Murder in 1985 | A Virtual Murder Mystery
$49.95
Write a Review
Write a Review
Murder in 1985 | A Virtual Murder Mystery
This is a lighthearted 1980's murder mystery theme for 6-10 players (with an expansion pack, purchased separately, that adds another 6 players plus a spectator file to include up to 100+ non-suspect players), ages 13 and up. This is formatted for virtual (video chat) play. This can be played with only 4-5 players. This game should take 2 hours to play. The game can be played in two ways - at home with a group or via a video-chat service of your choice.
This is the instant download version of the game - no waiting, no shipping, and no printing is needed. Download and play! This murder mystery game was formatted to play on Zoom or other video chat - you send each player a PDF file before the game and meet up virtually to play!
Helpful Links:
Host character list- Free, printable invitation
- Murder Mystery Prop Emporium
- 6 character, Expansion pack - Purchased separately
- Direct your guests here - the corresponding pre-game site at Your Mystery Party
Mystery Synopsis:
It is 1985, and after losing market share to sweeter competitors, Koko-Cola has revised its classic formulation and named the new beverage Best Cola. The CEO, Martin McFly, is hosting a huge bash to celebrate the release and has invited the Who’s Who of the entertainment industry to attend the party. With so many Yes Men fluttering around Mr. McFly, he’s blinded to the reality that he is one of the most dreadful men in the world. He’s stolen ideas, broken hearts, slashed egos, and even kidnapped the beloved pets of foes when it suited him.
Alas, you are one of the ‘80s icons that received an exclusive invitation to this event. Mr. McFly has wronged you in the past but needs your fame to help launch Best Cola. It should be interesting how this all plays out. This is where your story begins.
YOU WILL RECEIVE:
- Host instruction file - including bonus games to play virtually, player instructions, and a timeline sheet (abbreviated instructions) for your event.
- 10 character packets (PDF files) to send to your players in advance of the party. They include instructions, a character bio, and three rounds of game play (optional pre-game, round one materials, round two materials).
- Solution keys for the game and game challenge (and optional bonus games) - host can play along without spoiling the game.
- Editable text field player contact sheet for pre-game
- Three videos of a detective's call on speaker phone to play to start the game, start round two, and give the solution
- Free invitation (optional to use)
- Free pre-game website (optional, but suggested)
If you wish to host this (or any other) game for profit, you will need a commercial license - click here.
- Minimum Age:
- 12 and up due to difficulty.
- Difficulty rating:
- Moderate, 6/10
- Gender of character roles:
- Flexible.
- Number of players in the main game:
- 6-10 in the main game (you can play with only 4-5). You'll receive an optional character list for the host that narrows to 4 required.
- Expansion/Expandable team players:
- Expansion pack #1 has 6, gender flexible characters - all optional. With the expansion pack, you'll receive a spectator file to cover up to 100+ players in the game.
- Date of publication:
- September 2020
-
-
80's Decor Kit
$54.95 -
-
Reviews
-
A perfect B-day activity during a pandemic!
We played the 1985 Murder game virtually for my birthday since gathering in person during a pandemic was out of the question. It was the perfect party, so perfect I'll probably host a virtual game ever year! I had a lot of fun planning and encourage players to do the pre-game. In retrospect, we all agreed that it would have been ok, even helpful, if we had read ahead in the packets so we knew all the info about ourselves. There weren't really any spoilers, and it was kind of hard to start a new round with paragraphs of new info that you immediately needed to know and share. If you don't read ahead, make sure the host gives players enough time to read and digest the info. I imagine if you were playing in person or taking breaks that would have solved the issue. Also, the game was so affordable for what you get! --------------------------------------- FROM MMP STAFF: Thank you for your feedback! We do not suggest allowing the players to read their whole packets before the game starts - the challenges are meant to be seen in real time, and you don't want players trying to solve them before the party begins. Also, the videos keep the story moving. If the players have already seen round two information before they hear the video during your game - it just will kill the story. So, we do not suggest ever allowing the players to view materials they are told not to view ahead of time. It's very calculated to give information in order while it's being played live. It's okay that there's a bit of a lull when round two begins after the video - let everyone enjoy a snack while they read their page :) We are super glad you enjoyed the game!
-
Lots of laughs!
We played this last weekend for a lockdown birthday party (we're in Melbourne Australia!). We played with the full 16 players and we laughed a lot! Best advice is to play the pre game it's so much fun and a great way to start things off. As the host there is a bit of preparing to do but you can still join in the game without any spoiler alerts. Encourage everyone to dress up and add as many accents as you can! Can't wait to do one IRL!
-
Lots of excitment brewing for our murder mystery!!!
My friends and I haven't actually played the game yet, but I am coordinating with them for next weekend via Zoom. We live in the northeast and it's starting to get too cold at night to do things outside so we are looking for virtual activities to keep our spirits up. I am coordinating pushing out information through a Facebook Event. It's been a great way to send some additional information to get people excited. We are doing Murder in 1985 so I sent a link to an 80's montage video and a link to popular cocktails from the 1980's. People are really getting into it and working on their customers and backgrounds. I was a little worried at first that the coordination would be complex and it would be hard for me to organize, but the documentation, with a timeline and checklist, has been fantastic and very easy to understand. I'm already looking forward to doing more of these over the winter! P.S. I plan to play the role of the detective, so I looked ahead to see who dunnit and who had critical other roles so that I could assign my most reliable friends the key characters. I also tried to match characters to personalities that I thought would be a good fit. We are all really looking forward to our murder mystery night!!! ---------------------------------- From MMP Staff: The host can and should play along! You can easily play a character and not know anything, as the spoilers are all in a separate file (& video with some games) that doesn't need to be opened until after the game is played. We're super glad you had fun, though! But next time - be a character :)
-
A Fun Team Building Event
Our group of 8 enjoyed the game. We enjoyed the pre-game activities to get into character. During the game, we got a bit confused about how much to disclose and when, but easily addressed by the host resetting the group. The videos were good. For the host, there was a bit more work than expected so give yourself some time to prepare and setup. Having the videos and instructions ready for sharing is key. We will definitely come back for another game in future.
-
Kids had a great time
My son wanted to do a murder mystery party for his 15th birthday. I wasn't sure how we were going to do this and keep socially distanced, so was pleasantly surprised to find My Murder Mystery Party when I googled "virtual murder mystery parties." My older daughter did one from this same company a few years ago and it was a big hit. My son and his friends ended up having a great time- and many of their parents let me know that it was just what their kid needed! Being that they are teenage boys, I was worried at first that they wouldn't take it seriously. It also seemed that it took a little bit for them to get really in to it, but once it got rolling, they were all fully participating and getting in to it (I didn't play, but followed along and kept the timeline going. My son also asked me to assign his friends their characters so he wouldn't know who was essential and who wasn't). I got a little worried that I had made a big mistake. Near the end of the party, when they were deliberating who they thought the killer was, I realized that I had mistaken the character of one of the kids that had to drop at the last minute. He was an essential character! I was panicking that maybe he was the killer and that I had ruined the entire thing. My younger daughter, who also didn't play, watched the reveal video and thankfully that person wasn't it. PHEW! I never did admit my error to my son. shhh... ;)
-
Will buy and plan another mystery party!
I hosted the party w/ 10 guests over Zoom. Everyone said they had fun and it was a great time. We played one bonus game which people were into. It took about 2 hours to complete. We just took a 5-10 min intermission break between rounds. During the breaks I played 80s music and had the guests answer an 80s themed poll between rounds. Already planning my next virtual murder mystery!
-
Already planning another night!
We had a great time, this was my first virtual party (I have purchased and hosted 3 other regular murder mystery parties-which I now consider a hobby! LOL) and I wasn't sure what to expect. We only played the 6 main characters and all of us have played murder mystery games before and had a great time! It took us just over an hour. I would suggest making sure everyone takes their time and make sure to read everything on your scripts! We are already planning the next one with more characters!
-
Brilliant night in
Absolutely loved it! Just spend some time before the event reading it all and planning it and it’s easy. It’s great it comes with video links so it looks super professional. It’s not hard give everyone a character, each round people read their scripts! We loved it!
-
Super enjoyable
My high schoolers ran this over zoom and it was amazing!!!! One of our best events this year since Covid hit.