Murder at the Midnight Gala – New Year's Eve Murder Mystery Party Game (6–12 Players)

What you get

Ring in the New Year with a murder to solve.

It's New Year's Eve at the Halcyon Grand Hotel. Four hundred guests in sequins and black tie, a jazz singer on stage, a six-tier champagne tower – and the hotel's owner, Augustus Vane, promising a surprise announcement at midnight. He never makes it. At 9:10 PM he is found poisoned in his private suite, the doors are locked, and every guest is a suspect.

Over three rounds that end just before midnight, your guests trade gossip, reveal clues, guard their secrets and hunt for the killer. At 11:50 PM the host reads the solution aloud, and as the clock strikes twelve, opens the dead man's sealed envelope for a final twist.

What's included (70 pages in each paper size)

• Host Guide: setup, a 2.5-hour party timeline, scripts for every round, casting and scaling for 6–12 players, menu, decor and playlist style ideas, FAQ
• 12 secret character booklets (6 core + 6 optional; mixed genders, including 2 gender-neutral roles), each with backstory, secrets, costume ideas and round-by-round objectives and clues
• Fill-in printable invitations, character introduction cards and name tags
• Case File and 22 clue cards for three rounds
• 11 evidence props: door security log, service elevator log, a torn note in two halves, a hotel key card, a bar receipt, a photograph, a set list, a founding certificate and more
• Detective sheets: suspect checklist, timeline worksheet, accusation sheet
• Solution and reveal script for the host, a hidden logic table, an answer key and the printable "midnight letter"
• 3 award certificates: Best Dressed, Best Detective, Best Liar

How it works

1. Instant download after purchase.
2. Print at home – every file comes in US Letter and A4.
3. Send the invitations, hand out the booklets and follow the host scripts.
4. Reveal the killer at midnight.

Good to know

• 6 to 12 players plus a host. The six core characters carry every clue needed to solve the case; optional characters add suspects and red herrings, so the mystery is fair at any group size.
• Fair-play puzzle: the murder can be solved logically from the clues.
• Best started around 9:30 PM on New Year's Eve, but it works on any evening.
• No gore. Suitable for teens and adults.
• Works in black & white; looks best in colour.
• Digital product – no physical item will be shipped.
• For personal use. All characters, places and events are fictional.