All of our stories are original and handwritten by the owner, Chelsea. Our parties have one killer and three murder victims, depending on party size. We embrace a more flexible style. Our parties are not scripted with the exception of Zoom Edition parties. Guests are provided with detailed character cards that include biographies, things to share, secrets to hide, important relationships, prop suggestions, and "make a scene" options. We find that giving guests enough information about their characters allows them to play their role freely instead of remaining seated at a table and reading from a script. While it's easy to incorporate a sit-down dinner, parties are best played while mixing and mingling with plenty of accusations, laughter, and drama. This makes them the perfect event for old friends or complete strangers and the ultimate place to form memories and inside jokes. After each "Murder", the host will present a series of evidence and the mystery will ultimately be solved by piecing together the evidence and mingling to learn the secrets of the other guests. Hosts receive easy-to-follow instructions, an introduction, a timeline to follow, a conclusion, awards and more. If you'd like more resources, please check out our blog post on How to Host a Murder Mystery Party to Die For, and/or our Youtube video below. Murders by Chelsea - A look inside a Box Kit Murder Mystery Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz_kuJhSefE&t=10s

No, the host does not need to know who the murderer is. Each party is designed so that the murderer is only revealed in the "Conclusion/Reveal" section of the instructions. If the host desires, they can choose not to read ahead and be surprised like everyone else. The Host can also choose to play along and pick from any of the characters who aren't "murdered". Additionally, the murderer will not know that they're the murderer, this prevents any accidental revelations and allows the murderer to play along with the rest of the guests.

Parties generally take between 1.5-2 hours, but can be flexible depending on guest count and how talkative your group is. Each party includes a "Suggested Timeline" which will help keep you on track throughout your event. The timeline can be sped up or slowed down depending on flow and your preference as host. The flexibility of the timeline also makes it easy to add things on your own, like a dinner or a dance.

PDFs are immediate downloads that can be printed either at home or at a local printshop. PDFs are perfect for last minute parties or for a more affordable option. With Printed Box Kits, we print, cut, organize, and ship everything directly to you. Box Kits are perfect for those looking for something easy and ready-to-play. We're always happy to send the PDFs for free with any purchase of a Printed Box Kit, please message us for more information.

We are unable to accept returns on PDFs due to the nature of the files (once they are downloaded they cannot be retrieved and you will always have access to them) ​ Printed Box Kits are handmade and made to order. If you would like to cancel, please do so immediately as we are unable to offer a refund once the item has been assembled and shipped.  ​ If there are any problems on our end, we will take full responsibility to make things right!

Custom stories can take between 50-100 hours to write so this can vary. Please contact us directly for quotes and availability.

This can change seasonally, but Printed Box Kits generally take between 2-5 business days to create and shipping takes between 1-5 days depending on location and barring any delays within USPS which we, unfortunately, cannot control. We ship our Printed Box Kits from Salem, OR.

These stories are for personal use only. Selling tickets or running paid events requires a commercial license. Please contact Murders Inc directly for licensing options.

Commercial Licenses are $199 per story per year and $49 per expansion per year. Commercial Licenses grant you the ability to be able to profit from a Murders Inc Murder Mystery Party