Who Killed the Toymaker on Christmas Eve?
It’s Christmas Eve at Hollyfield Hall, the grand old country home of Augustus Fairweather. He founded Fairweather Toys and was the man behind the Waltzing Reindeer, the toy every child wanted for Christmas in 1979.
Every year Augustus gathers his family and oldest friends for dinner. This year the snow has closed the only road to the Hall, and the telephone line is down.
At dinner he taps his glass. At midnight, he says, he will sign a new will, with his lawyer as witness, and a few people at the table are in for a surprise. After pudding he goes to the library to prepare his papers.
At a quarter past ten, a scream rings through the Hall. Augustus is slumped over his desk. Beside him lies a pulled Christmas cracker, and on the floor, a paper crown. In the air there’s the faint smell of bitter almonds.
Nobody can leave, and nobody can call for help. One of your guests is a murderer.
How the game is played
Everyone at the table plays one of the suspects, and everyone has something to hide. Over three rounds, one with each course, guests question each other while the host reads out the clues. By dessert, the secrets are out and the table has to decide who killed Augustus, how and why.
Each guest writes down an accusation. Then the host opens the sealed solution and reads it aloud. The best detective wins, and anyone who reached their own private goal for the night scores a point.
Who it suits
The game is for 6 to 8 players, adults and older teens, and takes about three hours with dinner. Nobody needs to have played a murder mystery before: each guest’s cards tell them what to say and when.