I wrote a political murder mystery dinner… for video calls in isolation [V2 now available!]

I’ve been in isolation for 27 days, and I just finished writing a murder mystery game to play with my friends on Zoom. In the week that the game has been live, I’ve had an incredible response to it, and with the feedback I’ve received I have updated the game to V2.

Play timeline

Round one: players are given conversation starters they must use to start building motives/tension.

Here’s the game — free

There is a 6 player and 7 player version available!

How to win + Point scoring

There are two ways to win. The first is by being the murderer and getting away with it (i.e. no one correctly solves the mystery) and the second is by points. You can get points for revealing another player’s “small secret” or by completing your secret task either once or twice.


  1. What if I don’t have 6 players?
    I would recommend sending myself a message with which characters you plan on leaving out, and I’ll let you know if they’re critical to the story or not. Then, with one or two characters not being played, the host should read out the clues that those characters receive each round to ensure all the information is available to players. Without that, you won’t be able to solve the mystery.
  2. Is the victim one of the players? Do they continue to play after dying?
    Yes, one of the players will die, but they get special ghost abilities that enable them to continue playing and partake in solving the mystery.
  3. Does it have to be via video?
    No, if you want to just do voice calls or via written chat, that works too. Video is not vital to solving the mystery.
  4. Why aren’t there any points for revealing a “big secret”?
    The big secrets are motives for murder, so if you discover one, then you should put it towards your accusation. The small secrets have no impact on the mystery and are more like a side game. An example of a small secret would be “you’re embarrassed by your hair” if your player is Trump, and to avoid this being discovered, you just need to steer conversation away from that topic. Small secrets are things that come up in regular conversation about that particular character, so it’s more just a skill of diverting conversation and preventing people from bringing up certain topics.
  5. Any tips for irst time players?
    It works best, and is the most fun, if everyone gets in character for the night, so players should read the first page of their instructions ahead of the game to prepare.
    As an individual, you will not receive enough clues to solve the mystery, so you must play collaboratively with other players.

And here’s the answer to the mystery (you have to click a link to see them, no spoilers in this post!)

[6 player only] Answer key <<< spoilers in here

If you play, I would love to hear how you found it so please get in touch! kaylamedica@gmail.com

You can also donate any amount you feel the game was worth if you enjoyed playing!

@mehdeeka writing about marketing, art + tech, and feminism.

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