Welcome to Scene of the Crime
Welcome to the Freeform Games murder mystery newsletter.
This time, we have a new game, we’re launching a YouTube channel (we need your help!), we are playtesting our next game, plus some of our games have been translated into Spanish!
And we have a discount code!
Enjoy!
Mo and Steve
A Fatal Theory – our new game!
Welcome to the QuantumTech Innovations Winter Celebration, held at the company’s high-tech headquarters during a fierce winter storm.
The annual event gathers QuantumTech’s leading researchers and staff to celebrate a decade of groundbreaking achievements and compete for the next great scientific breakthrough.
But festivities are shattered when Dr. Cox, lead researcher on the secretive Interstellar Matter Manipulation project, is found dead in the cold lab under suspicious circumstances…
A Fatal Theory is a science-lab murder mystery for 8–12 players and a host. The characters are all ungendered, and it is for ages 15+ due to adult themes.
Star on our YouTube channel!
Have you hosted one of our murder mystery parties? We’d love to hear from you—and see you on camera!
We’re looking for short videos from customers to feature on our brand-new YouTube channel. As a thank you, everyone whose video we use will receive a Freeform Games title of their choice.
Your video doesn’t need to be professional. A smartphone recording is perfectly fine. The best videos are often the most genuine!
Ideas for your video
- Tell us about the murder mystery game you played.
- Show us your party setup, decorations, or costumes.
- Share your guests’ reactions and favourite moments.
- Explain why you chose a Freeform Games mystery.
- Give tips for first-time hosts.
- Tell us about a particularly memorable suspect, clue, or twist.
- Discuss how you adapted the game for your group.
- Show photos or video clips from the event (with your guests’ permission).
- Compare your experience with other party games you’ve played.
- Tell us which Freeform Games mystery you’d recommend and why.
Video guidelines
- Aim for 1–5 minutes.
- Film your video however is easiest for you. Vertical smartphone videos are perfect and can be featured as YouTube Shorts. Horizontal videos are welcome too.
- Speak naturally—there’s no need for a script.
- Please make sure anyone appearing in the video is happy to be featured online.
- And no spoilers please!
If you’d like to take part, simply contact us, and we’ll tell you how to send us your video. Please be aware that we may also use your video on our other social channels.
We can’t wait to see your murder mystery party in action!
Looking for playtesters for The Deadly Library
We are looking for playtesters for our upcoming game, The Deadly Library.
Here’s what you need to know:
It is 1887, and everyone in London knows of the eccentric Martin Alexandria and his magnificent library, a vast trove of fiction, history, and rare legal archives. Built from auctions, estate sales, discarded records, and quiet gifts from clerks and friends, it holds secrets ranging from public trials to incriminating evidence—knowledge that earns Martin respect.
Tonight, Martin is making an announcement, the subject of which is a great mystery. The library is both a public treasure and a private inheritance, and so friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and other interested parties gather in the great library to hear what Martin has to say…
The Deadly Library is a Victorian murder mystery set in a library. In this game, the murder victim is poisoned and dies about 30 minutes into the game! (They then get a second character.)
The Deadly Library is rated 15+ as it contains adult themes (affairs, opium use) and is for 9-11 players, plus a host.
If you’re interested in playtesting, we need feedback by the end of September 2026.
We need ten groups to playtest The Deadly Library and give us feedback – and we’re looking for photos and videos that we can use to promote the game. (Don’t forget to check your friends are happy for you to share with us!)
Please complete this form if you would like to playtest The Deadly Library.
We’ll keep the form open until Sunday, 26th July, and then we’ll choose ten people from those who have signed up.
Spanish translations of our murder mystery games
We have a new partner who is translating some of our murder mystery games into Spanish.
So if you are interested in a Spanish translation (perhaps you could run one as part of a Spanish-learning program?), then check out Enigma Criminal.
Authors’s notes on Death at the Derby
Jeremy Gustafson, one of the writers of Death at the Derby, has written about his experience on writing the game on his blog.
Thank you for reading!
As a thank you for reading our newsletter, here’s a 20% coupon for your next purchase: JUL26
(This coupon is valid until 10th August 2026 and applies to a single purchase, covering all games in your basket. Please note that it excludes our commercial license.)
And that’s it from us this time!
Mo and Steve
Freeform Games
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