Synopsis

Bordello of the Damned - An Interactive Murder Mystery Game

Susan Haley

Published by Haley Productions

Set in 1880 in the Old West (or modern day if you wish) where Jimmy Hayward rules a downtrodden, almost forgotten town which once thrived and prospered when folks thought gold was in them thar hills

But them thar hills contained nothing but dirt and so the town lost not only its fortune but its fame and its population

Now Deadwood is just an occasional stagecoach stopover for folks moving on to better places

And the Leland is a haven for outlaws (like yourselves) and it houses Madam Iggy's, the best little whorehouse in the South Dakota

Consider it just another night at the Leland, only this time it will more deadly than usual ...

EIGHT PRIMARY SUSPECTS (these will have full knowledge of the mystery - you'll give them a complete script)

Jimmy Hayward - The self-absorbed type whose main concern is, "what's in it for me?" He controls, uh, we mean he runs Deadwood, The Leland and Miss Iggy's Bordello

Harry Hayward - A simple, kind man who is now very much on the verge of insanity. Back when folks mined for gold here in Deadwood, Harry was the only one to strike it rich by opening The Leland for the miners and their families. The questions you might be asking are what's making Harry insane and why isn't he running the Leland anymore?

Miss Iggy - She was a fearsome religious zealot who ruled her flock with an iron ruler - until she met Jimmy at a revival meeting she was holding in town. Now she has really taken a fall from grace ... she runs the bordello alongside Jimmy as his partner (gotta have a madam after all) - or at least that's what he tells her. Iggy is in love for the first time in her life - with Winking Willie Woodcuff, a customer

Marti - The bordello's newest girl. The boys are all excited to meet her

"Winking Willie" Woodcuff - An outlaw and the bordello's most frequent customer. Of all the girls and even Madame Iggy herself, he's taken a real liking to Freddie

Fredericka "Freddie" Fontaine - Winking Willie's favorite girl, despite what Iggy believes. Working at Iggy's wasn't her first choice in life but her daddy didn't leave her much of a choice when he bet her in a poker game against Jimmy and lost. Now she's part of Jimmy's stable for 2 years or her father will most certainly meet his untimely death

Floyd Hannibal - Jimmy's compadre and a stagecoach driver. Floyd, an extremely jealous and therefore volatile man, keeps what he thinks is a tight reign on his wife, Kit. That reign is looser than he could ever imagine ...

Kit Hannibal - Floyd's wife. She swears she isn't one of Iggy's "girls" but we all know better. Floyd is out of town a lot and a girl gets lonely after all. Besides when he is home, he won't let her have any fun. Kit is in love but it ain't with her husband

SECONDARY SUSPECTS - Optional. Remember, EVERYONE will be actively involved in this mystery because it will be their job to solve the case and because you'll be encouraging them to come in costume and in character

Use any or all of these secondary suspects if you have "extra" cast members you want to use. You will NOT give them a script but you will give them a description of their character and let them run with it

Paris Barrows - Town gossip - she's in the saloon every night and easily keeps up with the best of the men

Tom Bowfeather - Provides his special moonshine liquor to Jimmy. He's also part of Jimmy's posse. Jimmy owes Sam money for the last batch of moonshine and Sam's getting impatient ...

Alice Arthur - The bordello's housekeeper. A real mother hen to the girls. She'd love it if just one customer looked her way so she tries her best to look like one of the girls despite Iggy reminding her of her place (as housekeeper)

Experience McCoy - The town's doctor. You can call on him to declare the victims dead and to expound on the details of their deaths to your guests

Sam Bogart - The piano player (with a broken hand if you don't have a piano or he can't play). Sam was hired by and is completely devoted to Harry and that's why he stays in Deadwood - for his friend Harry

Aurora Borealis - The can-can girl who sings and dances for the Leland patrons. She's even been known to take off her clothes if you get her in a good mood. Last week Experience accused her of stealing his money pouch so Jimmy is threatening to fire her and she and Experience are feuding. (You can give her a sprained ankle if she can't dance!)

Add as many girls to your flophouse as you want. Your guests will be invited to be outlaws and saloon patrons

These audience-participatory Murder Mysteries are distinctive in that everything from arguments to clues to the actual murders happens in the middle of the audience enabling them to participate and witness every action first hand

None of the dialogue is scripted - it's all improvised - the role of the guests is to actively solve the case by asking the suspects questions, following them, eavesdropping on their conversations, and so on - whatever it takes to discover whodunit

NUMBER OF PLAYERS - Up to 125 plus the Primary Suspects (your cast)

LENGTH OF MYSTERY - Approximately 2 hours.

HOW IT WORKS: You'll need to provide 6-8 people willing to take part in the mystery as the primary suspects, victim(s), detective and killer (see below). They'll have full knowledge of the script, which means they'll know "whodunit". The rest of your guests will take on the role of Detective and it will be their job to solve the case. Everyone, therefore, will have a crucial part in the mystery. The game lasts about 1 ½ to 2 hours but you can, of course, make it longer by allowing more time between the scenes/action

Your guest actors won't have to memorize a lot of dialogue but they will have to be familiar with a sequence of events or timeline that will move the mystery through the clues, the murder(s) and the solving of the crime. They'll also have to carry out certain actions (like arguments) and suspicious activities to set themselves up as Primary Suspects

NB - This type of mystery game is geared towards groups of 15 or more. All scripts are rated PG-13, contain adult themes and may not be suitable for children

THE USUAL SET UP WITH A DINNER IS AS FOLLOWS :

Upon arrival, the guests receive a program that will be a guideline for the mystery (included in this package). The primary suspects start to mingle in character, usually during the reception, and begin setting up the mystery with clues, arguments, gossip, that sort of thing. Just about the time the first course is served, the guests witness the (1st) murder. The mystery continues to unfold with more dramatic action and more clues that will lead to the mystery's conclusion. The "detective" character then allows the guests to asks his primary suspects any final questions and has the guests fill out their detective evidence record (which they receive with their programs). The solution is dramatically revealed around the time dessert is served

ALL WHODUNIT PACKAGES INCLUDE:

1. Program master (you will provide this program to all participants. It will be their guide to the mystery by providing the basic plot of the mystery, the primary suspect list and the "rules" of the game.)
2. Solution sheet master
3. Invitation master
4. Outstanding and Bumbling Detective certificates
5. Cast guidelines and suggestions
6. Supply list and prop use instructions (if applicable)
7. Paper props (for example, a medicine label or a will)

NOTE: You need only buy ONE Copy

The complete Package will be available immediately via email Download link and you can Print as many copies as you need

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