Make Your Own Murder Party

Make Your Own Murder Party is a whodunnit role-playing game developed by Trans Fiction Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1986 for Apple II, Commodore 64, and IBM PC computers. As the game title implies, it is essentially a construction set to help players create a successful murder mystery party.

The program includes all of the story, guidelines, and other details necessary for two different scenarios:

• The Big Kill
  The first scenario follows a group of friends who have known each other for years, starting in college and remained close through the 60's anti-war movement, Woodstock, and numerous other life events. A member of the group, Jeremy Summers, has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood; recently, however, he committed suicide. Following the funeral, everyone has gotten back together to reminisce; it is then discovered that Jeremy did not commit suicide, but was in fact murdered...
• Empire
  In the second scenario the matriarch of a rich and powerful family, Rose Hips, has been found dead from an apparent prescription drug overdose. The death looks like a suicide, but is it really? What is certain is that her inheritance is now up for grabs; The family attorney has invited both family and close associates together to discuss the particulars. And, it will later become apparent, someone in the group was willing to murder Rose to acquire the inheritance...

Regardless of which scenario is chosen, the concept remains the same: players need to figure out who the murderer is!

The game program isn't needed for the actual party, instead it is used as an aid for all of the planning activities. It provides the complete back story and character bios for each scenario which can be customized by setting dates and times for the party, assigning guests to roles, designating a host, and more. The results can be printed out along with invitations to send to guests. The documentation included with the game also contains extensive tips for running a murder party along with suggested attire and sample menus for each scenario.