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Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder!
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set at a Mardi Gras party in New Orleans.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
New Orleans Masquerade during Mardi Gras
Time:
90+ Minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
A posh Mardi Gras Masquerade turns deadly!
Backstory
The guests play a mixed group of characters who have been invited to a Mardi Gras masquerade hosted by Marshall Inglewood, the Governor of Louisiana. The party will be held at the governor’s posh New Orleans mansion. Everyone is expecting an elegant evening with hor d’oeuvres, drinks, and dancing, but as it turns out, something mysterious is afoot!
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening (Act One), the partygoers will have the opportunity to eat, drink and mingle at the governor’s mansion.
Murder!
At the midpoint of the evening, a blackout occurs, and one of the players makes a terrible discovery: someone has been murdered in the middle of the party!
Solving the Mystery
Act Two will begin with the grisly discovery of the victim’s body. In the area around the body, there are clues that point to what must have occurred prior to the death. It will now be up to the guests to figure out what happened.
There are 25 primary suspects in this game,however only 9 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of Tony Cour, the Head Caterer. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 25 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- The Governor - Marshall Inglewood -
Governor of Louisiana who is hosting a Mardi Gras party. He’s well known in New
Orleans for his constant fundraising and elegant parties. - *The Sheriff - Jacques “Jack” Le
Boeuf - Sheriff Jack is a fixture in New Orleans, as he investigates most
crimes in the city. He’s known for his down home approach. - The Deputy - Jeremy “J” Porter
- Deputy J is a notorious playboy, but is very loyal to the Sheriff’s Office
and his city. - *The New Man - Raymond Downings -
Raymond recently inherited a large estate on the outskirts of the city and just
moved back to town. - The Club Owner - Derek Nordhart
- Derek owns “Fantasy” a very popular club that is known for its exclusive
parties and open dance floor. - *The Good Guy - Harvey Daniels -
Harvey manages the day-to-day affairs for Leon’s construction firm and is known
for his “good ol’boy” attitude. - *The Architect - Leon D’Loupe - Mr.
D’Loupe runs the largest construction firm in town and is largely responsible
for most of the restoration to the city as it recovered from Hurricane Katrina. - *The Preacher - Joseph Grant -
Reverend Joseph is the preacher at the Sacred Heart, a rapidly growing mega
church. - *The Bodyguard- “Jack” - Heather’s
bodyguard, he doesn’t say much. - The Head Chef - Noel Bellenuit
- Chef Noelle is a dramatic, flamboyant and difficult man, but his food is so
good even the most conservative members of high society don’t complain. - *The Chef - Rene Le Boeuf - Rene
served in the war and returned home recently where he got a job as a chef.
Female Roles
- The Voodoo Queen - Dominique
LaBranche - Well known in New Orleans for her many “reading” parlors and
Hoodoo supply stores. Her readings are said to be very accurate. - *The Queen Bee - Blanche Le Boeuf -
The reigning social queen of New Orleans elite society. She is a member of the
prestigious Le Boeuf family and is well known for her iron fist inside a lacy
glove. - *The Lawyer - Gabrielle Le Boeuf -
Miss Gabrielle is known to be sharp as a tack and a terror in the courtroom. She’s
utterly ruthless behind her sweet Southern manners. - The Hippie - Celine “Luna” Schumacher
– Deputy Porter’s date, Luna is a big believer in “green initiatives,” but
appears to legitimately like Deputy J. - The Bouncer - Sarah Corrington
- Bouncer at “Fantasy,” many underestimate her in her high heels, but she’s
broken plenty of bones. - *The Socialite - Eloise Daniels -
Harvey’s mom is a well known socialite who always has a bit of gossip to share. - *The New Girl - Heather Le Bois -
A true practitioner of dark Voodoo, known for her lavish parties and the army of zombi she keeps as servants and bodyguards.
- *The Preacher’s Wife -
Lettie Mae La Terre - Reverend Joseph’s wife, and a member of his
church. There are hints of some sort of scandal in her past. - *The Showgirl - Amelie Belle - Amelie is a rising star on the stages of New Orleans and is famed for her long legs and graceful demeanor.
- *Waitress - Lily Porter - A waitress, she’s sometimes a little vague, but very hard working.
- *Waitress - Jo Ann Duluth - A waitress and member of the Sacred Heart.
- Waitress - Jaquelyn D’Argent - A waitress, she is a new staff member.
- *The Bartender - Crystal La Terre - Crystal’s cocktails are legendary in New Orleans and so is her quick mouth and bad temper.
Male or Female Role
- Host/Head Caterer - Tony Cour - Tony runs one of the most successful restaurant/catering businesses in New Orleans. (Played by the Host/Hostess)
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
Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder! is a 155-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 gossip unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- 14 illustrated clue cards the players can use to solve the mystery
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
Bonus Materials Included
With your purchase of Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder!, you will also receive the following:
- A separate “Customizable Documents” file that includes all of the invitations and awards in an editable format
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- Two 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:
- Voodoo and pagan religions
- Occultism
- Mind control
- References to criminal activities, including drug running and human trafficking
- Suicide
- Alcohol and drug use
- Divorce
- PTSD
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Murder
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.
Jazzy –
The package provided us with everything we needed for a successful evening! We had 20 guests and the story was executed well! The costumes were fantastic (the masks added so much character). A different audio than that of Jazz Age Jeopardy, the revision of some typos, and a couple more red herrings could have improved the atmosphere and cleared some minor confusion, but overall, it was a terrific night!! Can’t wait until next year!
Nickie Barr –
We did the Murder Mystery for our Youth Group as our Halloween Party (not on Halloween). We almost had the total 25 characters, but due to some last-minute dropouts, we ended up with 22. We had a blast! I was worried about how this would go over as we could not hand out the people ahead of time, but we took it slow and steady, and the youth LOVED it! I had 5 adults participate and used them as the caterer characters. Everyone dressed up, and since we are from Louisiana, I had a parent with great decorations! One parent was the Sheriff and took the pictures-which worked out great because his character was supposed to be slow, and with him taking pictures, he was a bit out of the loop, so it fit his character. lol There were some misprints in the instructions as to what pages to print. Some of those fine details may need to be reviewed. It referred to 14 clues when there were only 6 clue cards. It would have been nice for the name tags to fit on a basic big shipping label. A section to purchase would be nice, like the name tag holders, which are a MUST! The other detail was the Certificates. I printed them and was setting up the day before. Looking for information in the paperwork and putting it to the side, and it has the killer’s name printed on it. Did not realize that, and a couple of the youth saw the names. That may need to be a disclaimer there. But I just turned them into the killers and solved that problem. We had a fabulous night. It took the youth a bit to realize what to do, but once they figured it out, they couldn’t stop mingling and talking. This was 2 youth groups that came together and didn’t know each other. It was a great way for people to meet! Everyone is ready for the next one! (Masks and decorations are easy for us to obtain bc we celebrate Mardi Gras here)
Linda –
This event had everyone pleased from start to the end. I emailed the character sheets to everyone. Kept the killer secret. Everyone dressed their character which was great. We found the descriptions of each were very clear. I make or bought the props and clues. The music was great and laughter was had when the victim fell in the wrong place and had to move! It took us a good two or more hours allowing for socializing each character then solving it. I was busy the entire time following cues for each scene and didn’t capture too many pics as I had hoped. We are looking for one for the fall now. Thanks for the fun!!
V Strickland –
We had all but one of the roles filled that evening. Everyone had an amazing time!! There were so many different parts it was very easy to find one that suited all of our guests. We used real props as the clues. Everyone had so much fun searching around for them!
The guests all said this was professionally done! They all marveled at how smooth and organized the event was. The rulebook was well laid out and easy to follow. This is a perfect party for a large group of people! The plot was intriguing and so much fun! There was laughter ringing throughout the whole hall!
The food (especially the spicy shrimp gumbo with Louisiana bean rice) was “to die for!” The masks were all custom made to fit each character’s personality or profession. Thank you so much for creating this murder mystery party! Please make many many more for us to enjoy! We will definitely be trying another one in the near future!!
Talia Wolf –
There is no description anywhere before buying that walks you through how much you need to do as host. There is nothing remotely simple or easy about this game, in fact it ended up being such a headache that we all gave up and went out to bars. On top of crazy complex instructions that take hours to read, for $50 you don’t get props, badges, or anything. All must be printed out on your own time and dime.
I would 1,000% recommend getting a complete kit off Amazon instead that is easier to follow and comes with everything necessary to play.
Maureen Smith –
This was my 60th birthday and it was AWESOME!!! Everyone had a GREAT time!!! The kit was easy to use/ understand. It came with everything including audio files for music/scream and thud lol, ID cards, menu ideas, and certificates and I truly appreciated that! I’ve always loved murder mysteries but now that I’ve hosted one I’m sooo doing this again and again!!! My next one takes place on our family/friends cruise and we can’t wait! Yep I’m taking this on the water lol !!!
Melissa M. –
This was a blast!!!! We laughed so much and everyone enjoyed themselves!!! 10/10!!!
Jennifer –
This was my first time doing a Murder Mystery Dinner Party and I researched a couple other sites before choosing this one and was pleasantly surprised with all that came with the kit. The cost is a little more than most other websites but it is very thorough. I read some of the other reviews before my purchase and I agree with some of the comments. So I will give you an overall breakdown and then a list of pros and cons:
The kit itself is very thorough and completely downloadable. There is a list of literally everything from start to finish. I recommend purchasing at least 3 – 4 weeks in advance. I purchased mine 2 weeks in advance so another week of preparation would have been good. My party included a “Make your own Mask” segment to allow all the guests to arrive and have a fun activity at the same time. The time alotted for the event is said to be about 1.5 hours, ours lasted about 2.5 but I think the more players you have the longer the event takes which is great. I had 14 people in total that attended and 4 cancellations. I really think the Mardi Gras theme is awesome because there’s alot you can do with it and the masks fit in perfectly. I of course did New Orleans cuisine for the party.
Pros:
-The Kit explains everything from start to finish, alot of detail
-There is a sound bite for when the victim falls
-Invitations are included
-There are awards
-Menu Suggestions
-Ability to have more than 9 characters
-Includes a scavenger hunt
-Script for the host
-Everything is in PDF format
-Alot of character background information
-Fast response from website when you have questions.
Cons
-The host has a huge role and can’t really enjoy the game with everything they need to do
-You have to actually separate all the paperwork for each character, the invitations, the awards and the scavenger hunt clues
-Alot of printing which costs you more money in addition to the cost of the game
-The amount of time for preparation is alot
-Since there is so much information, I think there should be another document that makes the instructions more concise for the host because some of it can be glanced over since there’s so much to have to know
-Some of the guests complained about the amount of information that they had to read
Suggestions:
-Since this kit is not all encompassing and items need to be printed, I would say reduce the cost or include the material to be printed, or even better idea figure out how to make this in an electronic format other than pdf, maybe a web page for each character with links within the character bio. We are in 2024 so we should be able to be more technologically savvy.
-Utilize something like evite for the invitations, I used that for my party but couldn’t include the invitations because they are pdf, if you had a website that we could use to send out the invitations from there, it would be much better.
-The dashboard should be more useful, there should be an option to keep track of your guests and what characters they are going to be, maybe even send out clues prior to the party
-For the characters, I think in addition to the character page, a quick video of the character would be even better. You could see how the character looks, how they talk, let them say the key points about their character. Everybody doesn’t retain information the same way, so having both something to read and watch would be fantastic.
-Possibly a video to play for everyone prior to the start of the Murder Mystery to set the scene, instead of just the host saying everything.
-Lastly, the host does so much for the game, they really can’t enjoy it that is the biggest bummer for me, maybe this one should be a 2 host game.
All in all though I would buy a game from here again. Sadly, I took no pictures because I had no time.
Molly Mitchell –
This was our third time hosting a Murder Mystery party from Playing with Murder and we’ve even recommended it to friends, who’ve hosted their own parties. All of the materials are so thorough and easy to follow, anyone can be a great host! Our guests always have a fantastic time and even ask us when we’re having our next one.
Lawson Steinhauff –
The party was an absolute blast. We held it on the weekend before Mardi Gras so went all out with decorations. We hosted about 18 people and the story was complex enough that only about 1/3 of the group correctly guessed the killer!
Many of these reviews seem to be missing the evaluation of the very thing you’re paying for. This was a very fun party but there are a few improvements and modernizations that could be made by the curators of these materials that would go a long way towards justifying the price.
Pros:
– Good story
– Enough background material on the characters to allow guests to get into character and remain engaged
– Clear instructions on how to run the event
– Nice suggestions for food and drinks to complement the evening
Cons:
– This was my first time hosting a murder mystery and I did not realize it was going to take serious hours to set up (I’m not talking about decorating– I’m taking about setting up this game and getting materials out to guests)
– You’re essentially given a few giant PDFs where all the characters pages are collated. This might be fine if you plan to print everything, but we live in the 21st century where it’s much more practical to email or text documents.
– I had to manually separate the character pages into their own PDFs so I could send them to my guests electronically (this is not an easy task and would have been much more convenient if I could have downloaded it in this format)
– Typos — many obvious typos throughout the materials
– There are several suggested props for the evening. Some of these are rather difficult to find. Had affiliate links been provided, this would have saved time searching for these (win-win for the playingwithmurder.com too)
– The prop/clue descriptions were extremely limited and didn’t add much to the story whatsoever
– Keep in mind that you will need to pay printing costs to print certain pieces on high quality paper. You will need to pay for nametag holders, manila folders for clues, and of course, a distribution system for invites (e.g. paperless post or snail mail)
kblumreich –
Hi TS, thank you so much for your detailed reply! We’ve actually recently completed a huge update to Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder! which addresses several of these issues (specifically fixing typographical errors and adjusting the clues to remove many of the red herrings and make the remaining clues more relevant to the storyline). Feedback like your is absolutely vital to helping us improve our product line, and we really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough review.
Natalie –
Mardi Gras, Masks, Murder, oh my! Everyone had a lot of fun getting into character. Everyone was so committed to their roles and their outfits. It was hard to pick the best costume winner for the night. We had about 30 players. The game was really fun to watch and run. I would definitely recommend it!
Julie Luecke –
This was a super fun mystery that held everyone’s interest. Took us about 3.5 hours to play it all out, but I really like to let the first half drag on so people loosen up and get to know each other in character (also so the murder goes unsuspected). I also made real props rather than using the cardstock ones provided for a little extra intrigue. I encouraged the Governor to show guests the “study” with all the artifacts since they would be so important later. I also always make my own name tags. In terms of sending info to guests, I also just copy and paste the text into an email – no need to print basically anything!
Gabrielle grandmother –
Unfortunately we were unable to use this game, because it was way over the heads of the teens at the birthday party we didn’t discover it until we downloaded the game and it was too late to return it. I put the age of the party guests on the order,but was not notified of the age inappropriateness. We scrambled to buy a simpler program on Amazon, which was a huge success.
Jude aka Toni –
I finally hosted my party in Feb and have a few things to share.
We all had a fun time even though folks were a little stressed with all the character info. I had 15 people at my party for my birthday! Everyone went all out with costumes and the food was amazing!! Thanks for the menu suggestions.
I have done MM before but this one was more fun because the murder happens during the party!
Organizing was pretty easy but it would be nice to be able to easily share the invitation, character description and Act 1 gossip and objective info electronically = via email. There was an awful lot of printing to do. I am pretty environmentally conscious and would have loved to done less paper. Also re printing leave off the beads on the border for printable documents since it slows down the printing and uses a lot of extra ink. Also place the order of characters in booklet so you can print act 1 all together then act 2 next since not all characters are playing.
Sending everything digitally would be easier for the host and the guests- then they could read it all and then just print what they think they need.
I didn’t use the name tags since I found the images kind of lame and also bunged up printing. Just got store bought stick on tags.
The artifacts were quite unnecessary except for the winged helmet you called a crown. That was confusing as there was another crown artifact. Took me a minute to figure that out from the clue card. Also you could put the artifacts as “supplies”- I did a scavenger hunt with the actual objects to make it more fun….and was scrambling last minute to to find suitable replacements. Also not many characters knew about the artifacts so I would cut back on how many clues since most were not relevant.
Thanks again
Amita Snyder –
We hosted two parties – one with some coworkers and one with some friends from book club. It was so interesting how different the party could be with different groups of people. It depends so much on who plays what part and how seriously some people take their role. We had a “mandatory” character cancel last minute for our second party, but we just rolled with it, and it turns out they weren’t essential at all. The party went great! For both parties, the murderer was correctly guessed, although the conversations to get there were totally different and very entertaining. So much fun — both times!
bzynursing –
First time ever doing a murder mystery party and the kit had everything needed to guide me through the process. We had a blast! Now I have set the bar high so we have to do it again! Definitely recommend this party kit!
Robyn-ann –
We had the Mardi Gras Murder Mystery party. We had approximately 30 people and lots of children. The extended version of the event went very well.
Pink Bag Lady –
My very first time hosting a Mardi Gras, Masks, & Murder mystery dinner. I was super nervous at first but everything turned out fabulous. All my guests had a great time. This mystery might be a little tough for introverts because it requires a lot of interaction. I think one of the highlights of the event is the scavenger hunt.
Megan –
We wanted to have our first dinner party at our new house and thought what better way than a murder mystery party. I thought that it would be difficult and way too many moving parts. However, I he guide that comes along with the murder mystery kit broke everything down and even had a schedule to plan the entire event from sending out rsvp to the organization of the murder mystery game night. We had 12 people play and what I love is that it gave me a roll in the game that allowed me to play and host at the same time. We had food and drinks that was suggested and a wonderful time with friends. We will be doing this about every quarter. I highly recommend this product for both its price and quality.
QueenBee –
Family vacation murder mystery night at the beach. We’ve done this in the past. Our family enjoys dressing for their characters and doing their best acting. We all found that there could have been more information given to help the mingling in Act I. We had a great time and will likely do others at future gatherings.
Kari –
This was birthday celebration Mardi Gras style! We had decorations all of the patio and the inside the house. We had 12 people, all dressed up and living their part. This was SO much fun! I highly recommend it – I can’t wait to do it again.
Becky –
Mardi gras Mask and murder. Birthday party. It was amazing – everyone had fun and wants to make it an annual event.
Jan –
I purchased and downloaded the game yesterday. Lots of papers, but I was very dissapointed in the overall information. Seems like some information was left out, today I am looking for a different game.
Pattil –
The clues didn’t really seem to help much. The characters were great and the lack of script really let a lot of personality come out.
Charlotte from Denmark –
I wanted my 50th birthday to be special and something to remember – not just to me, but to all of my guests. The preparations for this Mardi Gras-party took a while, especially because I had to translate all the character sheets into Danish, but it was really worth it … but the party was a blast, and it was really funny to see the caracters come to life
10sman –
Wife’s 50th Bday Party. Event went well even though I didn’t think I prepared it well enough. My first time trying this type of event but everyone said they had a good time. I did themed music but not food or drinks. Everyone dressed their part in costume. I got character sheets out to each participant ahead of time. It was fun
Janell M –
There were 12 of us and it was the best night!! The game gives so much info on each character on the character sheets as well as on the gossip sheets. Everyone played the parts perfectly and the fact that they didn’t have a script to go by made it more interesting and fun!!
Livid –
A disaster. Your instructions were horrible, much was left for me to figure out. Your artifacts were disgraceful , I made tangible ones instead of a piece of paper. The artifacts just confuse my guests added nothing to the mystery, They were surely not clues. There were typo errors in your instruction, called Tony the catering restaurant owner, Ben. Ridiculous. You gave me nothing for the cost, I had to print copies upon copies , which was a huge added expense .
I had a murder mystery party from another company and it went very well. I got good instruction and props, etc. You should be ashamed of actually charging for the nothing I received.
Amelia G –
This is my second year hosting a murder mystery written by Playing with Murder, and it was just as big a success at last year! This year I did “Mardi Gras Masquerade” and everyone loved the theme. I was able to get the physical scavenger hunt clues on Amazon and make my own museum with them for the party. I love how detailed these mysteries are, and they are well worth the money! I also enjoy the flexibility of using “investigators” if you have extra characters that want to participate. I plan to do this every October. I love hosting and planning the party and my friends love coming to it!
Alex –
So inspired by this theme! New Orleans is known for great music, great food, and great fun, so I was really looking forward to this one!!