Murder at the Manor

I found myself in a Walgreens the other day and while waiting in line for a prescription, I noticed a game on one of the end caps (actually, I noticed two but the other one will be a story for another day). I grabbed both, paid, and left.

The one I want to tell you about is called "Murder at the Manor". It is, as its name implies, a murder mystery. Players split into two teams, red and blue. They shuffle and select the opposing team's cards that answer the who, with what, and where's that are needed to solve the case and put them in the answer envelope. The suspects have amusing pun names based on their listed occupations - Sarah Nader, a singer; Upton O. Goode, the dinner host; Dr. Yul B. Allwright, a doctor; Rhoda Camel, an explorer; and Sue Flay, a chef.

Once the cards are selected, the rest are then (per the written instructions) HIDDEN the either in the HOUSE or the BACKYARD.

((This is where my only real contention with the game begins. Even if the teams are playing fairly and not hiding answer cards inside of a book on the top shelf, or between couch cushions, or in a tree in the yard, there is nothing to keep the cards from blowing away, or just being lost. I have toddlers. I give them something for three seconds, turn around, and ask for it back and they have no idea what I am talking about. I believe that this is a ploy to make you purchase the game over and over again as you replace missing pieces.))

Once the remaining cards have been concealed, the search begins. Once the first team has collected all of their missing cards, they return to the answer envelope to make their accusation. The envelope is opened and the answers are confirmed.

The tie-in for my campaign is going to be lifting the names of the NPCs and inserting them into an adventure for the players to investigate.