Hosting, without the panic.

Two weeks out

Read the host script once, all the way through, including the solution. Knowing who did it changes nothing about how you behave — but it stops you accidentally protecting the wrong guest in conversation.

• Confirm the guest count. Kits scale, but the seating chart does not scale itself.
• Send the printable invitations with the character name and a one-line dress note. Guests who know their name arrive already half in character.
• Plan dinner for after Act II, when the body has been found and everyone needs to sit down and gossip.
• Put the physical clues in their envelopes now. Each one is labelled with the act it belongs to; resist opening them early.

The week of

This is the week for shopping and for one quiet read-through of your own cue cards. You do not need to memorise anything: the script gives you a line to say, a clue to hand out, and a question to ask, in order.

• Shop from the kit menu. It is written to be cooked once and served family-style — no plating under pressure.
• Hide the props where the script tells you. Bedrooms, coat pockets, the back of a cupboard; two minutes of hiding is worth an hour of atmosphere.
• Print the place cards. The kit seats people next to the person they least trust, and that is the point.
• Charge your phone, then plan to leave it in another room. The host sets the tone for screens.

The night itself

Greet people by their character name at the door and do not break. If a guest laughs and says “I’m not much of an actor,” tell them neither is anyone else, hand them a drink, and introduce them to their own worst enemy at the table.

Open each act by reading the cue card aloud. Then stop talking. The single most common hosting mistake is filling silence — silence is where guests start accusing each other.

• Keep the solution sealed until the accusation round ends.
• Hand out clues as the script directs, even if the table seems to be ahead.
• Feed people on time. A hungry murder mystery is a short one.

Timings that actually work

A 7pm start, dinner at 8, solution at 9:45. If you are hosting a longer kit, move the start earlier rather than the dinner later. Guests forgive a slow first act; they do not forgive cold food.

• 7:00 — arrivals, drinks, invitations checked
• 7:20 — Act I, introductions round the table
• 8:00 — Act II, the murder and the first clues
• 8:40 — dinner, with clue cards on the table
• 9:30 — Act III, accusations
• 9:50 — the solution, read aloud, then one last drink

If it goes sideways

Someone will guess the killer early. It happens in about a third of parties, and it is not a problem: the script has a line for it. Hand them a sealed “alibi” card that complicates their theory, and ask them to prove it to the table.

If a guest is uncomfortable with the premise, the kit includes a guest role with no secrets at all — the visiting journalist, who can ask questions all evening and never has to lie. The host can also play that part and run the evening at the same time.

Printing & delivery

Every kit is delivered as print-at-home pages that unlock on the page the moment payment clears. Nothing is posted, so there is no parcel to wait in for: you print the host guide, the invitations and a booklet for each guest, and the evening runs exactly as written.

The pages are laid out for A4 and US Letter and print cleanly in black and white if you would rather save the colour ink. If a kit will not unlock or a page will not print, write to hello@thedeadlysocial.com and we will sort it the same day.

Questions hosts ask

• Can we play with fewer guests? Yes. Every kit lists the smallest workable table and which parts to fold into the host.
• Do we need costumes? A single accessory is enough. The dress note on each invitation suggests one.
• Is there a children’s version? No. The kits are written for adults, 16 and up.
• Can we reuse a kit? Once the solution is known, no — but the props and menu survive, and we send a discount for a second kit.

Still unsure? Write to hello@thedeadlysocial.com, or browse the twelve kits and pick by appetite.