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Here's what people have been saying about Bludgeoned on Broadway:
"A very enjoyable evening [Bludgeoned on Broadway]."
Paul Nichols, United Kingdom
"Yesterday I hosted my first Murder Mystery, Bludgeoned on Broadway was nothing short of fantastic!
Everyone really got into it and had a brilliant night.
Alliances were formed against Communism, and deals were made to destroy items! People really used their imagination to complete their goals!
Our murderer was very clever and made an alliance with another character and was the first to complete her goals,
a prize was given at the end of the night for playing so well!
We had an interview room for the detective that worked brilliantly and our theater bomber made a deal with Bruno to help one another to gain certain items.
Our detective made his own goal to collect all nine scripts and used clever ideas to persuade people to use their ability cards for his own gain!
Harold and Lana ended up against one another and turned against each other to try and win their goals.
The game was so easy and so fun to carry out, we had to make some changes to characters as the snow made it hard for people to get there,
but your amazing info sheet really helped me to solve the situation in such a short amount of time!
Here are some pictures of the party as we had the best night ever!
And I've been asked to host another "who'dunnit" for Christmas.
Thank you so much as you really helped me to have a brilliant party to be remembered for some time!"
Zoe Butler, United Kingdom
"What better way to celebrate being alive and kicking in a new year than an old-fashioned-death-and-deception whodunit?
As a New Year's Eve party with the villain nabbed at midnight, Bludgeoned on Broadway gets an Oscar. With plenty of twists and turns and intriguing characters for all ages, this game's a winner. Highly recommended."
Marjorie Hafer, United States
"Just to let you know we had our murder mystery evening last week, Bludgeoned on Broadway, and we had a great time.
It was our first freeform game, and we enjoyed it very much. Although everybody also was exhausted at the end of the evening, because of all the confusing information they got:
suddenly there was a fake bomb, dressing-rooms were exchanged…
But still, everybody had a great time. The play was so well written and the characters very colourful. Some of us had some problems last week saying goodbye to their alter ego.
We sure want to try another game in the future. Being a host required a lot more than I expected. Instead of getting closer to resolving the murder, people got more confused and
I should have taken more care that information was circulating better. The players as well said they would play it very differently a next time. It's definitely a game you must learn to play, but it brings a lot of fun.
So thank you very much and best wishes from Nijmegen, the Netherlands!"
Marc Damen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
"Bludgeoned on Broadway was the first murder-mystery we'd ever attended, and my husband and I weren't quite sure what we were getting ourselves into. When the curtain went up we were surrounded by secret alliances, hidden agendas and of course, MURDER! A fun time was had by all trying to discover the who's, what's and why's. What a great way to spend an evening!!"
Nicole Merkel, United States
"I had a fantastic time playing Bludgeoned on Broadway.
As the host, I had spent a lot of time reading and preparing for the night, I am glad I did!
There is a lot of story lines running at the same time and at points I had to give people tips about who to talk to and questions to asked when they got a little stuck.
It was good being able to do this easily and from memory.
It ran extremely smoothly though and everyone absolutely loved it!"
Frances Jackson, United Kingdom
"One thing that some of the kids said (they were 16-year-olds) is how much they enjoyed having a party [Bludgeoned on Broadway] where there was something fun to do, as opposed to standing around not knowing what to do! It really is a perfect activity for teens who want to have fun and be together but have something planned so they don't feel awkward."
Betsy Abernathy, United States
If you would like to tell us how your party went, please click here to send us your story.
Bludgeoned on Broadway – a theatrical murder mystery game for 8 to 13 guests and a host 
Costs £20.00 (about 30.48 US dollars)
Written by Jennifer Vals
Download the free
introductory file
Bludgeoned on Broadway is a dinner party murder mystery game for 8 to 13 guests and a host – download the free introductory pdf file.
Join us in a thrilling evening of of drama, double takes, and denouements. 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 Bludgeoned on Broadway? It's up to you.
"Bludgeoned on Broadway was a wonderful game, all the guests had loads of fun!
"
Amanda McLeod, Canada
Bludgeoned on Broadway
It's 1947 and along New York City's Broadway Avenue, theatres are stuffed to capacity with anxious spectators waiting to be entertained. Inside the Arlington Theatre, it's the first scene of the new Broadway play Olympian Days, and leading actor Jackson Turner has failed to make his grand entrance! Why? He's been brutally murdered in his dressing room backstage.
In Bludgeoned on Broadway, everyone is acting a part, and it's up to you to figure out who's hiding behind the mask of illusion, deception, and even murder! You can form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and money, and generally usurp and upset others' attempts to achieve goals!
Along the way, you may solve some of Bludgeoned on Broadway's mysteries, like who is the Theatre Bomber? Who is the Midwest Murderer? Who is a Communist? And of course, who murdered Jackson Turner? Find out in Bludgeoned on Broadway!
Read Bludgeoned on Broadway
stories See Bludgeoned on Broadway
pictures Read the
New York Press
Bludgeoned on Broadway 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.
"What a great way to spend a New Year's Eve!I loved it! The mystery was so well written. Everyone seemed to understand and fit into their character role. It is a must play game! "
Jen Laubscher, United States
The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a list of all the characters, a copy of the New York Press – plus details of how to buy the game.
These are the characters in Bludgeoned on Broadway:
- "Scrappy" Barker – the wily owner of the Arlington Theatre
- Bruno – the stage manager and a tough mafia soldier
- Dorothy Sadler – the ditzy leading actress debuting in the role of Hera, Greek Queen of the Gods
- Franco Torrio – fronts as a waste management consultant, but really a powerful mafia capo
- Hannah Edelstein – the production's talented choreographer and a Jewish immigrant from Denmark
- Harold Finney – the veteran character actor and mischievous storyteller playing the role of Hades, God of the Underworld
- Jordan Lutrova – the costume / prop coordinator and an eccentric collector of antiques and other treasures
- Lana Johnson – the glamorous and talented Broadway actress playing the supporting role of Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love
- Logan Randolph – a New York City police detective
- Mayor La Garner – the ambitious New York City Mayor
- Olivia Dalton – the Olympian Days producer
- Pat Waddle – the studious and idealistic Olympian Days playwright
- Taylor Higgins – a newspaper reporter from the Manhattan Happenings newspaper
| Number of guests | Male characters | Female characters | Characters that can be played by either sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
How Freeform Games Murder Mysteries Work
Bludgeoned on Broadway 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!
Bludgeoned on Broadway 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, Bludgeoned on Broadway lets you decide how to achieve your goals and thwart your enemies.
"Bludgeoned on Broadway all went well overall and everyone had fun! Thank you so much for your quick response and a great time!"
Dawn Ringer, United States
On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Director, and welcomed to the Arlington Theatre. They then receive their detailed backgrounds - including dark secrets, objectives and money. The fun then begins as they form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and maybe even try to murder one another! Depending on what the players choose to do, there are several different possible endings, but finally everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.
Extra characters
Sometimes you have too many guests and you need more characters. So we've written a free extra character for each of our games that you can add in, and some of our customers have created their own characters for their parties and are kindly willing to share them.
Please note that we haven't tested these and they may not tie in exactly with our games.
IMPORTANT – if you've bought the game, you can download the files for these characters from the download page where you got your main game files. Contact us if you need the link and password to get back to that page.
- 'Ginger' Roberts – freelance reporter in search of the Big Story. (M/F)
(by Freeform Games)
Purchasing Bludgeoned on Broadway
Bludgeoned on Broadway costs £20.00 (GB pounds). That works out at about US$30.48 at today's exchange rate, although the rate charged by your credit card may vary slightly.
To purchase Bludgeoned on Broadway, follow these three steps.
Step 1: Download the free introductory pdf file. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this. If you do not already have Acrobat Reader, click here.
Step 2: Read our terms and conditions of purchase. Then come back here and click on the button to buy the game!
Step 3: Our orders are processed by WorldPay – we don't actually see your credit card details. After you have entered your credit card details you will be emailed the location of the main pdf files, plus the password required to unlock them. You can then download those files and enjoy the game!
Or, buy now!
Cards we accept
We accept the following credit and debit cards:
Cast Iron Guarantee
We offer a Cast Iron Guarantee on all our murder mystery games. If you're not completely satisfied with Bludgeoned on Broadway then please let us know within 30 days and we will refund you.