Zen and the Art of Crafting a Fabulous Guest List

One of the factors that can make or break a party is the guest list. Certain guests thrive in certain situations while shying away from others. When I put on a murder mystery game party, I invite different people than I would for my grandfather’s 89th birthday party. This is a simple comparison, but sometimes the lines between pleasing everyone and throwing a crowd-pleasing party blur.

Practicing the art of crafting a perfect guest list does not mean turning your back on your friends. Once you’ve determined the theme of your party you will better know what you are trying to accomplish. When throwing a dinner party, my guest list is extremely different than the list I craft to throw a murder mystery game party. Many of the guests who attend my murder mystery game parties are outgoing and vivacious, whereas those who thrive in a dinner party setting are usually a bit more formal.

Before you begin scratching names from your guest list, remember this: your base cast need only be suited for the party. Let’s talk a bit about casting. Recently, I threw a surprise murder mystery game party for my aunt’s 60th birthday. Because the venue was a pool hall, I needed to cast people who would be able to deliver share clues over the noise, and were bold enough to wander around and share secrets with everyone.

Some people stand right out as those you can cast as characters. You know right away that if you give them a clue, they will act it up, ham it up, shout it out and make it fun. Others… well, perhaps you’re not so sure. My cousin is a great example of this. I have known him all my life and cast him as the murderer at the Pool Hall Pummeling event. He is a bit subdued, but I just knew he could take the part and run with it. Boy, was I right. By round two he was shouting accusations, adding his own little one-liners to clues and delivering share information without skipping a beat!

Just because someone might not be perfect for a character, though, doesn’t mean they can’t come, and it certainly doesn’t mean they can’t play. These people just need a different role.

So how do you craft the perfect guest list? Why, it’s as simple as 1, 2, 3…4.

1. If you haven’t yet created a tentative guest list, start there. Write down everyone that comes to your mind without thinking whether they would be good characters or not. You are brainstorming here, so don’t pre-judge, just let your pencil (or your fingers on the keyboard) fly.

2. A few people will stand out in your mind right away as those who would make excellent characters. Put a star next to their names or highlight them yellow. You will know how many characters you can assign by checking that game on the Shot In The Dark Mysteries Website or by referring to the Suspect List in your Facilitator Materials you downloaded when you purchased the mystery party. In this example, I will use Murder On The Mound, which requires 11-12 characters.

Thomas Hardy
James Brown *
Betty Boop *
Florence Hendersen*
Tony Tiger
Mary Contrary
Elton John *
Chris Angel *
Bono
Rene Levesque
Harrison Ford
Michelle Miles *
Billie Jean
Barney Rubble
Mi Prima Ballerina *
Gnarls Barkley *
Stevie Nicks
Rose Tyler *
Ewan Mcgregor *
Acheron Hades *
Weird Al Yanovick*
Belinda Stronach
Warrick Brown
Frank Pembleton
Alfred Hitchcock

3. Determine who, although not playing a character, would make a good supplementary player – for example, someone to deliver clues, read introductions, share the mystery solution etc. (For more ideas on this topic, read the article “Tips for drawing in extra guests…) Mark these people with a different symbol or highlighter colour. These people will shy away a bit from the limelight, but will enjoy being involved. Now my list looks like this:

Thomas Hardy ~
James Brown *
Betty Boop *
Florence Hendersen*
Tony Tiger
Mary Contrary ~
Elton John *
Chris Angel *
Bono
Rene Leveque
Harrison Ford
Michelle Miles *
Billie Jean
Barney Rubble
Mi Prima Ballerina *
Gnarls Barkley *
Stevie Nicks
Rose Tyler *
Ewan Mcgregor *
Acheron Hades *
Weird Al Yanovick*
Belinda Stronach
Warrick Brown ~
Frank Pembleton
Alfred Hitchcock ~

4. Who is left? Obviously the rest of the people on my list are going to at least enjoy investigating – interrogating the suspects and casting their accusation at the end, or they wouldn’t be on my list in the first place. These people play an important role, even though any great murder mystery game can occur without them. They are the impartial witnesses who will be able to give excellent insight when it’s time to make accusations. We call these people “witnesses” or “detectives”, “CSI’s” or any additional role that fits in with the plot. In Murder On The Mound – a baseball-themed murder mystery game, these precious others can be cast as fans in the stands. In the Wizard of Oz Murder Mystery, you can designate the others as Munchkins! Regardless, these people will not be relied upon for the game to work, but will still enjoy the theatrics!

Your guest list can make or break your party, but following these simple steps will ensure your party will be a hit, and your zen-like state will remain.