Why choose Shot In The Dark Mysteries?
We know there are lots of murder mystery games companies out there and that you have a choice, which is why we strive to set ourselves apart from the competition and show you the value you receive with our instant-download murder mystery party kits.
We have the most unique and fun mystery games on the net! Let’s face it, you can get a 1960’s murder mystery anywhere, but our games are something different – special. We don’t deal in themes that are all over the internet already – the dime-a-dozen run-of-the-mill mystery party games you can get ANYWHERE. We pride ourselves on being DIFFERENT. You won’t find games like ours anywhere else, and neither will your guests, making your party fun, unique and impossible to beat!
Here are some great reasons to choose Shot In The Dark Mysteries:
1. Completely interactive mysteries – the only ones like them on the market!
We primarily use an INTERACTIVE mystery party format. If you’ve played games offered by our competitors, you’ll find this format very different, a lot more versatile and a whole lot of fun. Instead of everyone sitting around reading off a piece of paper, your guests are up and mingling, flexing their sleuthing skills (with some helpful sample questions from us to get everyone started) and questioning one another to discover the killer. It’s simple, fantastic and perfect for mystery party newbies and veterans alike.
For a sneak peek at how this format works, check out the sample game materials on any game version page to read the Host Guide you will receive in your game kit.
2. Simple and easy instant-download mystery game kits
We know you’re pressed for time, so we promise there will be no complicated elements to your mystery party. It is possible to arrive home from work on a Friday night, pick your mystery game, download your materials in one click and be playing in the time it takes you to print the game materials (and while it prints, you can do other things like get the hors d’oevres – or yourself – ready). If you plan just one day ahead you can email your suspect guides out to all your guests and send the items you do need to print (there aren’t many and most are optional) to a printer and have it ready to pick up whenever you can spare a moment. Our mystery games are so easy, often children facilitate their own “family-friendly” games.
3. No cutting required
Shot In The Dark Mysteries is almost 100% scissor-free! That means no more having to sit down before the party and wade through hundreds of pages of clues, cutting them apart while still trying to keep the mystery a mystery for you, the host! How many times have mystery party hosts accidentally glanced at vital information they shouldn’t and didn’t want to have seen and spoiled the mystery? Our clients said “No More Cutting!” and we listened! All of our game material kits require no cutting of clues.
4. The most visually stunning game materials in the business
All of our kits are professionally designed. For a sample, Click Here
5. No actors or memorization needed
Our mystery games do not require your guests to act or follow a script – a huge relief to a lot of participants! Each person receives information about their character that they can keep with them at all times for reference.
6. No experience needed
The ease of our games makes it possible for anyone, even kids, to host a mystery, which is why our kids’ games sell like hotcakes! Never hosted a mystery party before? No worries! We will walk you through step-by-step. The hardest part of solving one of our mysteries is realizing just how simple (not easy, but simple) the format is, and that you really do just have to sleuth and prove how clever you are by questioning the other suspects to solve the mystery!
7. The host can play
Our mysteries are formatted in a way that each Suspect (guest playing a character) receive individual “Suspect Guides”, which give them full instructions on how to play and their clues. This means you, as the host and facilitator, can solve the mystery too without spoiling it for yourself!
8. The murderer doesn’t know they are the murderer
We choose to keep the murderer’s identity secret from everyone throughout the game. Why? Because each character knows their secrets (in the form of “hide” clues) and are not to offer up the hide information, but are also not to lie when asked directly about that information. So, if The Butler knows he is the murderer, he is in quite the predicament when Loud Aunt Leslie rocks up and says “Are you the murderer? Why did you kill him?!” Yeah, there’s always an Aunt Leslie… besides, the murderer should be able to solve the mystery as well. We are not anti-murderer at Shot In The Dark Mysteries.
9. All games are written in-house
We don’t contract our game creation out to a variety of freelance writers, which means that all of our games are created with consistent quality and undergo a rigorous quality maintenance check. You can rest assured that your game will EXCEED your expectations!
10. No stupid or cheesy character names or embarrassing stunts
The number one reason a guest is hesitant to attend a mystery party is because they’re worried about being embarrassed or having to do something stupid. And while some people may be into that, we want EVERYONE at your party to have a good time, which is why we take the high road. You can rest assured that by choosing a Shot In The Dark Mysteries party, your guests will be able to participate and feel comfortable. Those people who have reservations will have just as much fun as everyone else – if not more! We want your guests to RAVE ABOUT YOUR PARTY, not cringe at the memory, and therefore all of our mysteries are designed in a way to appeal to the most discerning tastes without ruining your reputation with characters called “O. Penwide”.
11. No foul language
At first we were surprised when people would ask us if there was bad language in their mystery kit, so it must exist somewhere out there in the mystery party universe – but not here. We are professional writers, and would no sooner force our sleuths to use foul language than we would have written a “bad” word into an article for a magazine. Some of our suspects and sleuths like to spice up their information, which we encourage, but there will be nothing in your mystery materials that will force a suspect to use bad language.
12. Proudly committed to the environment
We <3 trees and the environment, and we’re also committed to hassle-free parties. To decrease everyone’s carbon footprint as well as your irritation factor, your mystery kit is an INSTANT DOWNLOAD. This means that you simply pick the game you want, download, print/email and play! No shipping fees, no gas consumed or pollution, no waiting and no bother.
To cut down on printing and the pain-in-your-hiney factor, your game materials give you individual, email-able Suspect Guides. Within the Suspect Guides, your guests receive instructions on how to play, making your life MUCH easier as you prepare for your party. Besides, anyone who has played a mystery party in the past has experienced the irritation of having to cut clues – it’s time-consuming and the host has no choice but to see the information in the clues, meaning that poor host can’t play! Individual Suspect Guides means NO CUTTING and NO SPOILERS, so the host can play! Bonus: each Suspect receives full instructions in their suspect guide, so you as the host don’t have to explain how the format works to your guests!
13. The best customer care in the industry
We are committed to supporting our hosts! Because we serve clients WORLDWIDE online, we offer help via social media and our help desk, and as long as we aren’t sleeping (we are on Eastern Standard Time), we will get back to you obsessively quickly (no really, Chev, our help desk guru is obsessive about her response rate during her waking hours). Just because you’re making a purchase online does not mean you shouldn’t be taken care of. There’s nothing worse than shouting into cyberspace and getting no response. So, we’re here for you – just contact us and we’ll help you out!
For the fastest response, please email us at hello@shotinthedarkmysteries.com. As our client base is worldwide, this is by far the fastest way to get a response from us – we strive to get back to our clients within hours (if it’s not in the dead of night, of course!). Again, we operate on Eastern Standard Time. You can also PM us on our Facebook page or join us on Instagram (where we love to brag up our hosts with the pics they share with us of their parties – bonus: inspiration!).
