La Queimada du Pazo: a murder mystery in Galicia, among vines and legends

Some murder mysteries take place in an English drawing room. La Queimada du Pazo takes you elsewhere: to Galicia, in north-west Spain, to a granite manor surrounded by vineyards, on the night the harvest is celebrated.

The story, without spoilers

Rías Baixas, Galicia. At the Pazo de Souto, the Souto family celebrates the albariño harvest, the region's white wine. At midnight, the lights go out: the meiga sets the queimada aflame and recites the conxuro against evil spirits. When the lights come back, Iago, the heir, raises his cup. At 00:12, he collapses.

Eight guests, eight secrets. A mother secretly selling the estate, a fiancée in love with someone else, a sailor waiting for his money, a meiga who knows the plants that stop the heart.

What is a pazo?

In Galicia, a pazo is an old family manor, often in granite, with outbuildings, vineyards and a courtyard. It is the ideal setting for a murder mystery: large, steeped in history, full of corners where someone can slip away for a moment.

The midnight scene

It is the heart of this case. The host turns off the lights, keeps a single candle and reads the conxuro. Nobody speaks. When the lights come back, the drama has happened. To get this moment right, read our lighting tips.

What the kit contains

• A host's book: preparation, three acts, texts to read, the midnight scene.
• 8 character files and 8 invitations.
• 23 realistic clues, including a map of the manor, photos, messages and two voicemails to scan.
• "Truth question" cards to make a suspect answer honestly.
• The solution, in a separate file.

How many players?

Eight characters, with variants for 6 and 7 players. Above 8, two guests can share a character as a pair, up to 16.

A case in three languages

Like all our cases, La Queimada du Pazo exists in English, French and Spanish. To explore the world further, read the history of the queimada and who the meigas are.