I’ve always loved murder mysteries, so over the last couple of years I’ve had a go at writing some murder mystery party games. These are unscripted games - really immersive role playing games that usually end in murder...

You play in a group and each person is given a character with goals and relationships. There are some basic rules to govern your interactions, but otherwise you’re free to improvise. It requires all the players to throw themselves into it, but if you have such a group, it’s a lot of fun.

There are four I’ve playtested enough to think other people might enjoy them. All, I should say, are deeply historically inaccurate!

You can download them here:

• Plots in the Palazzo (for groups of 25 or 26) is set in Florence in 1492 as the city is plunged into chaos by the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. [I wrote this in 2025; it’s the most polished, but also the most involved!]

• Democracy Comes to Puritania (for groups of 10) is set in the fictional central European principality on the brink of the First World War [I wrote this in 2022]

• Strife at the Court (for groups of 10) is set in ancien regime France and is about religious conflict and intrigue at court. [I wrote this in 2018 and it’s a bit less polished than the ones above]

• In the Shadow of the Elysée (for groups of six) set in interwar Paris and is about struggle for control of a political party. [Also from 2018 and lacking in polish. My candid view is that this works less well than the bigger games, but should still be fun for a committed group]

They’re completely free to play, released under a Creative Commons licence. Everything you need is in the documents. All I ask is that if you enjoy them, you email me and let me know. Obviously, I don’t guarantee that they’re error-free, but each time I’ve played them, they seem to work (Do feel free to email me if you find anything wrong).