Voicemails and QR codes: bringing the investigation to life

In a murder mystery game, clues are usually documents to read. In our cases, some clues are heard: voicemails left on the night of the crime, played by scanning a QR code with a phone. It is one of the moments players remember most.

How it works

Among the case files, some look like a phone screen: a received voicemail, with its time, length, sender and recipient. Next to it, a QR code.

1. A player scans the QR code with their phone camera.
2. The message opens and plays straight away, with no app to install.
3. Everyone listens to the voice, the tone, the hesitations.

The transcript is printed on the evidence too, for anyone without a phone to hand or to reread a detail.

Why it works so well

Reading "he sounded nervous" and hearing a nervous voice are not the same thing. A voicemail adds what paper cannot: emotion, hesitation, background noise. Players replay it, analyse it, argue about what they heard.

Each of our cases contains two voicemails, in all three languages: The Vernier Case and La Queimada du Pazo.

When to play them

The messages arrive through the acts, with the other case files. The host's book tells you who gets each file and when. Host's tip: when a voicemail arrives, lower the music and let the player who receives it decide whether to play it for everyone... or keep it to themselves.

What you need

• At least one phone with an internet connection.
• Enough volume, or a small speaker if there are many of you.
• A bit of silence while it plays.

Playing on a tablet?

It is even easier: the QR code shows on the screen, a player scans it, and everyone listens. Read our article on playing without a printer.

One realistic detail among many

The voicemails join the other files that make our kits real case files: statements, photos, records, maps, receipts. To see how a game unfolds, read How to play.