One reason I write these on small cards is so I can move them around to make connections more easily, e.g. Job or reason they're there (They might be the ship's captain or a stow-away for example.The character's surname (Something funny that gives a clue about their role in the game or their personality).The character's first name (For this I actually use the actors and actresses’ real names or a close variant, as it helps everyone remember who everyone is).I cut an A4 piece of paper or cardboard into 6 and write on each: Rather than deciding who is the victim, or who is the murderer, I prefer to start with the characters and let the story evolve naturally. If the event is part of a dinner party, or you're providing food of any type, consider whether you can incorporate the dinner into the theme and if you're inviting some creative cooks, ask them to bring something special. Is it a pirate ship, a high-school reunion, a 60's disco party, or something else? If the party's for a birthday or some other special event, consider tying that in to the theme. Whodunnits make great theme parties where everyone gets to exercise their detective skills. So, how do you set about creating the game? Having a large group obviously makes this more of a challenge.

A whodunnit requires characters to all be interconnected in different ways, particularly to the victim. This can seem like a daunting task and if you're not used to creating games, then I'd recommend starting with a small group (say 5 to 10 players) for your first one. There are some good murder mystery boxed games out there, however they won't be adapted to your own group of friends or family, so if you're planning on hosting a murder mystery party one solution is to create your own murder mystery game! Murder mystery parties are great fun and good team building activities with the added tension that your team mate might just be the murderer.

How to create your own game character