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Running a Murder Mystery

Host notes for an FFXIV roleplay murder mystery event.

How to Host

There are two good ways to set up a murder mystery.

Prepared Theme

Prepare the theme and write a pool of roles to assign randomly. A school expedition to the Great Gubal Library could have teachers, students, and one suspicious old man who absolutely knows too much.

Give each role enough description to make roleplay easy. Add a few relationships between roles, but avoid making one person look guilty before the game starts.

Loose Theme

Use a vague setup, such as a mysterious dinner invitation from an extravagant rich person who never shows their face. This is easier to prepare, but players may need more prompting because their characters are less defined.

Setup

  1. Create a sheet with enough roles for the number of players you expect.
  2. Number the roles and use a randomizer to pick the killer.
  3. Send each player a tell with their role, then privately tell the killer that they are the killer. The killer still roleplays their assigned character and should act innocent.
  4. Give enough time between rounds for people to roleplay. The first round should be the longest, around five minutes, so the first victim still gets a real chance to participate.
  5. Use the open world or any FC house as the setting. Pick a location with enough room for accusations and dramatic deaths.

Rules

  1. At the end of each round, everyone votes by DMing the host. Players can discuss suspicions openly, but only private votes count.
  2. If the killer is voted out, the surviving players split the prize. If the killer survives until the end, the killer wins the prize.
  3. A player is voted out only when most votes are against them. On a 50/50 vote against the killer and another player, the other player dies instead.
  4. Dead players cannot vote. They can use stealth or sit nearby as spectators, and should stay for the best roleplayer vote at the end.
  5. At the start of each round, the host asks the killer who they will kill. The killer can describe the method, but it should fit the setting.
  6. The final round starts when four or fewer players remain, including the killer. The killer kills someone first, leaving three players. If the final vote does not remove the killer, the voted player dies and the killer immediately kills the last survivor.

Optional Rules

Medic or Hero

Add a medic or hero who chooses one person to protect each round. If the killer and medic target the same player, nobody dies that round. Narrate the save without revealing the medic's identity.

The saved player is almost certainly not the killer, so this role can become a target quickly. If there is a 50/50 vote against the medic and someone else, the medic dies.

Event Mixup

Combine the murder mystery with another event, such as a chocobo race, mount race, or PvP tournament, with players roleplaying as racers or competitors. It takes more organizing, but it keeps repeat events fresh.