MURDER ON THE BALONIA
1930's Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game for 12-16 players
It's 1938, heyday of the luxury transatlantic cruise liners. SS Balonia is on her maiden voyage, New York to Southampton. Highly prized invitations to attend the Captain's table are being delivered - but one of the passengers definitely won't be attending. For last night, wealthy entrepreneur Hans Niesentose was found dead in his cabin, stabbed through the chest with a silver service steak knife.
The murder must have been carried out by one of the guests from First Class Corridor C, invited to dine at the Captain's table. The Balonia won't be allowed to dock until the murderer has been found, so it's in the interest of your players to discover who dispatched Hans Niesentose.
This original murder mystery game is supplied as printable Microsoft Word pdf files on a USB flash drive or CD. Players will be guessing whodunit right until the very end. Running time is 1½ - 2 hours.
The files print character script booklets for your guests, invitations, complete party setup instructions, name tags, a newspaper article, various evidence, clues, a choice of murder confessions and lots of extras to turn your chosen venue into the SS Balonia's crime scene.
You will need access to a printer, about 65 sheets of printer paper and a stapler. The printed game functions much the same as a boxed murder mystery.
The 12-16 characters:
| Ruby Tate-Modern (F): | A mover and shaker in the art world, this little rich gal's always open to an offer. And she'll do anything to land a real bargain. |
| Scarlet O'Starlet (F): | Fresh from the excitement of winning an Oscar, Scarlet is travelling to England for the premiere of her new movie. Should be plain sailing, shouldn't it? |
| Lady Needa Fortune (F): | Blue blooded British aristocracy to her fingertips, this lady may be ruled by the Royals, but she follows her own agenda. |
| Amy Hardunby (F): | Promoted from below stairs ladies maid to 1st Class companion in one day, Amy's liking her new elevated status. She's going to make sure her 3rd Class steerage days are over for good. |
Celia Serenada (F): *14-16 players* | Up and coming singer. Celia's a wild child in a wild business. She may have the voice of an angel, but this gal's not likely to end up in heaven. |
| Mystic Moonshine (M or F): | Gifted celebrity fortune teller, or talented manipulator of facts? Either way, foretelling a murder can be just plain dangerous. |
| Iva Crayonne (M or F): | Undeniably talented, this is one artist who doesn't want a name that's well known to the general public. |
| Jo Nevada (M or F): | Jo is a very, very lucky person, especially at cards. Nobody can recall the last time Jo came even close to losing a card game. |
| Winston Burchill (M): | Outspoken member of the British government, possibly intended for great things. Winston's not afraid to speak his mind, even if it gets him into hot water - maybe even murder? |
| Sam Sprocket (M): | A movie director desperate for a piece of the action, he's on the Balonia looking for inspiration - and gets a little more than he's bargained for. |
| Bill (Bash'em) Badleigh (M): | The Captain of the Balonia. Would you really want this man to have the ultimate responsibility for all those aboard? Big mistake! |
| Ernest Bond (M): | The names Bond, Ernest Bond. A man with hidden depths, he's a good man to have around in a tight corner, is our Ernest. |
| Julius Pinkerton (M): | Journalism is a ruthless business. This newspaper man would sell his grandmother to land a good story. Just so long as it gets his name on the article. |
Count Hugo von Kruppen (M): *14-16 players* | A refugee from Nazi Germany, he's had to re-start his business in England. Surely nobody on the Balonia could be after his company secrets, could they? |
| Extra players: | |
| Batty Buxton (M or F): | Owner of the Balonia, Batty has to find a way to keep the ship afloat - in every sense of the word. |
| Daphne Tate-Modern (F): | Ruby's sister. Always partying, often featured in the gossip columns, she can't really be jealous of her sister - can she? |
This game and its packaging is an original work by the author/Ebay seller Templewaterman. All rights reserved. Not for re-sale. Any resemblance to real people, characters or events is purely co-incidental. ©Neil Faiman.