When someone has:

* A relationship with the victim, that has two tokens on it.
* A Weapon Card which matches the victim’s Wound Card

Then they’re the murderer. Or perhaps they’ve been successfully framed as the murderer. Same thing.

Winning and losing

The murderer loses.

The person with the least tokens on Relationship Cards wins.

If there’s a tie, there’s a tie.

Graham