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A Murder Mystery and
Scavenger Hunt in Two Acts
The guests at your murder mystery party will be playing the roles of staff, entertainers and guests at a private party held at a jazz club in 1920s New York City. It is the height of the Jazz Age, and social revolution is afoot. Furthermore, this is the age of Prohibition—and of bootleggers and gangsters. Club owner Felix Fontano, the son of a successful bootlegger and crime boss—and a successful businessman himself—is throwing this private party for a group of select friends. It is a night of revelry like many other nights of revelry enjoyed by this group of sophisticates, artists and hoodlums... until things go horribly wrong.
Jazz Age Jeopardy by Melissa Buchanan Design, Layout and Art by Bryon Burrus and Ken Blumreich Edited by Bryon Burrus
Ken Blumreich and Playing with Murder Press 2013 A personal, revocable, nontransferable, and nonexclusive license to make limited personal use of this material is granted to you subject to the terms and conditions described in the Playing with Murder User Agreement, the text of which can be found at http://www.playingwithmurder.com/user-agreement-i-6.html.
Last Revision: 11/16/
- I. Introductory Materials ..........................................................................................
- Welcome!..............................................................................................................
- What Is My Role?
- How Do I Get Started?
- An Overview of the Party
- Character List
- Male Roles
- Female Roles
- Male or Female Roles
- Preparations
- Props
- Menu
- Setting the Scene
- Audio...............................................................................................................
- Costumes
- Preparing the Paperwork
- Before the Party..............................................................................................
- Invitations and Assigning Characters
- Preparing the Scavenger Hunt
- II. Party Guidebook ................................................................................................
- Running the Party
- Guest Arrival...................................................................................................
- Introduction to the Guests
- Welcome To The Party Script
- Act One
- Intermission
- Act Two
- A Terrible Discovery Script
- Hunting for Clues
- Suspect Interrogations Script
- Suspect Interrogations
- Final Presentation of Evidence
- Presentation of Evidence Script
- Votes
- Revelation!.......................................................................................................
- III. Printed Materials
- Nametags and Character Sheets
- Nametags
- Character Sheets
- Edith Fontano ..............................................................................................
- Edgar Fitzpatrick
- June Palmetto
- Raymond Reynolds ......................................................................................
- Judy Jordon
- Jefferson Mitchell
- Claudia W. Mitchell
- Roger Webster
- Duke Carillo
- Poppy Gebhardt ...........................................................................................
- Win Wallace
- Gloria Call
- Elliot Nash ...................................................................................................
- Calvin Carpenter
- Charlie Chambers
- Ronald Mason ..............................................................................................
- Jacqueline Jacobs
- Ella Landeau
- Bess Bailey
- Holly Olmstead
- Brett Burgess...............................................................................................
- Regan Richards
- Alex Preston
- Props and Printouts
- Invitations
- The Guest List
- RSVP Card Version
- RSVP Card Version
- Suggestions for Costumes Handout
- Jazz Age Vocabulary Handout ......................................................................
- Clues ..............................................................................................................
- Voting Sheet
- Awards
- Party Scripts
- Welcome To The Party Script
- Dinner Ends Script
- A Terrible Discovery Script
- Suspect Interrogations Script
- Presentation of Evidence Script
I. Introductory
Materials
Section I of this instruction manual contains all of the introductory materials necessary for planning and preparing your party. In this section you will find a basic overview of the plot; a description of each of the characters; tips on preparing your playing area, choosing a menu, and organizing your printouts; and detailed instructions on how to go about inviting players and assigning characters.
Please note: The majority of the contents of this book are intended for the eyes of the Host/Hostess only! The success of your party hinges on a strong element of intrigue and mystery, so be certain not to share this book with the other players. The material that should be provided to your guests is clearly described in this book. Under no circumstances should you allow any of your players access to this book!
a private party held at a jazz club in 1920s New York City. Club owner Felix Fontano, the son of a successful bootlegger and crime boss—and a successful businessman himself—is throwing this private party for a group of select friends. It is a night of revelry like many other nights of revelry enjoyed by this group of sophisticates, artists, and hoodlums... until a murder occurs.
Please be advised: The parties developed by
PWM Press are substantially more complex and
detailed than other similar products. Even if
you are experienced at hosting Murder Mystery
Parties, it is imperative that you read chapters
one through seven carefully and completely
before beginning to plan out your party!
What Is My Role?
As the Host or Hostess, your role in the party is that of a facilitator or storyteller. It is your job to plan the event, prepare the playing area, and, once the game begins, move the story along and make certain that everyone is on task and enjoying themselves.
In many Mystery Parties the Host or Hostess takes on the role of one of the guests and is given the option to not learn the identity of the murderer before the game, thereby allowing him or her to participate in the party in the same way as the other players. However, because Jazz Age Jeopardy is a more complex party, it is necessary for the Host or Hostess to have a clear understanding of all key plot points in order to ensure that the game runs smoothly. This means that you will be aware of the killer and victim’s identity in advance and will not be playing one of the characters in the story; rather, you will be the Narrator, a guide who is not technically part of the story but is rather there to advance the action.
Running the Party
This portion of the instruction manual will walk you through all of the steps you need to follow once your guests arrive. Read over this section carefully as it contains information vital to the success of the event.
Guest Arrival
Starts: When first guest arrives.
During this stage of the event, you should:
Make certain that everyone has a visible nametag. Make certain that everyone has a copy of their character sheet. Tell guests to keep their character info secret. Allow them to mingle until everyone else has arrived.
Introduction to the
Guests
Starts: When all guests have arrived.
During this stage of the event, you should:
Gather guests in the main room and read "Welcome to the Party" text (below) to explain basic framework of the event. Tell the guests which characters aren't in attendance and instruct them to ignore references to those characters on their character sheets. Answer any questions regarding the introduction.
Felix
Fontano
Club Owner
Edgar
Fitzpatric
k
Broadway
Producer
Raymond
Reynolds
Artist
Jefferson
Mitchell
Stockbroker
Roger
Webster
Attorney
Duke
Carillo
Track Owner
Poppy
Gebhardt
Club Manager
Calvin
Carpenter
Bartender
What Is a Murder
Mystery Party?
Jazz Age Jeopardy is a Murder Mystery Party
wherein the guests will take on the roles of staff,
entertainers, and guests at a private party held at a jazz club
in 1920s New York City and play as those characters
throughout the course of the event. At some point during the
evening, one of the guests will be “killed” by one of the other
participants, and the remainder of the evening will be spent
piecing together clues in an attempt to determine who the
murderer is. Food and drink will be provided.
Included with this invitation are an
RSVP card and a brief description of the characters, as well
as costuming suggestions and a glossary of Jazz Age lingo
and slang. Please return the RSVP card as soon as possible!
The Guest List
Male Roles
- Felix Fontano, Club Owner. Felix owns The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. He is attractive and vain, the son of famous bootlegger Frank Fontano.
- Raymond Reynolds, Artist. Raymond is an old college buddy of Felix’s—an artist and something of a dilettante. He comes from old money.
- Jefferson Mitchell, Stockbroker. Jefferson is a successful stockbroker working on Wall Street.
- Edgar Fitzpatrick, Broadway Producer. Edgar is an up-and-coming Broadway director and producer.
- Roger Webster, Attorney. Roger is a money-hungry, ambulance-chasing attorney.
- Duke Carillo, Track Owner. Duke owns a horseracing track in New Jersey. He’s an old friend of the Fontano family.
- Poppy Gebhardt, Club Manager. Poppy manages the day-to-day affairs of the club with an iron fist.
- Calvin Carpenter, Bartender. Calvin is the bartender at the club. He’s cocky and presumptuous. A scoundrel with the ladies.
- Ronald Mason, Doctor. Ronald is a physician who has made a lot of money during Prohibition because of his willingness to prescribe medicinal alcohol.
Female Roles
- Edith Fontano, Club Owner’s Wife. Edith is Felix’s wife. Enduring years of his infidelity has left her hardened and cynical.
- June Palmetto, Actress. June is a famous actress, a southern belle in the big city.
- Judy Jordan, Flapper. Judy Jordan is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s young, bubbly, and optimistic.
- Claudia Mitchell, Writer. Claudia is a well-known author and the wife of stockbroker Jefferson Mitchell.
- Gloria Call, Singer. Gloria is a jazz singer hired to perform this evening.
- Jacqueline Jacobs, Fashion Designer. Jacqueline is a snobbish fashion designer. She has a boutique catering to young flapper types.
- Ella Landeau, Flapper. Ella Landeau is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s confident and flirtatious.
- Bess Bailey, Flapper. Bess Bailey is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s lighthearted on the outside but serious underneath.
- Holly Olmstead, Tennis Champion. Holly Olmstead is a professional tennis player. She’s haughty and competitive.
Male or Female Roles
- Win Wallace, Accountant. Win is the accountant for many of the guests. S/he’s reserved but knowledgeable.
- Elliot Nash, Jazz Pianist. Elliot is a talented jazz pianist who often performs at the club. S/he is cool, calm, and collected.
- Charlie Chambers, Jazz Bassist. Charles is a talented jazz bassist who often performs at the club. He is obsessed with all things jazz.
- Brett Burgess, Waiter. Brett is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- Regan Richards, Waiter. Rosie is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- Alex Preston, Actor. Alex Preston was once on track to stardom, but alcohol got the better of him/her.
Award s
Awarded On:
Outstanding Costume
Award
For receiving the most votes for best costume,
is hereby awarded the Outstanding Costume Award. Great job, and thanks for playing Jazz Age Jeopardy!
