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NEW GAME! We've just brought out a fantastic new aristocratic murder mystery game, Lord and Lady Westing's Will, at just 20 pounds / 30 USD for a game for 11–16 guests!
FREE GAME! Click here to download your copy of our completely free murder mystery party game.
It's a version of Way out West, our most popular game. It has all the same depth, complexity, fun and excitement of the paid-for game, but it's just for 10 guests – that's the only difference. Well, and it's FREE! See for yourself!
Sunday 9th June is the night of the Tony Awards, celebrating everything that's great about the theatre! You could stage your own backstage bloodbath this year, with Bludgeoned on Broadway, the game in which greasepaint meets grievous bodily harm.
What people have been saying about our games
Our best-selling games for last month were:
- Way out West – dark deeds in the old west. For 10–24 guests.
- Casino Fatale – espionage, murder and intrigue in a glamorous Parisian casino. For 15–30 guests.
- A Will to Murder – murder and inheritance at an English country mansion
Murder mystery games aren't just for adults – kids can play too! Click here for party ideas for kids.
And now we also have new party games for younger kids! Check out Pirate Island, our new themed kids party game.
Not sure where to start? Click here for our step-by-step guide to planning your party.
Free murder mystery party game!
That's right, we're giving away one of our terrific murder mystery party games, completely free of charge, no strings attached. Anyone who wants to can come here and download a copy of the game!
The Way out West Free murder mystery game kit will allow you to host a fabulous Wild West party, just like our regular games do. The only difference is that this free version is for 10 guests only, rather than 10–24 like the paid-for version: and that it's completely free of charge!
Way out West
It is the spring of 1884. America's west coast is slowly being populated with small towns full of settlers, coming to prospect for precious metals, set up ranches and run dubious saloons. Now the railway is coming! Cactus Gulch is one such small town. Founded 20 years ago, tonight it has a festive air as the townsfolk get set to start their 20th anniversary celebrations. Plus, the railway is coming! However, all is not running smoothly. Land disputes, disreputable card games, strange folk from out of town and hostile Indians are all adding to a tense atmosphere…
Join us in a thrilling evening of scheming, intrigue and skulduggery. You will be in the middle of the action and it will be up to you to wheel and deal with the other guests. Can you achieve your goals, keep your secrets hidden and survive Way out West? It's up to you.
"We played Way out West on New Year's Eve and really enjoyed it a lot. I have flagged your website in my favorites so we can easily access you next year if not before. Thanks for all of your hard work on this game."
Jackie Vick, Minnesota, United States
Read Way out West
stories See Way out West
pictures Read the Cactus Gulch
Gazette
Way out West lasts for about four hours and is suited to an evening. It is often played over a meal – a finger buffet if possible to allow guests to circulate and talk in private.
"Thanks for a great Way out West party – definitely recommend it to friends!"
Mel Woods, London, United Kingdom
The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a list of all the characters, a copy of the Cactus Gulch Gazette – plus details of how to buy the game.
These are the characters in Way out West Free:
- Blaise Sadler – Aging saloon owner
- Clem Parham – City slicker, Mid West Rail rep
- Dan Fairweather – Slow and honest deputy sheriff
- Doc Faraday – Notorious gambler
- Elijah Entwhistle – Travelling preacher
- John Paulson – Town's much-revered judge
- Lucy Calhoun – Zeke's daughter, young woman, complete tomboy
- Mel Easton – City slicker, South West Rail rep
- Runs Like a Deer – Indian squaw
- Slick O'Hare – Scruffy ranch hand for hire
and these are the extra characters that you can get in the paid-for version of the game:
- Able Blane – The town's reliable sheriff
- Christy Martin – Storekeeper from out of town
- Etta Johnson – Local schoolmarm and newspaper gossip
- Frederick Lloyd – Wealthy English mining investor
- Kalamata Kate – Young bar waitress
- Marco the Mesmerizing – Travelling stage magician with a secret agenda
- Maxwell Jebediah Adams – Town drunkard and ne'er-do-well
- Minnie Mae Adams – Former Sunday School teacher with hidden depths
- Ol' Barr – Reclusive fur trapper and friend to the Indians
- Robert Barnaby – Shy young legal clerk
- Ruby Sapphire – Flame-haired singer, notorious beauty
- Soon Li – Chinese migrant worker, in a heap of trouble
- Three Feathers – Revered Indian shaman
- Widder James – Grande Dame of the ladies in Cactus Gulch
How Freeform Games Murder Mysteries Work
Way out West is unlike many murder mystery games. Although the game starts with a murder, most of the characters have more important things to do than to investigate it. And the killing may not be over – it is unlikely that everyone will survive the remainder of the evening!
Way out West is played just like a murder mystery game. You may be trying to solve the murder, but primarily you are (initially at least) concentrating on your own goals and objectives. Unlike most boxed murder mystery games, Way out West lets you decide how to achieve your goals and thwart your enemies.
"We received your game, Way Out West, and had our party last weekend. It was a huge success. Everyone went all out on their costumes and the game flowed smoothly. Thanks for your great customer service!"
Lisa and Anthony Perez, Oregon, United States
On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Bartender of the Silver Dollar Saloon. They then receive their detailed backgrounds - including dark secrets, objectives and money. When everyone has arrived the celebrating starts, but it is immediately disrupted by a shocking announcement. The real fun then begins as everyone questions, bribes and blackmails each other. As the evening progresses they may even try to murder one another! Along the way they may solve some of Way out West's mysteries. Where is the map to the recently discovered silver lode? Who owns the land that the railways are desperate to get hold of? Why are the Indians threatening to go on the warpath? Why is a pack of cards so important? Why is the preacher so sinister? Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.
Download the game
You can download your free copy of Way out West, which includes everything you need to host the game, just by clicking the button below. We would like you to leave your email address, so we can mail you later and ask how you got on with the game. (We won't use your address for any other purpose.) But if you'd rather not leave it, that's fine of course. And we ask your country just so we can get an idea of where in the world people are trying out our games!