Quick and Easy Tips For Keeping Your Surprise Party A Surprise!

Quick tips for keeping your surprise party a surprise!

So, you've decided to throw a surprise party for a friend, family member or other loved one. Surprise parties are one of the trickiest parties to pull off, because the chances of your guest of honour discovering the surprise increase with the size of your guest list. Here are some tips from the Shot In The Dark Mystery Maiden to keep your surprise party a surprise!

This is probably the last thing you want to read, but try not to delegate. When the moment comes that our honouree says "Who did this?" everyone will want to say they had a part. As much as we love those who want to help us pull the party off, the more people who are involved in the process, the less control you have over the outcome. Keep control over the details and the chances of the surprise being ruined lessen.

Invite your guests in person. If you find invitations absolutely necessary, vouch for email invitations over paper invites. Anything written on paper can be discovered by the honouree, and all of your hard work will be moot! In the case of a surprise party murder mystery game (which we highly recommend), deliver character descriptions via email only. If your game includes pre-game or Top Secret clues, deliver them at the party when the guests arrive. Keep your paper trail to a minimum and you decrease your chances of your guest of honour discovering the secret.

When you speak with a potential guest about the party, make sure you include the word "surprise party" three times in the communication. Studies have shown that hearing a certain detail three times makes it stick in our minds, so you can be sure Aunt Gertrude, although wildly excited about the party, understands it's to be kept a secret.

In every party there are always late-comers. To combat this, advise people to arrive an hour early. Most people plan to have guests arrive 30 minutes early, but I've found this is not enough time. One hour ahead of time allows for people to be late, find parking away from the venue and catch up before the guest of honour arrives.

The hardest part of keeping a surprise party a surprise is preventing others from slipping up. If you are inviting someone who is notorious for blabbing, invite them only a few days or a week ahead of time, thereby decreasing the time they have to suffer with the secret. When you do invite them, don't give them too many details. For someone who tends to spread secrets, the devil is in the details. Keep them to a minimum, telling the guest only the time and place, and you'll ensure even the most well-intentioned chatterbox will keep your surprise party a surprise!

Leigh Clements, the Shot In The Dark Mysteries / Your Date With Death Mystery Maiden, writes murder mysteries, non-murder mysteries and custom mysteries for Shot In The Dark Mysteries, and coordinates, hosts and facilitates local events both for Shot In The Dark Mysteries and Your Date With Death Murder Mystery Speed Dating. She can be contacted at mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com or mysterymaiden@yourdatewithdeath.com. Aside from plotting murder, she enjoys yoga, reading and hanging with her golden lab.

Happy Halloween!

Things have been crazy here, but The Fundraiser Fatality at Ceili's was a great success and Murder At The Book Signing was fantastic! Thanks to everyone who attended or helped out with the event - we couldn't have done it without you! If you were part of the Facebook group for The Fundraiser Fatality, you will be able to view pictures tomorrow. If not, I will put a selection of the "best of" on this blog for everyone to peek at.

Something else terribly exciting has happened though, and I'm so pumped. Viki Vertel, AKA The Business Buddha (and my humble biz advisor) has taken on an alternate identity - and that's The Digital Buddha! With her new cape and hat, she has made me a promo video that makes my heart pound with excitement. Take a look, comment and pass it on. And may I ask that you also imbed it in your blog if you think it's as great as I do?

I hope everyone has or has had a fantastic Halloween! Leave me a comment and let me know if you dressed up, and if so, as what! Did you go to a Halloween party?

Thursday 13, Mystery Style!

What kind of business blog does a meme? This one! I'll get into the game characters and more later, but here's a good one to get going.

Thirteen Things about Shot In The Dark Mysteries 1…. We launched in January, 2007 with five games. 2. We have 13 games in the process of being written. 3. Shot In The Dark Mysteries likes to make hosts lives easier, so we offer host tips and professional articles, which can be found all over the internet and on our site in the Host Help section. 4. The Mystery Maiden (that's me!) has been writing murder mystery games and kid-friendly mystery games for five years. 5. We are based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada 6. The Mystery Maiden facilitates games dressed as the Grim Reaper - scythe included! 7. There is a Mystery Mutt, named Coburn, who also likes to run around in the reaper outfit, although it doesn't quite fit him, and he leaves hair all over it. 8. Shot In The Dark Mysteries publishes a bi-weekly ezine, called The Reaper Reader, in which we have mini-mysteries, Host Help articles, jokes and other fun stuff! 9. The Mystery Maiden spends most of her time locked in a cold, dark basement, surrounded by spiders. Spooky music is pumped into the basement, and she is only allowed to eat Snackwells Oreo cookies and drink mint tea until she comes up with a stellar mystery plot. 10. Our favourite day of the week is Friday. We're all about the party! 11. We sometimes work in conjunction with GrassRoutes Adventures, and are throwing a Halloween bash in Calgary this year. 12. Our original site was pretty crappy, but now it's awesome! And Finally... 13. We love killing people for a living! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

What is your biggest party planning concern?

Hello faithful readers! This week I'm asking you for your imput on party planning, and your answers will help us launch a fantastic new part of our website which is, at present moment, TOP SECRET! The question I'm looking to have answered is:

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PARTY PLANNING CONCERN? Or, alternatively, what holds you back from hosting a party?

I look forward to reading your replies, and thanks for your help! Keep checking back to the Shot In The Dark Mystery Games blog for more on this exciting launch!

Wizards: Wands of Procyon launches!

Last week was an exciting time at SITD - we launched yet another mystery game, this time a kid-friendly mystery game called Wizards: The Wands of Procyon.

In the grand tradition of Harry Potter, Wizards: The Wands of Procyon takes place in a magical school called Hyades School for Wizarding. The legendary Wands of Procyon, forged from the power of Procyon's twin stars, have been stolen from their display spot in the Torchwood Room of the school. The magical logs tell of eight students who were inside the Torchwood Room around the time of the theft. Who is powerful enough to cast a memory modification spell on the security troll, get past the advanced magic and steal the wands? Everyone is a suspect!

As with all of our kid-friendly mystery games, there is a ninth optional player named Professor Pyxis, who can be played by an adult in order to make sure the game runs smoothly.

I can't decide what was more fun - writing the game, testing it out or promoting it. We launched the game the same week the final Harry Potter book launched, and I attended a Harry Potter Midnight Madness event at my favourite Chapters. With my favourite Starbucks drink in hand (Venti Skim Vanilla Green Tea Latte) I got to browse books in my Grim Reaper outfit while sucking in the excitement of the book launch.

To add to the fun, we held a contest called "Who Will Die". Subscribers to our bi-weekly ezine, The Reaper Reader, submitted their prediction for who would die in the final book of Harry Potter to win a prize pack. The winner will be announced in the next edition of The Reaper Reader. If you haven't subscribed yet, CLICK HERE.

Check out Wizards: The Wands of Procyon and dress up like a wizard to add some magic to your next kid's party, and stay tuned - we've got our LOST-themed murder mystery game, entitled MAROONED, launching quick on Wizards' heels.

5 Electric Tips for Creating a Buzz about Your Party

You’ve purchased your murder mystery game of choice. You’ve set a date. You have your guest list in mind. Now, how do you get all of your guests as excited as you are? Here are a few tips from Shot In The Dark Mystery Games’ Mystery Maiden to create a buzz about your murder mystery game party.


Send invitations describing each guest’s character
Invitations that include the suspects, descriptions and those playing them will get your guests thinking and wondering ahead of time – who could the killer be? What’s going to happen? All of this creates excitement. This can be done via email, hand delivery, or regular mail.

Call your guests ahead of time to hype your party
Sounds simple, right? It’s amazing how many guests neglect this easy step. About a week before your party, call your guests and tell them you’re thrilled they’re coming! Tell them a little more about the plot and discuss others attending. Share any little extras you are adding into your game. Your excitement will easily rub off, and discussing the party will get your guests talking about your party with their spouse or other guests.

Submit a press release
If your party is in honor of something – a 60th birthday party, an anniversary or a celebration of any kind, submit a press release to your local newspaper and TV station. It’s common for journalists to have slow news days, and you are offering them a local story their readers will love. There is no guarantee it will be published or aired, but if it is, the buzz over your party will heighten. Look especially to local independent publications and society pages. There are also many free online press release services, such as 24-7PressRelease.com. Your guests can search for the release online and get excited reading about your fabulous party on the World Wide Web.

Create a web space for your party
Sure, reading and writing HTML is about as simple as deciphering hieroglyphs and creating your own website can be time-consuming and frustrating. However, there are easy ways to create your own murder mystery game party web space containing the latest updates, as well as after party guest reactions. Myspace.com is an excellent place to create a web space. It’s easy to set up, and with a simple Myspace account one can also start a private group about their party. Yahoo 360 is also an excellent place for beginners harness their own little spot on the web. For those up for a challenge, create a blog about the party where guests can comment. Whatever web space you choose, make sure you update it often so your guests can share in your excitement.

Distribute a gossip email a few days before your party
This email will work best if sent three or four days before your murder mystery game party. Write things like, “I heard a rumor that someone was going to be murdered on Saturday night…” Make sure you include references and jokes to your guests, i.e. “I’ve always thought that Billy Joe looked a bit shifty – anyone else think he could be the killer?” Create a dialogue about the party ahead of time and watch the excitement about your murder mystery game heighten!

Mystery Maiden writes and facilitates murder mystery, general mystery, forensics and custom mystery games for Shot In The Dark Mysteries. For more party host tips, quizzes and more, visit http://www.shotinthedarkmysteries.com/. The Mystery Maiden can also be reached via email at mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com.

8 Simple Ways to Draw Non-Suspect Guests into your Murder Mystery Game

Sometimes our guest lists are larger than the number of characters in our murder mystery game. Typically, as excitement grows about our parties, so do our guest lists. Follow these eight easy tips for drawing non-suspect guests into your murder mystery game so the number of people attending your party will only be limited to the size of your living room.

Assign guests to read the introduction/chapter evidence

Each chapter in your murder mystery game begins with either an introduction or general evidence to be shared with everyone. Most hosts begin the chapter by delivering the introduction/evidence themselves. If you have additional guests not playing a suspect, consider assigning one guest to share the introduction or evidence for each chapter. In the average mystery game this would engage 4-6 non-suspect guests, pulling them into the plot by getting them personally involved.

2. Assign a guest to be a clue master
A clue master delivers the clues at the start of each chapter. Clue masters always have a good time – they deliver exciting new information, drawing them into the fun – a perfect solution for those who want to attend but don’t want to be a suspect. Nine times out of ten the clue master has so much fun they elect to play a suspect upon the next murder mystery game.

Create a “Notes” page
At the start of the mystery give all murder mystery party attendees a page on which to keep notes during the mystery (or if you’re really ambitious, provide little notebooks to each guest). The notes page will help each guest remain involved with the game and keep track of clues even though they are not being accused.

Make a spectacle of the end-of-game accusations
My favorite part of facilitating or hosting mystery games are the accusations. By this point in the mystery game, everyone has loosened up and all are having fun. When it’s time to accuse one another, even the most withdrawn people find it hard to stay out of the excitement. When requesting accusations, focus on your extra guests – they are unbiased and have been watching everyone closer than you think. Ask them who they accuse and, most importantly, why. You’ll be amazed by how close extras pay attention, and accusing someone is their moment to shine!

Offer prizes for correct accusations

Display your prizes on a small table and at the beginning of the game explain their purpose. When I facilitate a game, I’m always shocked at how crazy people go over even the silliest prizes – rubber balls, hanging Halloween spiders – anything you can imagine. I always enjoy shopping for little prizes; even a dollar store offers great, cheap prize ideas. Also, as a Host Help exclusive, email mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com to request a FREE MURDER MYSTERY GAME GIFT CERTIFICATE. Make it your main prize and watch the excitement mount.

Asssign a Detective (if one not provided in your murder mystery game).
Certain mysteries, like Murder on the Mound, include an optional detective role, but any game can contain a detective. The detective reveals the solution at the end of the mystery. Think of this as Sherlock Holmes’ big reveal at the end of any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. How little or how much your detective does is up to you, but here are some ideas. The detective could wear a badge, gather fingerprints as people arrive and read the suspects descriptions at the start of the game. As the game goes on and your guests mingle and share clues, your detective could interrogate people. Heck, at the end of your murder mystery game, the detective could even handcuff the guilty suspect and take them away.


Start some gossip

Another one of my favorite things to do when facilitating a murder mystery game is to start gossip. As my guests mingle and share clues, I get a thrill out of whispering to an extra, “That Daisy Crook seems lie she’s got something to hide…” or “Did you see the way Ester Runner glares at Nicola Drake?” It’s so devious, and more times than not the person I approach shares their gossip and suspicions with me. Go on, start some gossip.

Create a buzz

There is a very good reason I put this hint last. With the previous seven tips, your mind should be racing with ideas of your own. These ideas make it easy to create a buzz about your party. Creating a buzz is so much fun I have written an entire article on it!


Mystery Maiden writes and facilitates murder mystery, general mystery, forensics and custom mystery games for Shot In The Dark Mysteries. For more party host tips, quizzes and more, visit Shot In The Dark Mysteries. The Mystery Maiden can also be reached via email at mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com.