How Claire Hosted the Ultimate 90s Murder Mystery Night with Die 4 U
At Foulplay, we love seeing our games come to life in immersive, bold, and extremely nerdy ways! Today’s featured host, Claire, did exactly that with a 90s-themed murder mystery night and hosting Die 4 U, our epic 90s game! Claire transformed her space into a live-action roleplaying experience full of costumes, secrets, and enough pop band drama to put in the latest Tiger Beat! (IYKYK)
Read on for Claire’s story, including her favorite moments from the night, and her best advice for first-time hosts ready to turn their living room into a totally killer crime scene!
Why did you decide to host a murder mystery party?
“It was my first time hosting a murder mystery party! I had gone to one a long time ago for a friend's birthday party and remember it being my first foray into roleplaying games. Now, as an avid TTRPG player, it was really fun to encourage my pals to make the extra leap to a real life roleplaying game!”
Claire wanted to give her friends the chance to lean more into character roles, drama, and collaborative storytelling in a way that felt familiar but new. She chose Foulplay Games after doing her research:
“We decided on Foulplay Games because of a combination of excellent reviews, a responsive and generous team, and a great selection of games!”
We love hearing that the combination of community feedback and our large game variety helped seal the deal!
How did the game go overall?
“The game went great! Everyone seemed to or vocalized having a great time, [people] came in their best character outfits and acted their hearts out.”
Claire’s group dove headfirst into the world of Die 4 U! Award drama played out, accusations flew all around, and the stakes stayed high right up until the end:
“We narrowly didn't catch the murderer, but thankfully nobody listened to who I thought it was!”
Sometimes the best murder mystery nights are the ones that leave everyone talking about the clues and things they missed rather than what they found! Unsurprisingly, as the group left they were already planning the next game:
“In the end, all of us left wanting to do it again soon! So now we're going to [do one] for my upcoming birthday!”
Were there any extra touches or memorable moments?
“I was a little bit of a fool and tried to make ‘real’ versions of pieces of evidence, but had not considered that a particular detail (no spoilers!) that may be referenced in the solution may be impacted by that.”
Every host learns something new their first time, and Claire handled it like a pro:
“Thankfully, I had both the printables and my prop versions available, and the folks at Foulplay wrote the game well enough that nothing solely hinged on that particular detail.”
Plus, two standout details really locked in the 90s energy:
“Oh, also we got a slushie machine for the holidays that really made the whole thing have that 90s feel, as well as a set of MASH dice for the certificate winners.”
Any suggestions or tips for other hosts?
“Plan ahead, dress up, have snacks, make nametags, be a little silly and create the opportunity for your friends to lean into the world you're creating together and the melodrama involved!”
Claire also shared a tip we love for keeping momentum going:
“Additionally, being a little callous about the murder itself in character to keep the game moving can be a great comedic choice, depending on your crew.”
And perhaps most importantly:
“HOLD ONTO YOUR SECRETS as long as you can and don't forget to tell people that the information you know has a price...”
(Shoutout to Tina 👀)
Where to find Claire
You can follow Claire as @ClaireAfterAll. She also hosts a podcast, Date with Us: A Dating Sim Podcast, which you can find as @datewithuspodcast.
Huge thanks to Claire for sharing her party and first-time hosting wisdom with us. If you’re ready to crank up the drama and throw it back to the 90s, Die 4 U is available for instant download!
