Davy Jones’ Locker

Cover to Davy Jones' Locker, a pirate-themed murder mystery game.
(18 customer reviews)

£30.99

Davy Jones’ Locker is a downloadable pirate-themed murder mystery game for 10 to 15 guests and one host. It is set in 1785 aboard the Libra, a retired warship, and the characters include crewmembers, passengers – and (probably) pirates! Written by Mark Schaefer. Recommended for ages 15+.

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Davy Jones' Locker is a murder mystery game for 10 to 15 guests and one host. It is set in 1785 aboard the Libra, a retired warship, and the characters include crewmembers, passengers - and (probably) pirates! Download the free introductory pdf file.

Davy Jones' Locker is a thrilling evening of intrigue, double-dealing, mysterious powers and murder. Your guests will be in the middle of the action, and it will be up to them to wheel and deal to get what they want. Will they achieve their goals, keep their secrets hidden, and survive Davy Jones' Locker?

"Now that we've tried a freeform game, we'll never host another type of mystery dinner party! Six months later, our guests are still talking about what a fantastic time they had with Davy Jones' Locker."
Amy D., United States

See stories and pictures from Davy Jones' Locker.

Click here to read the Tortuga Gazette.

It is 1785, and the Caribbean is a hotbed of violence, treachery, the occult and, of course, piracy. Tortuga, an island off the north coast of Haiti, is home not only to peaceful plantations, but also to thieves, mystics, scavengers, mystics and grave robbers. Tortuga is also a pirate stronghold and a frequent port-of-call for the most feared pirates in the Caribbean.

Abel "Blackheart" Read, the Caribbean's most nefarious pirate, had wrought havoc for many years throughout the region – but now his reign of terror is over. First, Blackheart and the Pegasus, his ship, was captured a month ago -- and then two weeks ago Blackheart's second-in-command, Calico Jack, ran his ship (the Orion) aground off Tortuga's rocky north coast. With these two pirates (and their ships) out of business, the waters of the Caribbean are much safer.

They have also created a power vacuum in the pirate world – one that will no doubt be filled before too long.

Tonight, the Libra, a retired warship converted for commercial use, departs from Tortuga on its journey to St. Augustine, Florida. For some of its passengers, this will prove to be a profitable journey. For others, Tortuga may be the last dry land they ever see...

In Davy Jones' Locker, the course of this fateful journey will be played out over the course of a single evening. There are, among the passengers and crew, an ex-pirate, a mystic, and a nun. However, not everyone is who, or what, they seem. Some (well, all) of those on board have mysterious secrets and will do anything to prevent them from being revealed.

Davy Jones' Locker 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.

"Davy Jones' Locker was fantastic. All the scheming and backstabbing made for a great time. A great night was had by all!"
Kimberley Retschlag, Australia

 

Includes rules for combat.
Includes rules for combat.

Does not start with a murder that needs solving.
Does not start with a murder that needs solving.

The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game and a cast list of all the characters.

Cast of characters

  • Captain Hargrave: Captain of the Libra
  • First Officer Cook: The Libra's first officer
  • Sister Agnes: A nun
  • Maggie Brown: A young Tortugan woman
  • Jean La Croix: A retired French naval officer
  • Dirty Dana: An opium dealer
  • Esmerelda: A flamboyant mystic
  • Mambo Faith: A poor Tortugan woman
  • Rummy Ike: A sailor
  • Shanks McCaffee: A Tortugan cook
  • Rusty Mike: A ruthless bounty hunter with an eye patch
  • Slippery Pete: A grizzled ex-pirate and seaman
  • Darrell Sims: A plantation manager
  • Saucy Sue: A young Tortugan woman
  • Drunken Willie: A Tortugan drunk

Davy Jones' Locker is for 10 to 15 guests:

    • 10 guests (5 male, 3 female, 2 any)
    • 11 guests (5 male, 4 female, 2 any)
    • 12 guests (6 male, 4 female, 2 any)
    • 13 guests (6 male, 5 female, 2 any)
    • 14 guests (6 male, 5 female, 3 any)
    • 15 guests (6 male, 5 female, 4 any)

You also need a host – someone to organize the party and ensure everything runs smoothly.

How Freeform Games murder mystery games work

Davy Jones' Locker is unlike other murder mystery games – it doesn't start with a murder to solve (although one is likely to be committed during the game). Instead, plenty of other plots and secrets will keep everyone busy, as each character has several objectives they must try to accomplish. Davy Jones' Locker isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"Everyone really enjoyed Davy Jones' Locker – they commented that it was so different from other murder mysteries they've played, and it was much better than they were expecting after previous experiences with scripted games."
Jennifer Stout, United Kingdom

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Deckhand, and welcomed aboard the Libra.

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! Along the way they may uncover some of Davy Jones' Locker's mysteries. Who was responsible for Blackheart's capture? Who really wrecked the Orion? Will the Montenegro curse be broken? And perhaps most importantly of all, who will find Blackheart's treasure?

Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Recommended for ages 15+

We recommend Davy Jones' Locker for those aged 15+ as it includes an elopement plot, and references to magic.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and need more characters. Davy Jones' Locker comes with free extra characters (written by us or previous hosts) that are included in the download when you purchase the game.

  • 'Ginger' Roberts – freelance reporter in search of the Big Story. (Any)
    (by Freeform Games)
  • Bonnie Jones – Captain Hargrave's fancy-woman (F)
    (by James Cameron)
  • Bow-Legged Bill – Ex-Royal Navy sailor. (M)
    (by James Cameron)
  • Luz Castillo – Stowaway aboard the Libra. (Any)
    (by Lisa Perez)
  • Misty Raynes – Tortugan seamstress (F)
    (by James Cameron)

Please note that we haven't always tested these – and they may not tie in exactly with our games.

IMPORTANT – you shouldn't add too many of these characters in to your game as they haven't been designed to work together (unlike the main game characters). If you add in several, they may make your game chaotic and incoherent. You should probably instead choose a larger game. If you still want to add several extra characters (four or more), we recommend having an extra host to help.

"Thank you for a great site, fantastic games, good service and very quick reply. Keep up the good work." Ole Martin Brodwall, Norway

Cast Iron Guarantee

We offer a Cast Iron Guarantee on all our murder mystery games. If you're not completely satisfied with Davy Jones' Locker then please let us know within 30 days and we will refund you. See our full terms and conditions, and our refund policy.

Trouble downloading? If you have trouble downloading the game files, please first check your spam folder. If you still can't find the download email, contact us with the name of the game and the email address you used to purchase it, and we'll resend it.

18 reviews for Davy Jones’ Locker

  1. Ninnaku O. (verified owner) –

    This was the first mystery game my friends and I have played and everyone loved the experience! People really got into their characters and loved dressing up. We were a group of around 14 and most of them had never met, so it was a great way for people to interact and get to know each other without awkward conversations. Since it was our first time it was a bit complicated, but once everyone got the gist of it it went smoothly. Some people spent a lot of time searching for characters mentioned but weren’t actually important for the game or physically there, so as host make sure you stay on top of listening to conversations and jump in early if people go off track. I would recommend starting with an easier game or one with fewer characters. As an inexperienced host it was a lot to keep track of including the timing of everything. Will definitely by another game in the future.

  2. Elizabeth (verified owner) –

    This game was a blast! It was fun for the whole party to wander around the house with their own secret goals and mysterious motives. I would recommend this to anyone who wants less of a puzzle-style group game that is still engaging and interesting for the whole group.

  3. Katherine Chivers (verified owner) –

    Great fun to play. We have a wedding, many capturings and many murders throughout the night.
    Lots of character details this time which do require your guests to read their profiles well.
    Busy night as the host and did sometimes get confusing with the multiple identities!
    But such good fun, will definitly be buying another one soon!!

  4. Chesley Way –

    Started using these games back in 2005, Davy Jones’ Locker is the 5th game we hosted and a lot of fun yet again. Albeit this one was a bit more complicated as we had a lot of newbies, by about 1/2 way through everything got smoothed out. Seems like we ignited the bug in some of our friends who will be trying to host their own games. Thx as always guys!

  5. Shontelle Gregory-Hunt –

    Just a quick one to let you know we had the most amazing night with Davy Jones’ Locker. It was so much fun and everyone that came got right into it. Thanks so much for coming back to me so quickly, you calmed my worries! Looking forward to our next party!

  6. Annemarie Johnson –

    As a group we’ve been playing Murder Mysteries for around 25 years now and have sampled most brands with numbers from 6 up to very large groups and sitting at a table playing in rounds to the free flow of Freeform games. Davy Jones’ Locker is the first Freeform game we played (although our kids enjoyed the Pirate Island game a couple of years ago), and we loved it – plenty to do to keep everyone occupied all night and even the two newbies (who coincidentally were the two who didn’t have English as a first language) were able to get right into it straight away, working on their goals. Architect Matt organised our holiday cottage into a galleon with the help of massive pictures of parts of the ship – and we ate fish n chips from the local Chippy. A perfect evening. Looking forward to the next.

  7. Jackie Girdner –

    We took our adult children (ages 20–26) and spouses on a houseboat trip for 4 days. Played the Davy Jones Locker game.
    IT WAS A HIT! They thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great to watch them play act and be kids again.
    I would recommend it to anyone – it really was great fun!

  8. Jamie Anderson –

    Davy Jones’ Locker seemed like the best theme for my group of players… I loved it! Wouldn’t change a thing.

  9. A Customer –

    There was a great range of characters in Davy Jones’ Locker, which made it easy for me to pick people to play them. Everyone was talking to everyone else, despite not having met them previously.

  10. Lily Coulstock-Cockeram –

    We had an absolute blast playing Davy Jones’ Locker last night for my 18th birthday party, thanks so much for writing such a well plotted game. There were countless double crossings, attempted murders, restraints, plundering of unconscious bodies, and some very loyal defence of allies! However, some of the characters did become more prominent than they perhaps should have been from their character sheets, with one taking over the ship with the permission of the Captain, as well as possessing all the weapons in the game and all the treasure co-ordinates. I think murder mysteries bring out the megalomania in people! Just a few tips on decor and music; I bought two large pirate flags to hang on the walls (despite it not actually being a pirate ship…) and also stuck the Tortuga Gazette up around the house. Music wise, we listened to a lot of ‘tavern’ music from RPGs (there are some good compilations on Youtube), and of course the Pirates of the Caribbean theme! I also had a video of waves lapping a shore on the television which added further atmosphere. Again, thanks for such an excellent evening.

  11. Mark Plagens –

    Davy Jones’ Locker went well with a lot of intrigue. Our group loves pirates and most costumes were already in the closet. This was the first freeform game our group has done. They’re ready for another.

  12. Deborah –

    Davy Jones’ Locker was very fun for teenagers!

  13. Melanie Loree –

    Davy Jones’ Locker was most of our group’s second time doing a murder mystery.
    We had a clever hostess that made up new and interesting ways to help us achieve what we wanted.
    I know that this ended up very twisted in the end, but that is the fun of these types of games!
    Lots of laughs and many more to come with our next one. Thanks so much!

  14. Rowan Norrie –

    Our first freeform, and compared to usual murder mystery games, Davy Jones’ Locker worked really well. We had great fun – a mutiny, captain tied up and a nun who failed in a mock fight, collapsed to the floor and was licked ‘awake’ by the dog!

    Image #1 from Rowan Norrie

  15. Alicia Garrett –

    I am well known for hosting murder mystery parties but I can 100% say that Davy Jones’ Locker was the best one I have ever done!
    I only stumbled across this game after looking for a boat themed murder mystery for our boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads, but I definitely will be purchasing one of these freeform games again!
    Thank you for providing a great evening, loved by all!

  16. Debbie Myerscough –

    Many thanks for all your help. My son’s 18th birthday went down superbly with the help of Davy Jones’ Locker. We had about 14 attempted murders, one marriage and countless double dealing. The characters were great and the plot intricately woven – some people kept their secrets better than others, but all had a fantastic time.

  17. Doug Phillips –

    We had a super Davy Jones’ Locker evening! We have used other games before, but the consensus was that we like the creativity of the freeform format best. We will be using your games again.

  18. Jess Cox –

    We played Davy Jones’ Locker last weekend and had a blast! This is the eighth game I’ve played, and with a variety of groups of people, and this was as much fun as ever!
    This was a new group of people and at first they seemed a bit overwhelmed, but once I pointed them toward the "tips for beginners" and encouraged them to use their ability cards, the game took off.
    Right away people were making deals and deceiving one another. No one wanted the boat to land (well, except the person who got thrown overboard, but that was at the last minute…)

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