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Last Stop: Murder
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set on a snow-stopped train.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
Aboard a train
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
Murder aboard a snow-stopped train…
Backstory
You and your guests are passengers on the luxurious Oriental Express. Your fellow passengers number several unsavory characters, almost certainly up to no good. No one knows who they can trust, as everyone seems to have an ulterior motive.
Murder!
Unexpectedly, the train is snowed in and one of the passengers is murdered. Fortunately, the famed detective Pardot is on board. With the help of your guests, the identity of the murderer should be discovered by the time the police arrive.
Solving the Mystery
Now the guests must work together to sift through the evidence and identify the killer in their midst!
There are 15 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of Detective Pardot, who will enlist the aid of the other passengers in order to solve the mystery. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 15 guests.
Male Roles
* = Optional character
- Elrich von Unterbiten, the Scientist: An nuclear physicist in East Germany who has been looking for a way to escape the Communist government.
- Stephen Goldring, the American: A wealthy American businessman with a taste for the finer things in life, particularly women.
- Ernesto Vespucci, the Gambler: An Italian gambler who loves food and drink.
- Dr. Sigmund Schwarzwald, the Doctor: (Played by the guest who played the victim in Act One) A coach passenger called in to examine the body.
- *Count Zoltan Navatov, the Count: A wealthy Hungarian nobleman returning from his second honeymoon with his wife in Paris.
- *Colonel Major General Reginald Tobias, the Englishman: A retired British army officer on his way to India.
- *Roderick Broadhausen, the Student: A European university student suffering from a deep bout of existential angst.
Female Roles
- Patty Hunt, the Widow: A wealthy American widow with four dead husbands and a dark reputation.
- Princess Elisabetta Dagomir, the Princess: A wealthy Russian princess who loves books and intelligent debate.
- Gretchen Sutteberg, the Maid: Princess Dagomir’s personal servant and constant companion.
- *Suzette Delacroix, the Head Mistress: A teacher currently traveling to her next job aboard the first class car for the first time.
- *Annette “Annie” Mayfield, the Sales Lady: An ambitious American saleswoman who dreams of becoming Europe’s first make-up mogul.
- *Countess Esmeralda Navatov, the Countess: The wife of Count Zoltan Navatov who is enjoying her second honeymoon.
Male or Female Roles
- Sampson/Hypaetia Pardot, the Detective (Played by the Host or Hostess): A world famous detective investigating a series of crimes committed aboard the Orient Express recently.
- Pierre/Monet Parpadue, the Conductor: The Conductor of the Orient Express and quite possibly the world’s rudest Frenchman/woman.
- Sam Ignatio, the Porter: A vital member of the Orient Express staff who sees and hears everything.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
What's Included
Last Stop: Murder is a 122-page downloadable PDF file that you print at home. It includes the following features:
- An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable, and easy to run
- Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party
- A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format
- Instructions on how to run the party for a large group
- Nametags and character sheets for each player – the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well as special goals and information unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- 3 pages of full-color props and clues for use during the scavenger hunt
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Last Stop: Murder, you will also receive the following:
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Three MP3 audio effects for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use these audio clips to best effect
Follow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role. - A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players). - Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult. While there is no explicit material, the party does contain references to the following:
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Alcohol use
- Pregnancy
- Depression
- Murder
Note: this mystery is set during World War II, and is intended to be largely historically accurate. This means that the party includes numerous references to war and espionage, as well as Nazism. Characters are drawn from both the Allies and Axis parties, and a key plot point revolves around one of the characters being a former Nazi.
Difficulty:
This party is moderately complex to set up. We recommend a venue with at least two rooms and a sufficient area to hide clues for the scavenger hunt.
This party is difficult; the solution involves multiple steps, and may not be intuitively obvious to most players. Playtesters and clients have consistently marked this party as our most difficult to solve. This party also includes an optional logic puzzle mini-game.
Suzanne Gilleeney –
This was the first murder mystery party that I held and while everyone had a good time I was a little disappointed with the game itself. The overall theme and character development was interesting and enjoyable. My guests had a great time acting out their characters and interacting with each other. The problems arose in the mystery itself. We found inconsistent information within the story / character summaries. The conclusion was too convoluted, even as the host reading all the information through beforehand the ending unnecessarily confusing. At the end it was a guess on who the killer was and no one got it correct. The Spy puzzle was impossible and the dossier clues contained incorrect information. Even with the host information on who the spies were, we weren’t able to correctly identify them with the information provided for the our guests. At the end we decided that it would be best to leave this part out of the party.
Overall I really enjoyed the theme, characters and idea of a mystery party. I will definitely have another party, but next time I’ll try a game from another company.
kblumreich –
Hi Sue, thank you for the review, and please accept my apologies that this party did not meet your expectations. Last Stop: Murder is definitely our most challenging party kit. It has, however, been play-tested extensively and proofed multiple times. Can you clarify what errors or inconsistencies you found in the kit? We are always striving to make our products better, and if there is inaccurate information in this party, we definitely want to fix it!
In regards to the logic puzzle, while it is definitely very difficult to solve, all of the required information to correctly complete it (with 100% certainty, not with any “most likely idea” guesswork) is included in the dossier clues. I just went through and verified this (though I admit, it did take me over 30 minutes to reach the solution).
Again, I’m very sorry that the kit didn’t meet your expectations.
JAS –
This was a great game and we all had fun. My only criticism is that the solution round was confusing and we were unclear on the identity of the murderer, even after I reread the host information.
Ali –
We hosted friends in the dining room and living room, perfect amount of space for the party, dinner and scavenger hunt included
ASJ2016 –
I held this Murder Mystery Party for my 33rd birthday. It was in my house and there were 11 of us present (including myself as the host). The preparation for the event was a lot of fun for me. I chose to create train tickets from an Etsy Shop that The Conductor actually punched and brought the event to life. I used that for our name tags (instead of the ones provided in the template) and seating place cards too. My friends (5 couples and 1 priest) got into character with their costumes and personal props.
Most of them were very prepared with their character develop and were excited to share information with one another. Others who were important to guide the conversation had some trouble with announcing that to others. As host, I found it difficult to make sure that our food was prepared on time, guide the conversation, and then ask questions out of character for those who needed them. I wish I had attended a murder mystery before so I knew what an undertaking I would undergo as host.
Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun though. Second act was interesting and the puzzle was most loved. We ran out of time for those who wanted to complete the puzzle and no one guessed who the murderer was. Lots of laughter and whacky conversations occurred. We ended the night with cake and being our normal selves.
Some of the things I loved from this Murder Mystery Set was the script for the host and guide to help the flow of the party; the character sheets for the guests gave good advice but allows for the actor to create their own persona; the ideas for props, sound effects (I did not use these – too much going on), suggestions on who to cast in what character, and friendly reminders throughout the set to guide the host.
Some things I wished I would have found was a host only guide that gave very clear details on how to run the event in this Mystery Set and highlight when I was supposed to hand out certain items or a guide for how long something should take. I was a fresh new host and I felt confused on timing and guiding the conversations. If there was a secondary character who could have known more information and could have juggled some of the hosting with the main host, that might have been helpful.
I don’t know if I will host a murder mystery party again. It was a lot of fun to plan it all and get things set up for my friends. But I felt overwhelmed and slightly confused as the host during the actual event and I blame myself for no one getting the puzzle (because of time) or the murder.
My friends had so much fun though! Which was what I wanted. So it was a successful fun time.
Suggestions: hire catering or have other family/friends help with the food who are not involved in the murder mystery – it will really make the party more enjoyable for you as a host and character
Party Planner Extraordinaire –
Our house was converted to a Casino and we had 18 of our closest friends and family transform into a variety of Characters. What a great time we had. Taco bar, Poker, Roulette and Black Jack kept everyone busy.
Laura –
Had a fancy dinner, then moved on to second part of the night. Everything went very well. Interesting to see how everyone embodied their characters.
TrainMan –
We mailed the character parts to our guests in advance and on the day of the party they came in character and dressed in character and came very excited. They immediately got into role and remained until after the game. They were enthusiastic and it lasted for about 2.5 hours. As the conductor, I would choose to serve a simpler meal with paper plates so my time would be more spend mingling. Everyone left pleased with time well spent.
Terry M –
I had never been to a murder mystery party before, much less hosted one, and it was so fun!!! I liked how the victim gets to continue playing as another character so they don’t feel left out, and all the clues were unique and though it was difficult to find the murderer, it was so fun trying to!!! It was so fun to dress up as these characters and everyone really got into character!!! I’d definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun and unique party experience!!
Danko/Berry/Saneholtz Family –
What an awesome evening we had! My family gathered during the week between Christmas and NYE and spent 4 days together in a large family farmhouse. That was 16 of us! The murder mystery party was a complete surprise to everyone – but what a great time they had getting into character! I left wrapped boxes on everyone’s bed with instructions to open in private. The box had the character bio and a few props/costume pieces to help their character. The mid game scavenger hunt was great – I purchased simple items that represented each clue (eg: an american flag I stuck in a planter that referred to the clue about USA – and taped the clue on the back side) WE can’t wait for the next party!
Penny “Pardot” Eldred –
We did this for New Years Eve, starting around 6:00 p.m. We had 21 people participating and everyone had a blast! Even some of the husbands who were dragged along cracked a few smiles as guests got into character as soon as they came through the door.
Our “Patty Hunt” played her part so well that some of the other wives were a little nervous as no one really knew each other to begin with and it was often hard to tell whether it was role playing or their actual personality.
We started off with a reception of shrimp cocktails, cheese platters and skewers. Soon the Conductor was heard over the sound system calling “All aboard, All aboard!” and we moved onto dinner in the “Dining Cars”.
We had so many people we ate in two different “Cars” and labeled them 1st and 2nd class. What fun it was to watch as some of the 2nd class passengers insist they should be in the 1st class dining.
We made tickets and the 1st class passengers tickets were in gold lettering. The Conductor used a punch and took tickets at the “dining car” doors.
A dinner of plated salad, Stuffed Cornish Game Hens, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and glazed carrots was enjoyed amidst the sounds of a train rolling down the track and a blustery snow storm. The guests loved it and the conversation continued to stay with the scene as guests talked about the Russians, Americans etc.
During Coffee and Dessert (chocolate truffles with fresh raspberries and cream) it was announced that one of the passengers had been murdered and Round 2 instructions were handed out in sealed colored envelopes.
Round 2 began with the scavenger hunt and this is when the quieter personalities began to blossom. These people came to life as they ran everywhere looking for clues.
Not knowing how long all of this would really take or if I had hidden the clues in too difficult of places, I was surprised that by the time we did interviews with everyone and found all of the clues, it was almost midnight.
The highlight of the night was supposed to be going out onto the porch (we’re in the north and it’s very cold) with our champagne and welcoming in the New Year as the Clock Tower (which is right in front of us) strikes midnight. It was foggy and we squinted to see the hands come together on the “12” but heard nothing. No chime. Did we make a mistake? Had any of us actually heard the clock chime at midnight to begin with? We all laughed, kissed and toasted, heading back inside from the cold. 12:04 a.m. and the clock suddenly starts chiming as if to laugh back at us.
The murderer was then revealed and awards given and most of the guests went home, all asking us to do it again soon!!
Loran Miracle –
I still need dossier clues for Last Stop Murder. Party is this Saturday 4.14.
Cathy S –
We had a mix of young adults and parents for our New Years Eve party. Little racy in parts but was overall very entertaining. Wish I would have had everyone state their guess of the murderer and the accomplice. I only had them fill out the written form and not state their case.
Lynette –
30 participants had a great time! Even the investigators came in costume! Spy Game for prizes added another element to the night!
N Cameron –
Amazing game. Everyone really got into their character and did lots of prep beforehand. The game flowed smoothly an dlasted about 3.5 hours. We set the luxurious scene of the dinning car with curtains and low lighting, we used a separate location for the sleeper car which worked really well.
Patti and Richard –
We added this murder mystery to a dinner party which was already planned. One husband who whined about not wanted to do this, and even those who had to be coerced into coming ALL had a great time. We had mix of children from 4-18 years old, and a core of "adults." I was more than a little intimidated at first with the line "please read all 122 pages" before beginning, but it did come together quite nicely in the end. Each character’s "cheat sheets" set the tone for lots of fun improv. Not one person left without a big smile on his/her face! I would recommend this mystery party to everyone!
Debbie the Countess –
No spoilers here! I wish I had read other reviews, but am always afraid that I’d learn too much. This was the fourth year our group of friends played a murder mystery game and we especially love getting good characters and a fun setting. This game has both, in abundance. Unfortunately, the rest disappointed. Primarily the pacing of the game was off. There was far too little information to hide or pass on in the first stage and too, too much in the second. For those who wish to try it, I’d suggest a very early, light dinner quickly finished. The secondary game did little to enhance the fun and just slowed the action down more. The detective has too much to read and do with all the interviews so makes the rest of the players too passive.
This would not stop me from ordering another game from Playing With Murder, but I’d look more carefully at how it paces.
Laura –
we used this for a high school dinner theater for 75 people. Had to tweak it a bit but had a great time.
Jennifer Fromke –
What a great way to shake up our family celebration of New Year’s Day. Teens and multigenerational adults mixed together for a super fun time. All the varied accents kept cracking us up all night. The costumes were easy to procure from our existing closets, but added a ton to the fun.
JFromke –
We hosted Last Stop Murder on New Year’s Day for a family party. Teenagers and adults both enjoyed it immensely! The more over the top the acting, the more the fun multiplied. The fake accents were the best.
Greg –
This was our annual New Years Murder Mystery. This one was as good as we have had in several years. The highlight of the evening was the interrogation of the Conductor by the Detective. It was the height of French audacity in the face of accusation. The player who was the Princess’ maid really stole the show with the genuine feel of her need to follow the orders of the Princess.
Liz Bears –
We had a great time. The layout is awesome. No set lines meant that everyone can add their own personality to their characters. I would recommend this company.
Wendy Cochrane –
It was a end of year breakup for a Youth Reference Group. We contacted the local Steam Railway Organisation and they allowed us to use a Dining Car and a Travel car for our game. It was in an old sandstone goods shed with all the trimmings and atmosphere galore. The travel sounds really set it off! It was a very hot night but everyone survived in their costumes and followed the script. We ended up running out of time so didn’t do the spy puzzle (we ran from 6.30 to 10pm) We worked with only 10 participants so some of the spy clues were not relevant but we worked around that. Everyone did their best acting in the roles they were given.
Amy H –
Celebrated my birthday with this fun murder mystery!
Alex –
I had so so so much fun hosting this party for my friends this Halloween weekend. Everyone suggested we make it a yearly tradition! It did take a lot of planning on my part, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The spy puzzle was a little confusing, and only 3 people were able to solve the mystery; however, the drinks were flowing pretty heavily, which may have played a big role in that.
Voula Tsarouhas –
I bought it for Christmas Day. I wanted people yo interact with each other and stay away from the TV after Christmas dinner.
Mission accomplished!.
We had so much fun and laughed all night playing and talking about it afterwards. Would definitely do it again but next time I would order way in advance and give my guests their parts a couple of weeks ahead so that they can prepare and encourage them to dress the part as much as possible.
We had a blast! . 🙂
Mia DiPaola –
My guests ranged from 14-16 years old. While a few of them were not fully invested in the event, most of them had a great time. Many of the guests were distracted in the solving of the murder by the spy component. Many guests did not know that they were the spy, so brief your guests in secret to be sure they fully understand their roles.
Heidi Peterson –
the mystery party was great! The character descriptions and prep instructions were good and made the evening simple to plan.
My only comment is that the finale, p. 39-40, was a letdown. 122 pages of info and script, with only 2 pages of ‘who dunnit’, and that info not very clear either, was confusing and a bit of a deflation on the evening.
There should have been more detail and drama about the ’reveal’, as he rest of the info was quite detailed, but the ‘who dunnit’ was not.
Overall though I’d give the kit an 8.5 out of 10
Everyone had a great time, the costumes they put together were great, and I would recommend our chef anytime your customers are in need a chef
DMNY –
We celebrated my daughter’s 13th birthday with a "Murder in the Orient Express" mystery party with 13 of her closest friends! All of our guests dressed according to character sheets and played out their roles beautifully throughout the evening! (I requested on the invites that each guest dress in a particular color as well so it would be like the "clue" game!) We couldn’t have asked for better actors! 13 year olds are often self concious in social situations but because they had a "role" to play they came out of their shells and pit more imagination then I could have anticipated in the party! After the discovery of many clues, the murderer was caught and taken away by the authorities along with the rest of the boys by 11pm and the girls returned to their "sleep cars" for a late night slumber party! The party was a success in my book as I figured out how to entertain the minds of 13 additional 13 yr olds for 5 hours without permitting the use of any electronic devices! I was the detective "hostess" and my adorable nieces(6 & 8yrs) sneaked into the action to hide clues throughout the night! I actually set up a "sleeping car" and put the real clues instead of paper ones for them to find during act 2.We returned to the dinning car after act 2 for desert and the interrogation of the suspects! My daughter and I watch the real "Murder on the Orient Express" movie after the party and she kept picking out everyone’s character. Now we are going to call them all back over to watch the movie!
David –
The game went very well. Liked having the clues to hide and the instructions were comprehensive. It took a while to read through the information. The printing instructions were very useful.
Two issues with the game:
– the train audio clip wouldn’t loop using iTunes. I put repeat on but it advanced to my next song. It ruined a little of the atmosphere.
– the ending was confusing the way played out. If you read the script out loud, people are confused with who the killer is. It concludes with taking about the accomplice vs. the killer.
Chasa –
The instructions were clear, my guests all had a great time! This was my first experience with a murder mystery dinner party, as a hostess I didn’t fully understand the amount of preparation that went into the party until I began planning this one. Ha I’m very thankful that the instructions were clear and well organized!
I look forward to hosting another murder mystery dinner!!