If you’re a fan of crime shows on TV or love a good mystery novel, then printable murder mysteries will probably be something you’d enjoy. Instead of just reading about a detective solving a case, you get to actually assist in solving puzzles and deciphering clues. It’s something that the whole family can get involved in, or better yet – used on date night.
What are Printable Murder Mysteries?
Printable murder mysteries are fictional cases that you need to solve. They are usually provided in PDF format and will need to be printed out. You’ll get witness statements, crime scene photos, maps, letters, etc. that will all be used to help you find killer.
What’s Included in a Typical Printable Murder Mystery Kit
Every murder mystery will be different from the last. Some mystery sets are completely on paper, others put their clues and answers online to avoid accidentally viewing them, and some mystery games can be completed completely online. Regardless, printable murder mystery kits will usually still have a similar set of components that are tried and tested:
Investigation Materials
A printable murder mystery kit will contain a number of materials to guide towards the solution. These are things like police reports, autopsy reports, crime scene photos, etc. These bits of evidence are all clues that you’ll need to carefully analyze and connect to each other to see the full picture of what really happened. When the quality of the evidence is high, it gives the case a more authentic feel.
Clues and Red Herrings
The best murder mysteries will throw in some red herrings along the way. Red herrings are simply clues that are designed to intentionally mislead you. These are thrown in to make sure that you’re analyzing all of the evidence properly and not jumping to conclusions too quickly. Multiple people may seem guilty until you investigate further. If a murder mystery is too straightforward, it won’t be much fun.
Solution and Conclusion
Every murder mystery kit has to tell you who the killer is at the end. The conclusion should include a detailed explanation of who the killer is and their motive. They can also go a step further and expand on how other suspects may, or may not, have been involved. This is where you can spot clues that you might have missed and give you ideas on how to approach the next one.
Advantages of Printable Murder Mysteries
So why should you choose printable murder mysteries over other board games and puzzles? There are a number of reasons that make them a fun alternative:
Great Storylines
Printable murder mysteries always have a great story to tell. It’s not just a random murder, it’s an intricate web of lies and deceit that usually leads up to it. It could be set in an elegant mansion, a busy city, a hiking trail or many other exciting settings. The location often affects how the murder was committed, so you need to be thinking about every aspect of the story to solve it.
Convenience
You don’t need much to enjoy a good murder mystery game. They can be printed out at home and started in a matter of minutes. Print it out, grab a pen and paper, and you’re ready to go. There’s no complicated setup involved, so you enjoy it at any time – day or night.
Team Building
Printable murder mysteries are a fun team activity. They can be done with colleagues, friends or family for an enjoyable afternoon. Everyone will have their own theories on who the killer is. It’s fun to throw around hypotheticals and see whose story is closest to the right one. With multiple groups of people, it’s also fun to complete these competitively to see which group comes up with the right answer.
Mental Workout
You’ll need a sharp mind to solve a murder mystery. They force you to think critically and to pay close attention to details. Print-at-home murder mysteries have a lot of puzzles to solve and require you to problem-solve constantly. You’ll be engaged and your mind stimulated throughout the game. It’s a great way to exercise your brain and it’s very rewarding when you get it right.
Disadvantages of Printable Murder Mysteries
So far, they sound amazing, but there have to be some cons, and here they are:
Limited Replayability
You’ll be very unlikely to play the same murder mystery case again within a short period of time. There aren’t multiple endings, so once you’ve solved it – it’s game over. You will be able to play it again once you’ve forgotten aspects of it, but that could take months. The saving grace is that you can still share it with friends and family and have them enjoy it for the first time.
Being Too Difficult
Printable murder mysteries can sometimes be too difficult for some. There isn’t a standard rating of difficult. Some are rated difficult but can be solved in 30 minutes. It all depends on the game designer and how difficult they think their game is. Also, some people are just more adept at connecting dots than others and find complicated puzzles simple.
At Print Mysteries, we try to be as accurate as possible with our difficulty levels. If a game is marked as difficult, then we are going to stump you. But, we do have clues available that will get you slightly closer with each clue. In this way, you can still work it out for yourself, and we’ll just nudge you in the right direction.
Pricing
One of the major advantages of printable murder mystery games is that aren’t super expensive. They do take A LOT of work to create, but they are generally marketed at a lower price than physical games. As we don’t need to print out the evidence, package and ship it – we’re able pass those savings onto our customers. For the price of a Starbucks coffee, you can have hours of fun with your friends trying to solve a murder case. And if you’re looking for a way to spend date night on a budget – a murder mystery case and a bottle of wine will definitely save your wallet.
The Future of Printable Murder Mysteries
Tech is advancing really quickly these days, so I have no doubt that printable murder mysteries will start to make use of it pretty soon. Someday, we’ll have AR and VR cases to solve – making it even more immersive. Some murder mysteries already add some digital components to their games. This can be things like storing clues and answers securely online, or having audio clues to listen to.
There are lots of amazing stories to discover when you start doing murder mystery cases. They are engaging and stimulating, and something completely different to everything else on the market. You get the chance to test your investigative skills while unravelling a complex narrative. If you haven’t tried one already, I’d recommend starting with one of our most popular one’s – A Fatal Ruse. It’s a medium difficulty game that’s the perfect gateway into this genre of gaming. We put more emphasis on written clues over puzzle-solving in this one. You’ll definitely be lead astray with this one.
