How to play your murder mystery character (even if you are shy)

Plenty of people hesitate before their first murder mystery party: "I am not an actor", "I cannot lie", "I will look silly". Relax: nobody expects a performance. A murder mystery is played mostly by talking, listening and thinking. Here is how to get into your role without stress.

1. Read your file twice

The first time to discover the story. The second time to spot three things:

• your secret: what you must hide at all costs;
• your evening: where you were, especially at the time of the crime;
• your goals: what you need to achieve in each act.

Keep your file nearby: you may reread it during the game.

2. Pick one personality trait

No need for a voice or an accent. Choose one simple trait and keep it all evening: your character is suspicious, or charming, or nervous, or very polite. One trait is enough for the others to see you as someone else.

3. Think in the third person

When someone asks you a question, ask yourself: "what would they answer?". That little distance helps shy players enormously: it is not you lying, it is your character.

4. Lying without getting caught

• Stay as close to the truth as possible: change one detail, not the whole story.
• Keep the same version from start to finish.
• When you do not know, say "I do not remember" rather than inventing.

Only the killer may lie about the crime. The others lie to protect their secrets, which is often just as interesting.

5. Ask questions

The best way to play when you are shy is to question others. You do not have to talk about yourself; you listen and spot the contradictions. Simple, effective questions: "where were you at midnight?", "who can confirm that?", "why did you not mention it earlier?".

6. Use your clues

Your case files are weapons. Show the right one at the right moment to make a suspect talk. Keep the one that incriminates you to yourself... for as long as you can.

7. Have fun

Nobody is grading your acting. The best games are those where everyone gets into it, even clumsily. And it is often the quietest player who unmasks the killer.

Ready to try? Choose your case: The Vernier Case or La Queimada du Pazo. And reread the rules explained simply.