Murder is a game invented by one of my
good friends, Bethanie.
To play, you need:
A large house.
At least five people. The bigger the house and the more people, the funner!
A hat or basket.
Small pieces of paper adding up to the same amount of people playing.
On each piece of paper except for one, write the word 'victim', 'V', or just leave it blank. On the paper left over you would write, needless to say, 'Murderer' (or whatever, as long as you signify it's the murderer). You would then fold these, toss them in the hat or basket, and then let each of your friends pick. No one is allowed to reveal who they are, even if they are a victim. After everyone knows who they are, throw the paper back in. The house should now be dim, but not too dark that you can't see where you're walking. A couple nightlights scattered around would be ideal.
Everyone then walks around the house randomly, waiting for the murderer to strike by tapping on a victim's shoulder three times. When a person dies, they're supposed to 'drop dead' and scream so everyone in the house can come and inspect the murder and try to figure out whodunit. The dead person then goes to 'heaven', a special room for the dearly departed that none of the living may enter. Obviously, if you're dead, don't tell who did the murder. The object of the game is for the murderer to trick the victims into thinking someone else besides themself is the murderer.
Some things...
Go everywhere in the house! Well, almost everywhere, anyway... The more you wander, the more of a puzzle it is at the end.
Victims are allowed to clump in little groups, but I wouldn't recommend doing it too much.
Murderers are allowed to strike more than one person at a time, but don't get too carried away!
By the time a couple people have dropped dead, it's time for the examination. I've played this game when only one person is allowed to drop dead, but a couple people makes it easier for later. It's really up to you and your friends, though.
There is an examination at the end. Dead people are not allowed to participate in the guessing, as they more than likely know who is really guilty (there is the possibility that they were hit from behind and didn't see the guy, though). If more than two or three people are thrown off from the scent and guess someone else is responsible, then the murderer wins! It can be very hard to be a good murderer, so don't be discouraged if at first everyone guesses it's you.
There are some good strategies that can be used in this game... But I don't feel like revealing my secrets! One could say that I'm an expert at this game, which leaves my friends suspicious about me... I imagine that this game would probably be fun to play somewhere outside a house like a dense woody area, but it might be complicated if you're playing in the dark. I wouldn't recommend playing this game in an open area like a warehouse. A place that has a lot of halls and stairs would be ideal (think the Clue boardgame).
I've played this game since I was about eight or so, but it's great fun even now (I'm sixteen as this is being written), and I imagine it'd probably be fun for adults, too! If you end up playing, e-mail me and tell me how you liked it.