Home›Virtual and hybrid
It works
over a call.
Up to a point.
The honest version. These cases are written for a room, because the good part is six people talking over each other. Over a video call that mostly still works, and for six or eight guests it works well. Past eight it does not, and we would rather tell you now than refund you later.
Yes. Any case can be played over a video call: the host shares the case screen and each guest opens their private brief on their own device. Six players is the best remote size and eight is the practical limit, because a video call carries one conversation at a time. One person buys at $29 and everybody joins by link.
The setup that works.
There is no separate remote product to buy. This is the same case, run a different way, and it takes about the same five minutes to set up.
- One person buys and hostsThe host plays the victim as usual, buys the case at $29, and starts the game. Everybody else joins with a link. Nobody else pays anything.
- Share the case screen, with audioIn Zoom, Meet or Teams, share the tab the case is running in and tick the share sound option. This is the step people forget, and the case audio is doing a lot of the work.
- Everybody opens their own brief separatelyOn their phone, not in the shared window. The whole game depends on nobody else seeing your brief, and a shared screen shows everybody everything.
- Turn the host camera on the room, or on youGuests read faces. It is most of how they decide who is lying. A grid of small faces is worse than a room, but it is much better than avatars.
- Use the raise hand feature for the accusationThe one place a call genuinely beats a room. Everybody commits to a name at once instead of drifting toward whoever spoke last.
Being straight about it.
Two things are worse remotely and neither is fixable with a better app. The first is the side conversation. In a room, two guests can quietly compare notes while everybody else is arguing, and that is where half the deals get made. A video call has one channel, so that disappears.
The second is the pause. In a room you can see somebody deciding whether to answer. On a call that reads as a connection problem. Groups who have played in a room notice both immediately. Groups who have not will have a good night regardless.
- Six is the number. Eight works. Ten and twelve are not recommended remotely and we would rather you knew.
- Two players is excellent remotely. Be the Detective has two people talking, which is exactly what a call is good at.
- Hybrid beats fully remote. If most of the group is in one room, put the remote guests on a laptop at the table facing the room.
- Give remote guests a loud role. Whoever is on the screen gets talked over. A character with a reason to interrupt fixes it.
Remote play, answered.
Can you play a murder mystery party over Zoom?
Yes, with one adjustment. The cases are built for a room, so the host shares the case screen over the call and every guest still opens their own private brief on their own phone or a second tab. It works well for six to eight. Above eight, a video call cannot carry the side conversations the game runs on, and the night gets noticeably flatter.
Is there a dedicated online murder mystery game?
Not a separate product, and we would rather say so than sell you one that does not exist. What there is: every case runs over a video call using screen share plus each guest's own device. The two player cases in Be the Detective work particularly well remotely because there are only two people talking.
What is the best group size for a remote murder mystery?
Six. A video call allows one conversation at a time, and six people can share one conversation. Eight is workable. Ten or twelve is not recommended remotely, because half the table will not get to speak and the whole point is the cross examination.
Can we do a hybrid party, some in the room and some remote?
Yes, and it is often better than fully remote. Put a laptop at the table with the remote guests on it, facing the room, and make sure the room's microphone picks up the table rather than the television. Give a remote guest a role with a strong reason to interrupt, or the room will talk over them all night.
Do remote guests need to buy anything?
No. One person buys the case at $29 and everybody else joins with a link. That is true in the room and on a call.
Same case.
Different room.
One purchase covers the table, wherever the table is. $29, instant delivery, and everybody else joins with a link.