Murder Party
Alternative title: Make Your Own Murder Party
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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This strange piece of software that, as the name states, allows you to host your very own murder party.

Murder parties, so it seems, are a cross between a party game and a theatrical play, very popular for more than a hundred years now. The host gathers a great amount of fictional facts and clues, and hands it to the players/actors in turns. At the end, every player (and/or spectators) try to guess who among the players is the murderer, and how he did it and what was the motive. The winner is he who gets the most facts right, or, in case no one can guess right, the murderer wins.

The software is the ultimate tool for the murder party host. You simply input a large amount of data from the guests of your future party, and it automatically mixes their data with the story and generates a murder, motives and a large amount of clues, all to be printed into personal booklets for each player. It even generates the invitations to be mailed to the guests. It also provides a good share of hints on how to host a better murder party, with advice ranging from mood setting, music and costumes to even handing out recipes for three-course dinners. Once the booklets have been printed out, though, the computer is no longer necessary, and it's all up to the host and guests to make the party happen.

It features two built in scenarios, Empire and Big Kill, each with different stories, characters and settings. And with each time the murderer and motives being generated at random, it makes for a good deal of parties to take place. Up to 8 players can join the fun.

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Description from the packaging:

The Big Kill & Empire.
Murder- A great icebreaker.
Everything you need for a great theme party for 6 to 8 friends is right here. Choose on of the two mysteries included, then print everything you need personalized to you and your guests. And you don't need to invite the computer to the party.

Murder by computer.
You use the computer to personalize the mystery to the players, so their names, descriptions, even their habits and other personal details are part of the story. When the car is spotted leaving the scene of the crime, it's your car. So you feel personally involved in the murder.

You're implicated in murder.
The murderer's identity changes each time you create a new party, so anyone who's played before can't spoil the ending. No one knows who the murderer is- not even the murderer! The tension mounts as the clues are revealed, and you start to wonder if you're the murderer…
Accessories to murder
Your computer will print out all the personalized materials you need, including the invitations, clue sheets, capsule biographies and background. Over a dozen pages per player- and it all refers directly to them.

Computer? What computer?
You don't need the computer at the party- once you've generated the party materials, all you need is food, drink, and some dramatic atmosphere. You can even use the office computer to have fun at home. No need to find out if the portable computer is really portable.
Two great murder mysteries.

The Big Kill
Somebody's dropped the final curtain on famous movie star Jeremy Summers. He was your college buddy in the sixties, back when you and some of your wild friends all lived in that house in Berkeley. Relive those vintage times of rock & roll, love beads and tie-dyed jeans. Those were the good old days, weren't they? You and all those old pals just have to get together to talk about Jeremy's death. Especially considering one of you is the murderer.

Empire
Rose Hips, the wealthy widow of pharmaceuticals magnate Ferris Smith, has been found dead in the palatial mansion she inherited after Ferris' sudden death. The coroner says poison- and with the enormous wealth she inherited, it sure wasn't suicide. In the ultra-rich society set, designer clothing, elegant settings and banter are expected… but murder is frowned upon. Which of the associates and relatives with a claim to the fortune has a new prescription for success?
By Ron Martinez, Bill Herdle and Ann-Byrd Platt.

Ron Martinez
It's late summer of 1985, a hot Manhattan morning. You're a writer of software and fiction, the founder of Trans Fiction Systems Corp. You've written branching murder mystery paperbacks for kids, bizarro SF tales for Heavy Metal and Playboy, and a software adaptation of big deal Arthur C. Clarke novel. Now, your tracking down the last piece of code in an interactive fiction authoring system that will do what the big boys do, but do it on micro.

You wander into the kitchen, slap Mr. Coffee around a couple times. He spits out a cup of scalding black java. Then the phone rings. It's Steward Bonn, kingpin of Studio B at Electronic Arts. "Ron Baby…" This could be trouble. "Tell me. You ever been to a murder party?" One tense moment later, a jackhammer's roar explodes the silence.

Ann-Byrd Platt
Ann-Byrd Platt does many different things. She writes and designs laser disc projects for companies like AT&T and Time-Life Books. She has also developed on-line soap operas, is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal's Leisure and Arts page and writes restaurant reviews. Her mystery writing credentials include "Murder Aloft", a text game for adults, "The Parakeet Diamond", a text and graphics mystery for children, and first prize in New York's Mohonk Mystery Weekend. Her favorite author, bar none, is P. D. James.

Bill Herdle
Bill Herdle has written a host of major application programs, including assemblers, word processors, communication packages, and, with Ron Martinez, the Trans Interactive Fiction Authoring System. Bill has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and works as a research group leader for the Union Carbide Corporation. Aside from computers, Bill has won numerous prizes for his ability as both a player and game-master, running role playing events of his own design.


http://www.mobygames.com/game/make-your-own-murder-party
