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Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion – Free Edition

Original concept by Ken Blumreich
Authored by Ken Blumreich and Kyle Maresh
Design, Layout, and Art by Josh Cairney and Kyle Maresh
Edited by Melissa Buchanan, Annaliese Ashley, Malerie Lovejoy and Daniel Williams

© Playing with Murder Press 2020

A personal, revocable, nontransferable, and nonexclusive license to make limited personal use of this
material is granted to you subject to the terms and conditions described in the Playing with Murder User
Agreement, the text of which can be found at http://www.playingwithmurder.com/user-agreement-i-
6.html.

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 Table of Contents
Pre-Game Instructions
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4
What You Need to Know to Get Started ........................................................................................................ 5
What do I Need to Have in Order to Play? .................................................................................................... 6
Character List ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Accommodating Additional Guests ............................................................................................................... 8
Printing Game Materials ................................................................................................................................ 9

Printable Character Sheets

Grandma Winifred Stout ............................................................................................................................. 11
Penelope Clarington ................................................................................................................................... 12
Mortimer Stout ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Monica Stout ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Uncle Edwin Stout....................................................................................................................................... 15
Sebastian Seward......................................................................................................................................... 16
Sabrina Stout ............................................................................................................................................... 17
Harrison Clarington .................................................................................................................................... 18
Investigator.................................................................................................................................................. 19

Other Printable Materials

Name Placards ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Invitations.................................................................................................................................................... 23
Guest Coupons ........................................................................................................................................... 24

Gameplay Instructions
Introductory Script and Explanation of Rules ............................................................................................. 25
Round One .................................................................................................................................................. 27
The First Clue .............................................................................................................................................. 28
Round Two .................................................................................................................................................. 29
The Second Clue ......................................................................................................................................... 30
Final Round ................................................................................................................................................. 31
Solving The Mystery .................................................................................................................................... 32
Solution! ...................................................................................................................................................... 33
After the Game ............................................................................................................................................ 34

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 Introduction
Thank you for choosing Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion – Fee Edition by PWM Press! This package
contains everything you need to host a mystery that will provide a delightfully entertaining evening for
you and your guests.

Our 30 Minute Mysteries are designed for fast setup and easy play. All you need to do is print out this
booklet, gather a group of players, hand out character sheets and name tags, and then follow along with
the instructions. Best of all, the party facilitator gets to join in the game and solve the mystery along with
the other guests!

Solve Mystery with Guests

Of course, that means that you’re going to need to be careful when printing out this booklet and handing
out the materials to your other players. If you let your eyes wander too much, you might accidentally read
something that could spoil the surprise for you. If you want to solve the mystery along with the other
players, you’ll need to follow the printing and handout instructions included in the next section
precisely.

Read Solution Before Game

On the other hand, if you would prefer to plan your party more exactingly, you can always choose to read
through the booklet in advance - while this means that you won’t get to play a character or help solve the
mystery, it also means that you get to read through all of the character sheets and assign players roles that
you think will best match their personalities and acting skills. The choice is entirely up to you!

“Safe to Proceed” Boxes

If you do plan to play along with your guests, pay attention to the warnings at the end of each section. If
you see a green box like the one at the bottom of this page, it is safe to proceed. If you see a red box
labeled “UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!” follow the instructions in the box in order to avoid accidentally
viewing any spoilers. If you reach the end of a page and there is no red or green box, that means the
section continues on the following page. In this case, it is safe to proceed.

SAFE TO PROCEED
You may turn to the next page without worrying
about seeing something you shouldn’t.

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 Getting Started
Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion – Free Edition is intended to be played around a table by six people
(or six teams). Each of the players (or each of the teams) will be assigned a character and given a
character sheet that explains who their character is, what information their character knows, and how
their character should respond to events that occur during the game.

The Plot. In this particular 30 Minute Mystery the guests will be playing the roles of the largely
dysfunctional members of the Stout family, who have gathered at their ancestral home for a family
reunion, hosted by the elderly Malachai Stout.

Playing the Game. The game will progress in three rounds.

• Round One will start with the party’s host or hostess reading a script that explains the nature of
the mystery that is afoot. Following the introduction, each player at the table will take turns
sharing information from their character sheet.
Every time a player shares a piece of information, the other players will be given a chance to
respond by refuting accusations, making clarifications, and adding new information, as they are
instructed to do on their character sheets.
• Round Two begins with the facilitator sharing a clue that should shed further light on the
mystery. After the clue is revealed, the players will once again go around the table following the
same steps as Round One. Once everyone has spoken, you will continue to the Final Round.
• The Final Round begins with the facilitator sharing another clue. The players then go around
the table a final time, at which point they should have enough information to solve the mystery.

Solving the mystery. After the final round has ended, each player (or team) will say the name of the
person who they think is responsible. The facilitator will then read the solution aloud, revealing the
culprit, who will then read a confession. Any player or team who correctly guessed the identity of the
killer is declared a winner.

From start to finish, the entire game generally requires a half an hour to an hour to complete.

SAFE TO PROCEED
You may turn to the next page without worrying
about seeing something you shouldn’t.

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 What Do I Need in Order to Play?
This game is specifically designed to not require very much in the way of supplies. All you need is the
following:

• Table to sit around (or a large playing area where guests can be arranged in a circle)
• Group of six players (if you have more than six people, multiple guests can work together to
play the same character)
• Printed materials from this booklet

You may also wish to provide scratch paper for players to take notes on and folders to help players
conceal their character sheets.

Prizes
If you wish to do so, you may also choose to provide prizes for the winner or winners (any players who
accurately identify the culprit). Some suggested prizes might include candy, bath and body products,
homemade treats, or any other small, inexpensive gift items. Remember that it is possible for multiple
players to win, so if you choose to offer prizes, make sure you have enough on hand!

SAFE TO PROCEED
You may turn to the next page without worrying
about seeing something you shouldn’t.

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 Character List
In Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion – Free Edition, each of the players will be playing the role of the
largely dysfunctional members of the Stout family, who have gathered at their ancestral home for a family
reunion, hosted by the elderly Malachai Stout. These are the available characters:

• Grandma Winifred Stout: Stately and stern, Winifred Stout, Malachai’s wife, isn’t the sort of
grandmother who bakes cookies for the little ones; she’s more the sort to scream at them to stay
off the furniture.
• Penelope Clarington: Icy cold and snobbish, Penelope Clarington, Malachai’s daughter, is far
more concerned with maintaining proper appearances than anything else.
• Mortimer Stout: Malachai’s son and eldest child, Mortimer is stuffy, conservative, and driven
primarily by his own financial interests.
• Monica Stout: Mortimer’s trophy wife, Monica is a bubbly, talkative, sweet-as-saccharine woman
who has always done her best to stay on good terms with all of her in-laws.
• Uncle Edwin Stout: Malachai’s brother and the black sheep of the family, Crazy Uncle Eddie was
never quite right after the war. He has lived on the Stout estate with Malachai and Winifred for
years, keeping almost entirely to himself.
• Sebastian Seward: Malachai’s long-suffering and much-maligned butler, Mr. Seward is
responsible for keeping the Stout household running smoothly and putting up with nearly
endless mistreatment from Malachai and Winifred.

Assigning Characters: As party facilitator, there are different ways you can do this:

• You choose - If you do not wish to take an active role in playing a character and solving the
mystery, you may read through each of the character sheets and decide which player or team
would be best suited to a particular character.
• Guests choose - Alternatively, you could read the list of available characters to your guests and
let people choose which character they would like to play. If multiple players are interested in
the same character, you can flip a coin or play rock-paper-scissors to see who gets their first
choice.
• Random selection - Finally, you could shuffle the character sheets together and hand them out
randomly to your players.

SAFE TO PROCEED
You may turn to the next page without worrying
about seeing something you shouldn’t.

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Accommodating Additional Guests
While y Reunion has eight primary characters, it is designed to accommodate any
number of additional players. Depending on your guest count, you have the following options:

8 Guests: Each guest plays one of the primary characters.

9-16 Guests: You have several options:
o Two guests can play the same primary character, conferring with each other or taking
turns answering questions and providing information (this option works well if you have
);
o Have 8 guests each play a primary character, while remaining guests play investigators;
o If you have exactly 16 guests, you can have two instances of the party running at the same
time at different tables or in different rooms.
17-23 Guests:
o Have 8 teams of two or more people play primary characters, while additional guests play
investigators;
o Have 8 guests play primary characters; remaining guests play investigators;
o Have two instances of the party running at the same time at different tables or in
different rooms; additional guest
o Any combination of the above. (For example, if you have 19 guests you could have 4
characters played by two-person teams, 4 characters played by individuals, and 7 guests
that play investigators.)
24-40 Guests:
o With this many guests, you may want to consider running multiple instances of the game
at the same time (e.g., have three tables of 8+ people, with each table playing through
the game separately);
o Alternatively, you could consider dividing your guests up into teams of 3 or more players,
with each team playing one of the primary characters;
o You can, of course, always assign additional guests to play the investigator character, but
with too many investigators, you may find that the game becomes slower and harder to
manage.
40+ Guests:
o Run multiple instances of the game, with each table playing through on their own;
o Assign each table a character to play; in the past, hosts have used this option to run a
game for over 70 guests with great success.

If you have any questions about how best to accommodate your particular number of guests, please
contact us at service@playingwithmurder.com and we will be happy to help!

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 Printing Game Materials
The next step is to print the materials you’ll need to play the game. The following list describes the game
materials that you will use, as well as the number of copies to make of each.

Character Sheets
These are the sheets you will hand out to your players that include character descriptions and scripts for
what to say during the game.
• Pages 11-16: Print one (1) copy of each page.
Note: You may want to print extra copies for characters being played by teams so every player has
one, although smaller teams can typically share one sheet.

Hosting Guide
The hosting guide contains the scripts that you, the host, will read to your guests during the game. You
can either print it or read it from a device like a tablet, computer, or a smartphone.
• If printing the entire guide:
o Pages 25-33: Print (1) copy of all of these pages.
• If reading guide electronically on a device:
o Pages 28, 30, & 33: Print (1) copy of each of these pages.
Note: These pages include the clues and confession that will be shown to the other
players during the game and would best be printed.

Coupons (optional)
Guests that enjoy the game may want to throw their own party. Sharing these coupons saves them money
on their first purchase on PlayingWithMurder.com.
• Page 24: Print as many as you’d like to hand out (there are 8 coupons per sheet).

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Handing Out Printed Materials

The timing for handing out materials depends on when you’re playing the game.

Playing Now
This game is set up to be played any time. If you are playing now, the first materials can be handed out a
few minutes before the game starts.

• Character Sheets: Hand these out 5-10 minutes before starting the game, making sure each
player has enough time to become familiar with their character before starting.
• Clues & Confession: These will be shown to players during the game.

Playing at an Upcoming Event

This game can also be played more formally by inviting guests and giving them their character sheets
ahead of time. This gives guests an opportunity to become much more familiar with their characters and
time to prepare a costume if you would like to add that element to the game.

• Invitations: Typically best to invite guests at least 2 weeks before the game.
• Character Sheets: Send with invitations or at least 1 week before game.
• Clues & Confession: These will be shown to players during the game.

Using Real Objects Instead of Paper Clues

The clues that are included in this kit are printable pictures that you show to your guests during the
game; however, some hosts take this a step further and replace these printed clues with real-life objects,
scenes, and locations. If you are reading the entire game ahead of time (instead of playing along with the
guests) and know what the clues will be, this is an option for you. For example, if one of the clues was a
red pen, you could get an actual red pen to show the guests instead of the printed picture. If taking this
extra step makes sense for your game, go for it!

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should not
read the character sheets! Separate the next nine pages and set them aside!
You may then continue to the nametags page.

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Grandma Winifred Stout Malachai’s Wife

You are Winifred Stout, wife of the late Malachai Stout and mother to
Penelope and Mortimer. People who have just met you tend to
describe you as “stately,” “stern,” or “formal.” Those who take the
time to get to know you would instead use words like “humorless,”
“icy,” or “hateful.”

You have plenty to be hateful about; you have lived in the Stout
household nearly all your adult life, always under the thumb of
Malachai, who ruled over the household like a tyrant. Spiteful and
cruel, Malachai has made your life a living hell for the last 45 years.

Now, as the final straw in a long series of indignities, you have just
learned that Malachai has written you out of his will, choosing
instead to bequeath the vast Stout fortune (including the precious
Stout family jewels) to Sebastian Seward, the butler. The butler of all
people! When Malachai’s brother Edwin shared this information
with you, you nearly had a heart attack. You certainly couldn’t let this idiocy stand! While you weren’t in a
position to change Malachai’s will, you did know where he kept the key to the vault where the jewels were
stored.

And so, late last night while a storm raged outside, you smothered your husband with his pillow, took the key
from around his neck, and stole the Stout jewels from the safe. It was your plan to leave the Stout estate
immediately and begin a new life elsewhere, funded with the sale of the jewels, which should, by rights, be
yours anyway!

Unfortunately, the storm has resulted in mud slides which made it impossible for you to drive away. You are
trapped here in the Stout estate with the rest of your family, who have already discovered Malachai’s body and
seen that the jewels are missing. You will need to use all of your wits and wiles to turn suspicion away from
you until the roads are sufficiently dry for you to be able to make your escape!

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during indicated round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: “I saw Edwin wandering about the halls Round 3: (multiple responses):
late last night, looking even more deranged then Penelope – When she says you never got along
normal. Who’s to say what that crackpot could have with Malachai, say:
been up to in the middle of the night??” “Plenty of spouses don’t share a bedroom, and since
when is talking to your husband a crime? As I said, I
Round 2: “Malachai recently disciplined Sebastian was saying good night like I always do.”
for not properly polishing the silver. You should
have seen how angry Sebastian looked!” Edwin – When he says you know where the keys
were, say sternly:
Round 3: “Crazy Uncle Edwin’s fugue states have “So did you.”
become increasingly frequent lately; who knows
what he’s been up to?”
Penelope Clarington Malachai’s Daughter

You are Penelope Clarington, daughter to the now deceased

Malachai Stout. You are here at the Stout family reunion by
yourself as your husband, Harrsion, refused to come (he can’t
stand your family). You don’t much care for your side of the
family either and never have: your father was a brutal tyrant of a
man, your mother, Winifred, never seemed to care about you
one way or the other, and your uncle, Edwin, has been soft in
the head for as long as you can remember. Nevertheless,
you’ve always understood the importance of maintaining
appearances, and you weren’t going to risk being written out of
your inheritance for failing to show up to one of Malachai’s
infrequent and uncomfortable family gatherings.

Now it seems that disaster has struck! Your father is dead, and
worse than that, the Stout family jewels are missing. You will
of course need to play the role of the grieving daughter (how
would it look if you didn’t?), but your primary goal now is to
find the murderer so that the jewels can be recovered!

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: “Uncle Edwin is known to be soft in Round 2: Mortimer – When he talks about the
the head. There are rumors that after the war, he muddy boots, say with a sneer:
killed a man in a bar fight with his bare hands.” “I’d never be caught dead in boots that looked
like that, and they’d never be muddy, thank you
Round 2: “The murderer was trying to take the very much!”
family Rolls Royce, so it couldn’t have been me. I
arrived in my own vehicle.” Round 3: Mortimer – When he claims you
didn’t get along with your parents:
Round 3: “I know that Mother and Father almost “It’s absurd you say I don’t get along with my
always slept in separate bedrooms; it’s kind of parents! I have always loved them more than
strange that she visited him at all last night since anything else in life!”
it’s no secret they’ve never gotten along.”
Mortimer Stout Malachai's Son

You are Mortimer Stout, Malachai and Winifred Stout’s eldest

child. You have taken a break from your very important
business affairs in order to put in an appearance here at the
Stout family reunion, along with your wife, Monica. You are a
somewhat stuffy, conservative businessman, and it galls you to
be away from Stout and Castaign Investments (even just for the
weekend). To be honest, your primary interests and passions
in life are your own financial affairs.

That is really why you are here. You don’t enjoy spending time
with your mother and father, but you know that as the eldest
son, you stand to inherit the bulk of their considerable fortune,
provided, of course, that you keep them reasonably happy.

Now, however, it looks like your old man has gone and gotten
himself killed; this doesn’t come as much of a surprise to you
(hardly anyone in the family liked Malachai, with the possible
exception of your good-natured wife, who gets along with
everyone), but it is a huge inconvenience. Now it looks like
you’re going to be stuck here at the old family estate until this
mystery is unraveled.

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: “I know that Sebastian, the butler, has Round 1: Monica – When she suggests you are
been the target of frequent abuse at the hands of under a murderous amount of work stress:
Malachai.” “Have you gone mad?! Accusing me, your own
husband, of murdering my father? That’s the
Round 2: “Hey, the pair of muddy boots found most preposterous thing you’ve ever said!
near the door were a small size—they were Although it’s probably the most INTERESTING
probably worn by a woman.” thing you’ve ever said, ironically. But I won’t
entertain notions that I can’t withstand the
Round 3: “Penelope has never gotten along with pressures of my work.”
her parents, and I’m pretty sure that she only
came to this reunion because she’s worried
about her inheritance.”
Monica Stout Malachai’s Daughter-in-Law

You are Monica Stout, the wife of Malachai Stout’s son

Mortimer. You are a bubbly, beautiful, cheerful woman
some ten years younger than your husband. You know
that people claim that you only married Mortimer for his
money, but you try your hardest not to let such ill-
tempered gossip get the better of you.

In truth, you love Mortimer dearly, and you’ve tried your

very hardest to love his family as well, though that can be
rather difficult at times. Mortimer’s parents have always
treated you with stiff formality, and you’ve never quite
been able to break through their shells, despite your best
efforts.

You actually had very high hopes for this family reunion.
Mortimer has an unprecedented three days off of work,
and you had been looking forward to a relaxing weekend
at the Stout family estate and another opportunity to gain
the goodwill of your in-laws.

Now that happy fantasy has been shattered. Malachai

Stout has been murdered here in his own home, and it looks as if a member of his own family must be
responsible! The whole situation is just utterly horrible, and it’s all that you can do to keep yourself
together.

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: “I know my husband, Mortimer, has Round 2: Penelope – When Penelope says she
been under a great deal of pressure at his job arrived in her own car, say:
lately; I’m actually surprised that he even agreed As did Mortimer and I!
to come to this reunion; that’s not like him at
all.”

Round 2: “While I was up last night, I saw

Sebastian wandering the halls. I have no idea
what he was up to but it looked like he was
trying to be very quiet.”

Round 3: “Winifred and Edwin had a

conversation earlier in the night. They both
looked furious about something.”
Uncle Edwin Stout Malachai’s Brother

You are Edwin Stout, Malachai Stout’s brother and the black
sheep of the family. You’ve lived on the Stout estate with
Malachai, Winifred, and Sebastian Seward for decades—ever
since the war, where you sustained a serious head injury that
left you comatose for several weeks. You know people say
that your head injury left you permanently demented, and
you suppose it’s possible that they’re right. You certainly do
have a hard time focusing on things these days, and you
sometimes lose track of where you are and what you’re
doing.

Your health problems aside, you lead a relatively peaceful

and quiet existence here in the Stout ancestral home.
Malachai and Winifred keep you well fed and out of harm’s
way, and for that you are grateful.

But now something awful has happened. Malachai, your

beloved brother, is dead, murdered in his sleep! The family
fortune is missing! The crime must have been committed by
someone here in the very house!

Worst of all is the fact that you can’t exactly remember what you did last night. You have a vague
recollection of coming downstairs in the middle of the night—perhaps to get a glass of water—but
everything after that is hazy.

You don’t think you murdered your brother, but can you really be sure? Is it possible that the terrible
things that people whisper about you (that your mind is cracked, that you are a danger to yourself and to
others) might be true?

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: “I know that Sebastian Seward knew Round 1:

where the keys to the safe were kept.” Winifred – When she claims you were in the
hallway late last night, say:
Round 2: “Poor old Malachai. Smothered with a “I don’t really remember what I did last night, or
pillow. If it was me, I’d just choke him with my much about my past, for that matter. But it’s
bare hands. Not that I’d kill anyone, of course. I certainly possible.”
don’t think that’s the sort of thing I’d do.”
Sebastian – When he says you knew where to find
Round 3: “Winifred knew where the keys to the the keys, look confused and say:
safe were kept.” “Keys? What keys?”
Sebastian Seward Malachai’s Butler

You are Sebastian Seward, the long-suffering and much-maligned butler of

the Stout estate. You have worked for Malachai Stout and his wife
Winifred for twenty long, thankless, unpleasant years. You have kept the
Stout household running smoothly and you have put up with the endless
mistreatment and minor indignities visited upon you by the Stouts
without complaint. You come from a long line of butlers, and you take
pride in doing your job well, even in the face of ungrateful, miserly, and
miserable patrons like the Stouts.

Now, with retirement only a few short years away, someone has murdered
the master of the Stout estate. Malachai is dead, smothered in his sleep.
The family fortune is missing. And where do you suppose all eyes are
going to turn? Why, to the butler of course!

You know that you had nothing to do with Malachai’s murder, but now
it’s going to be up to you to prove your innocence!

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each (Read in response to the following players.)
round.)
Round 1 (multiple responses):
Round 1: “I overheard Malachai talking to Mortimer – When he suggests you’ve been
Edwin about his will several nights ago.” mistreated roll your eyes and say:
“Oh, of course. Of course, the butler did it.”
Round 2: “Now that I think about it, Uncle
Edwin had also discovered the key’s location Edwin – When he says you knew about the keys:
during one of his bizarre midnight Yes, I knew were they keys were. It’s my job to know
stumblings through the house. those things. That proves nothing!

Round 3: “I wear size 13 shoes—much larger Round 2 (multiple responses):

than the muddy boots that the killer wore; Winifred – When she suggests you were angry at
ergo, it couldn’t have been me!” Malachai:
“Look, you must’ve been mistaken; Malachai may
have disciplined me, and I may have been angry. But
as a well-trained butler, I’d certainly never have let
my anger show! But of course, the butler did it.”

Monica – When she claims to have seen you

wandering late last night:
“I am, in fact, the butler, and I am regularly still busy
attending to my duties far into the night.”

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Sabrina Stout
You are Sabrina Stout, the daughter of Mortimer and Monica
Stout and the granddaughter of Winifred and Malachai. You
are on break from college, and your mother and father have
talked you into attending the Stout family reunion at Grandpa
estate. Oh. My. Gawd. Totally boring. You
would much rather have stayed on campus to party with your
friends, and you have taken every opportunity to point out to

even like your relatives, and on

Now at least something interesting is happening, even if it is

kind of terrible. Someone smothered Grandpa Malachai in his
sleep and has taken the family jewels, just like in some crazy
mystery novel
about this!

mansion with a dead body and probably a murderer (OMG,

seriously??) You hope everyone else gets this sorted out soon
so that you can get back to civilization.

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: Round 1: Winifred When she says she saw

Edwin speaking to Grandmother. I dunno what you on your way outside last night:
they were talking about, but she was super angry e
about whatever she sa

Round 2: for, like, a minute last

night when I heard someone in the hallway. Round 2: Edwin When he says that if he were
When I looked, I saw it was Uncle Edwin. Who
hands, say sarcastically:
... g to
Round 3: say at all, Uncle Edwin.
Winifred and Malachai never got along; she
actually said she was surprised they never

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Harrison Clarington -in-Law

You are Harrison Clarington, husband to Malachai

daughter Penelope. You are a drunkard, a womanizer, and a

it were up to you, you never would have come to this reunion,

Penelope has never had a single nice thing to say about her
mother, her father, or Uncle Edwin.

done your best to be civil to Malachai and Winifred

(surreptitious nips from your hip flask of brandy have gone a
fair distance towards making such niceties possible).

Now your father-in-law has turned up dead, the family fortune

is missing, and the entire household is in an uproar. Your
preference would be to disappear to the guest room upstairs
and drink the afternoon away until the roads are cleared and
the police can be summoned, but you are a little worried about
your reputation and have decided that your safest course of
action is to stick around so that you can defend yourself against
any unfounded accusations.

Your Information: Responses to Others:

(Read aloud on your turn during each round.) (Read in response to the following players.)

Round 1: That man that Uncle Edwin killed? I Round 2: Penelope When she says you
heard that he choked him to death. Just like
round outside
last night, I was just sneaking a nip from my flask.
Round 2: hile I was up last night, I saw
Sebastian wandering the halls. I have no idea
what he was up to but it looked like he was
trying to b

Round 3:
family Rolls Royce. That means it was probably
Winifred, Edwin, or Sebastian, since Penny and I

18
Investigator
You are an investigator, tasked with
determining what precisely
happened and who is responsible for
the crime.

The Game - The mystery will proceed

in 3 rounds. During each round, each
of the suspects will share a piece of
information, and the other suspects will
respond or ask follow-up questions.

Your Role - After each suspect shares

information, you may ask them to
repeat the information they shared or
the responses they made. You will use
the information you discover to help
uncover the identity of the culprit!

19
 Grandma Penelope
Winifred Stout Clarington

Harrison
Mortimer Stout
Clarington
-in-Law
Monica Stout Sabrina Stout
Granddaughter
Daughter-in-Law

Uncle Edwin
Sebastian Seward
Stout
 Investigator Investigator

Investigator Investigator
 You are cordially invited to

A Murder Mystery Party

Date

Time

Location
Details Enclosed.

Please RSVP no later than

23
Printing

10% Off 10% Off

Your First Order Your First Order

Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party
by downloading a party kit from Playing With by downloading a party kit from Playing With
Murder. Murder.

Promo code: MYTURN Promo code: MYTURN

www.playingwithmurder.com www.playingwithmurder.com

10% Off 10% Off

Your First Order Your First Order

Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party
by downloading a party kit from Playing With by downloading a party kit from Playing With
Murder. Murder.

Promo code: MYTURN Promo code: MYTURN

www.playingwithmurder.com www.playingwithmurder.com

10% Off 10% Off

Your First Order Your First Order

Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party
by downloading a party kit from Playing With by downloading a party kit from Playing With
Murder. Murder.

Promo code: MYTURN Promo code: MYTURN

www.playingwithmurder.com www.playingwithmurder.com

10% Off 10% Off

Your First Order Your First Order

Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party Enjoy the Party? You can host your own party
by downloading a party kit from Playing With by downloading a party kit from Playing With
Murder. Murder.

Promo code: MYTURN Promo code: MYTURN

www.playingwithmurder.com www.playingwithmurder.com

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until everyone has received their character sheets and is
ready to begin playing.

24
 Introductory Script and Rules
The game can begin once all of your guests have arrived. Invite them to make any last restroom trips and
to grab their refreshments, set out the name placards, and then gather everyone into the play area.

This would be a good time to take a few photos. If our previous hosts could share one piece of advice
it would be, “Don’t forget to take pictures!” Often hosts are so busy running the game that they don’t
think to snap a few pics, which can be easiest to do before the action starts. You may want your guests
that came in costume, food, or decorations to be captured in pictures.

Read this script to start the game. Scripts that will be read out loud to your guests will be in gray boxes
like the one below. Read this script when you’re ready to begin.

Note: The [ ] symbol means that the indicated paragraph only applies to games with investigators, so
only read if you have investigator players present.

Welcome, and thank you for joining us. We are going to be playing Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion, a
30 Minute Mystery game from Playing With Murder, a mystery game company. Please take your seats in
the following order:

Grandma Winifred Stout – Malachai’s Wife. A stately, if sometimes stern, presence in the family.
Penelope Clarington – Malachai’s Daughter. A refined woman who always makes a great appearance.
Mortimer Stout – Malachai’s Son. A driven businessman and Malachai’s eldest child.
Monica Stout – Malachai’s Daughter-in-Law. Mortimer’s flawlessly pleasant and ever-cheerful wife.
Uncle Edwin Stout – Malachai’s Brother. He’s never fully recovered since the war.
Sebastian Seward – Malachai’s Butler. The long-time employee and fixture of Malachai’s household.

Please make sure your name placard is set in front of you and clearly visible, and don’t let anyone else see
your character sheet. It contains secrets you won’t want to give away!

This is a good time to get to know each other. Take a moment to ask those around you about how they
have been since the last reunion or about anything else that has you curious.

[Pause for a minute or two while players introduce their characters to one another.]

Now that we’re acquainted, I’ll set the scene. You are going to be playing the roles of the largely
dysfunctional members of the Stout family, who have gathered at their ancestral home for a family
reunion, hosted by the elderly Malachai Stout. None of the Stouts have ever gotten along particularly well
with each other, but the promise of a substantial inheritance has encouraged them to at least put on their
friendly faces and attend Malachai Stout’s occasional gatherings.

Now, however, something awful has happened. This morning, when you came downstairs for breakfast,
the door to Malachai’s bedroom was ajar, and Malachai’s lifeless body was crumpled upon the bed, his
contorted, purple features a mute testament to the fact that he had been smothered or choked in his

25
sleep. Further, the wall safe in Malachai’s study has been opened, and the precious Stout family jewels are
missing!

The obvious course of action would be to phone the police or travel to the nearest town, but last night’s
storm has knocked out the phone lines, cell phones get almost no reception in the area, and the
tremendous rain has washed out the mountain road to town. It appears that it will be up to us to solve
the mystery of Malachai Stout’s murder!

This game will be played in three rounds. In each round, we will go around the table clockwise, taking
turns sharing information that will help to solve the mystery.

Please find the section on the bottom left of your character sheet titled “Your Information.” When it is your
turn, share the piece of information that is listed in that section for the current round. You can read the
information aloud verbatim or put it in your own words, speaking as you think your character would.

Now look at the box on the bottom right labeled “Responses to Others.” The characters named in that
section will be saying something to which you should read the response in this box. Most likely they will
be accusing you, or they may simply ask you to confirm that what they said is true. Either way, read your
response after they’ve finished speaking.

So, for example, at the beginning of this round, Winifred will share her first piece of information. I will
then ask if anyone has a response. If you do, read it out loud at that point. After the response, or if nobody
has a response, we will move on to Penelope, who will share her piece of information, and so on.

To help us determine the culprit, I will reveal clues after the first and second rounds that will shed further
light on the situation.

At the end of the Final Round, we will go around the table and everyone will share who they think is
responsible for the murder of Malachai Stout and why. After the votes are in, we will reveal the culprit and
hear their confession to find out what really happened.

Let’s begin!

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until you have finished reading the above script to the
players.

26
 Round One
Running the Game
Proceeding clockwise around the table, you will direct each player to share the piece of information listed
on their character sheet for Round One.

The chart below shows the speaking players in order. It also shows who should respond to that player
this round. Use it to prompt your guests when needed.
For example, if Monica doesn’t respond to Winnifred on her own after she speaks, tell her that she
should read the response on her character sheet.

# Player’s Turn This player should respond

1 Grandma Winifred Edwin
2 Penelope No responses
3 Mortimer Sebastian
4 Monica Mortimer
5 Edwin Sebastian
6 Sebastian No responses

Follow these steps for each player, starting with Grandma Winifred:

1) Ask the player to share their information.

2) Wait for responses and prompt players, if needed.
3) [ ] Invite investigators to ask questions (if any are playing).
4) Repeat steps with the next player.

Managing player questions: The number of questions asked by players is up to you. It will depend on the
flow and timing you’d like for the game. As host, you will keep things on track, which means you decide
how long the questioning goes on, and you can reign in guests if questions become irrelevant or go too
far off-topic.

End the round. Once all the players have had an opportunity to share their pieces of information,
received their responses, and the investigators have asked all their questions, the round is over and you
may turn the page to uncover the first clue.

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until Round One is finished.

27
 The First Clue
[Read the following aloud to all the players.]

As you are examining the crime scene, one of you happens to look out the window and notice that the
Stout family Rolls Royce is mired in the mud at the end of the drive. It looks like the murderer tried
to make a getaway last night but got stuck! There are muddy prints leading from the car back up to
the house. Further examination reveals that a pair of mud-encrusted boots has been left on the back
stoop.

[Hold up the clue for everyone to see or pass the page around so they can get a closer look.]

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until you have completed Round One and everyone
has seen the clue described above.

28
 Round Two
Proceeding clockwise around the table, direct each player to share the information listed on their
character sheet for Round Two.

This would be another good time to take pics! You may want photos of the game in action.

Follow the same steps for each player as in Round One, starting with Grandma Winifred again, and
remembering to give investigators a chance to ask questions at the end of each player’s turn.

# Player’s Turn This player should respond

1 Winifred Sebastian
2 Penelope Monica
3 Mortimer Penelope
4 Monica Sebastien
5 Edwin No responses
6 Sebastian Edwin

End the round. Once again, after all the players have had an opportunity to share their pieces of
information, received their responses, and the investigators have asked all their questions, the round
is over and you may turn the page to uncover the second clue.

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until Round Two is finished.

29
 The Second Clue
[Read the following aloud to all the players.]

As all of you are discussing the murder and examining the bedroom, one of you notices a large
envelope on Malachai’s writing desk amidst a stack of other papers. The envelope is titled “Malachai
Stout, Last Will and Testament.”

Examination of Malachai’s will reveals a startling secret: he has left the entire Stout fortune not to his
wife, nor to his brother, nor to be divided among his children; instead he has left everything to
Sebastian Seward, his butler!

[Hold up the clue for everyone to see or pass the page around so they can get a closer look.]

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until you have completed Round Two and everyone
has seen the clue described above.

30
 Final Round
Starting with Winifred, and proceeding clockwise around the table, direct each player to share the
information listed on their character sheet for Round Three (the Final Round).

Follow the same steps for each player as in Rounds One and Two.

# Player’s Turn This player should respond

1 Winifred No responses
2 Penelope Winifred
4 Mortimer Penelope
5 Monica No responses
7 Edwin Winifred
8 Sebastian No responses

End the round. Once all the players have had an opportunity to share their pieces of information,
received their responses, and the investigators have asked all their questions, the round is over.

31
 Solving The Mystery
It is now time for the players to try to guess the solution to the mystery.

[Read the following aloud to all the players.]

We have gathered all the available information and viewed all the clues. Now we will go around the
table one last time and let everyone say who they think is responsible for Malachai’s murder and why.
After everyone has made their guess, then we will learn who was truly responsible.

One quick note: If your character is the perpetrator, you should try to blame the crime on one of the
other players when it is your turn to say who you think is responsible; that will keep everyone
guessing until the very end.

We’ll start with Winifred Stout, and then go clockwise around the table. Winifred Stout, when you are
ready, go ahead and give us your guess.

Ask each player to make their guess. Once everyone has voted, turn to the next page for the solution.

UPCOMING SPOILER ALERT!

Warning! If you plan to play the game along with your guests, you should
wait to turn the page until you have completed the Final Round and
everyone has had a chance to guess the identity of the perpetrator. The
next page contains the solution to the mystery!

32
 Solution!
[Read the following aloud to all the players.]

Grandma Winifred glares around the room at each family member. “It was me,” she says. “I killed the
old fool, and I’d do it again!”

Grandma Winifred, please make your confession.

[Hand this page to Grandma Winifred Stout and ask her to read the following confession.]

The Confession

Malachai was a tyrant! He ruled our house like a dictator, making my life a living hell for the last 45
years! And, Edwin told me last night that Malachai had rewritten his will, leaving everything to the
butler, for God’s sake! The Butler! I nearly had a heart attack when Edwin told me!

I’m not stupid enough to think I could have changed Malachai’s will, but I couldn’t just leave it be. I
knew where he kept the key to the family safe, so I snuck into his bedroom after you all went to bed,
and smothered him with a pillow. He was so hateful that he kept the key to the safe around his neck,
so I snatched it, grabbed the jewels, and headed out to his beloved Rolls Royce.

I was the responsible one who had those jewels appraised, so I knew I could sell them and that awful
car and start a new life without all you fools, but that storm made the driveway such a mess that I
couldn’t get the car onto the main road. After all that, I was still trapped in this prison of an estate
with you. Even in death, he foiled my plans, with that silly car he loved more than he loved me!

[Hand this page back to the host/hostess.]

Wrapping Up

Congratulations! You have now completed Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion - Free Edition!

To wrap up:

• Thank your guests for playing.

• Give awards - Anyone who correctly identified Grandma Winifred as the culprit is a winner; if
you are awarding prizes, you may present them to the winners at this time.
• Take pictures – Try to get a group photo before everyone leaves the area.
• Share coupons – If you chose to print coupons, you can share them now.
• Collect game materials - Character sheets, placards and any other materials.

33
 After the Game
Thanks for playing Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion - Free Edition! We hope you and your guests had a
great time and would love to hear about your party.

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better. If you have anything you’d like to see changed in this game, please email us at
feedback@playingwithmurder.com with your thoughts, corrections, and/or comments.
Thank you!

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