Characters

• When choosing characters for a murder mystery party, choose theatrical characters that will be entertaining and easy for the guests to play. Characters like a flamboyant starlet or a snobby millionaire are work well. Print the characters on cue cards with some information about them, such as "Won all his money playing the stock market." Hand these cards out as guests come through the party and instruct them to immediately take on their character to begin the game.
  
  

Murderer

• While making the character cards, assign one as the murderer. Assign the character some background and mark the card with a star or other emblem. Use that star to indicate more information on the bottom of the card, explaining how to "kill" someone. You might place red sticker on the victim's card, whisper in the victim's ear or give some other sign. That way, when the murderer goes to take the victim, he knows he should to pretend to die so the rest of the guests can decipher the clues. Explain the rules to all of the guests before the game begins so that they know what to do if they are "killed."
  
  

Clues

• Clues are an important part of a murder mystery party. They should be left on the bodies of the murderer's victims and should be ambiguous snippets about the murderer's identity. It might be a riddle about the murderer's profession, location or appearance. For instance, if you've chosen to make the murderer a reclusive and eccentric writer, a small ink smudge left on the victim could be a clue. Plan the clues beforehand, and as the host, quickly place the clue on the "body" before the rest of the guests come to investigate.
  
  

Winner

• The person who wins the game is the person who correctly identifies the murderer. It's a good idea to hand out plastic handcuffs to all of the guests, so they can slap the handcuffs on the person they think is guilty. However, if they are wrong and accuse someone who is innocent, they should have a penalty, such as to not be able to view the next clue or another penalty that will handicap their participation. The winner who correctly identifies the killer should win a prize.