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Six people.
Nobody is a spare.
Six is the smallest table the cases run on, and it is a genuinely good number. Every character is a core character, every secret lands, and nobody sits through the night holding a card that does not matter. It is also the number with the least slack, so this page is mostly about that.
Yes. Every case in the catalogue runs at six players plus the host, who plays the victim and is not counted in the cast. At six, all six roles are core characters, so the case is at its tightest and every accusation carries weight. A night runs two to three hours and costs $29.
The tightest version of the night.
At six players, nothing in the case is padding. Each of the six holds evidence somebody else needs, so the conversation cannot stall out into two people talking while four listen. Six is also the easiest number to seat, feed and hear. If you have never hosted one of these before, six is the number we would tell you to start with.
- Everybody is load bearing. No flexible roles, no filler. Each person's private brief matters to the solution.
- One table, one conversation. Six people can all hear each other. At ten, the table splits into two conversations whether you plan it or not.
- Dinner is easy. Six is a normal number of plates. Twelve is catering.
- You are the seventh. The host plays the victim, so you are in the room the whole time without a role to run.
The one thing that can spoil six.
This is the honest downside and there is no point hiding it. At eight or ten a dropout is absorbed. At six, one cancellation on the day takes a core character out of the case, and that character is holding evidence. Two things fix it, and both are worth setting up before the night rather than during it.
- Invite seven, plan for six. The extra guest takes a flexible role if everybody turns up, and covers the gap if somebody does not.
- You can step in. The host plays the victim, which means you are free. If you lose a guest, take the role yourself. You will know the solution, so play it straight and do not steer.
- Or fold the role in. The host guide in every case says which character's evidence can be handed to another player without breaking the solution. Check that page before your guests arrive, not at seven in the evening.
Cases that are at their best small.
Every case runs at six. These are the ones that are actively better small, because the drama is claustrophobic rather than crowded: a lighthouse, a safe house, a drawing room.
Every one of the 26 cases runs at 6. See the whole catalogue →
6 players, answered.
Can you play a murder mystery with 6 people?
Yes. Six players plus a host is the standard small table, and every case in the catalogue is written to run at six. All six roles are core characters, which makes the case tighter rather than thinner. The host plays the victim and is not counted in the six.
What if one of the six cancels on the night?
Two options. The host can take the empty role, since the host plays the victim and is otherwise free, or the host pack for that case tells you which character's evidence can be merged into another role without breaking the solution. Read that page before the night.
Is six too few for a murder mystery party?
No. Six is the number we would recommend to a first time host. Everybody can hear each other, dinner is manageable, and no guest is left holding a role that does not affect the outcome. Games that advertise a four person minimum usually do it by giving two people nothing to hide.
Do we need six phones?
One phone each, and one shared screen, which can be a television or a laptop. If somebody's phone dies, the printable pack included with every case has their booklet on paper.
Book the night.
Not the actors.
Pick your case, send the invitations, and say nothing else. $29, instant delivery, and the access code is in your inbox before your guests have replied.