This year, we mixed it up: We had a theme that we let our guests know about ahead of time, in case they wanted to participate, or to help give them costume ideas.
The theme: The Game of CLUE!
It was fairly elaborate, really, but didn't start off that way. Dick has a work colleague who told us that her family did a Clue themed party once, and I thought it was a great idea - everyone could come dressed as a clue character. I also tried to imagine a way that we could convert the floor plan of our house into the Clue game board. This is where Dick took over: he figured out that we should use painters tape to outline all of the rooms in our main level to recreate all 9 rooms in the Clue House: Kitchen, Ballroom, Conservatory, Dining Room, Billiard Room, Library, Lounge, Hall, and Study. He and Spencer did that job, while I spelled out the name of each room using blue painters tape. (what would we do without blue painters tape?!)
We also had each of the six weapons: Rope, Revolver, Candlestick, Lead Pipe, Dagger, and Wrench
And suggested to guests that the could come dress as their interpretation of any of the six characters: Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, and Professor Plum
But wait, there's more:
Dick actually figured out how we could make a party game out of it.
He came up with these directions for the guests who came who were not dressed as a clue character:
Game Directions
Mr. Boddy has been murdered! It is your job to discover who killed him, where, and how.
You will receive exactly three official Suspicion Cards from Colonel Mustard. Each card specifies a Suspect, Room, and Weapon (see below). You will also receive a clue notebook to track clues.
To play the game, you fill out a Suspicion Card in ink. To use your suspicion card, you must first bring together the suspect and weapon into the room specified on your Card.
suspicion card
You then reveal your Suspicion Card to the Suspect (“I suspect Miss Scarlet, in the Billiard Room, with the Rope!”), and seek to have that suspect DISPROVE your suspicion by revealing an official Clue Card that matches one of the Suspect, Room, or Weapon on your Suspicion Card. Whether or not they disprove your suspicion, you may continue to reveal the same suspicion card to other characters in order to gain additional information.
At any point, you may fill out a new suspicion card, but you MAY NOT modify a suspicion card.
As your suspicions are disproved, you are gaining clues, which you may track in your clue notebook.
At 10:30 in the evening, you must write your name on any suspicion cards that have not been disproved, and submit them to the accusation box. The solution will be revealed, and any accusations that match the solution will be entered into a drawing for a fabulous Grand Prize.
Suspects/Characters:
Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, and Professor Plum.
Weapons:
Rope, Revolver, Candlestick, Lead Pipe, Dagger, and Wrench
Rooms:
Kitchen, Ballroom, Conservatory, Dining Room, Billiard Room, Library, Lounge, Hall, and Study.
Suspects
Weapons
Rooms
Character Directions
If you came dressed as a character, you received a sealed envelope with your character's name written on it, containing three clue cards. We made matching envelopes (the same characters had the same three clue cards inside) for up to three of each character.
Here were the directions written for each character:
IMPORTANT: You MUST NEVER reveal any of your three Clue Cards to anyone, with one exception:
As the game is played, player/guests will show you official Suspicion Cards, which will specify the Suspect, Room, and Weapon (“I suspect Miss Scarlet, in the Billiard Room, with the Rope!”).
If any of your three Clue Cards matches the Suspect, Room or Weapon on the Suspicion Card, then you MUST reveal that card, thereby DISPROVING the suspicion. You MUST NOT reveal more than one card, even if more than one card matches the Suspicion, and you MUST NOT reveal your card to anyone other than the player making the suspicion.
If you cannot disprove the suspicion, then you simply say “I cannot disprove that.”
The game worked out REALLY well! It took a while to get going, but once it did, it seemed that our guests really got into it.
We had lots of great costumes, including several people who came dressed as Clue characters (Professor Plum, Ms. Scarlet and Mrs. White were the popular ones) and even had additional weapons brought as props!
Here are some photos from the night:
The Library
Billiard Room
The Hall
The Conservatory
Dining Room
Your Hosts: Colonel Mustard and Mrs Peacock, in the Kitchen, with the....?
Mr. Green
We set up the "Bat Cam" again - a tradition we started a few years ago when we did a Batman theme. We set up a computer with a camera and remote so people can take fun candids. We added a screen this year to help separate from the background
Mr. Green, using the giant magnifying glass to figure out the mystery of whodoneit.
Keeping up the tradition: The Cake!
Here come the guests!!!
Around 10:00 or so, we decided to see who the winners of the game were. We collected any Suspicion Cards, then Colonel Mustard opened the Top Secret Envelope with the answers. We had about 5 or 6 correctly answered Suspicion Cards, then drew 3 names for three fabulous prizes!
Colonel Mustard opens the Confidential, Top Secret Envelope!
...and the winner is: Jack! He won a nice bottle of wine
In the end, it was Mr. Green, in the Conservatory, with the Lead Pipe!
The Professors Plum, in a heated discussion with Colonel Mustard about the outcome of the murder mystery
A fun time was had by all. Thanks to all who came to Creep 'o Rama 2013!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment