A downloadable mystery party game

Is Northwood Orchards' Storied Past Related to Salchester's Modern Mythical Mysteries??

Salutations, citizens of Salchester!

After living in the Northwood House for generations, the Smith family has finally decided to sell the manor and the surrounding Northwood Orchards. But when death strikes the morning of the sale, everything is thrown into doubt...

I am Penelope Press, an acclaimed investigative journalist at the Salchester Gazette. Curious things have been happening around Salchester, and I bring you the facts so that we can solve these mysteries together.

The first tale takes place quite a bit before the others and is specifically designed as an intro to mystery party games and how the games are set up. While our full games are designed for 8-11 players, this game is designed for 3-4 players as an introduction to the format. 

To help set the scene, try stirring up some lakeside lemonade! Thematic vegan recipes are included with each game.

At a Glance

Don’t worry if you’ve never played a mystery party game or a murder mystery game before—you don’t need to memorize anything or be a roleplaying expert. All you have to do is read your character’s script and try to figure out who is the culprit. No acting is required—but the more everyone gets into character, the more fun the game can be!

Each game is completely digital - just download the files, assign characters, and distribute to your players! Play in person or online! Then, once the character booklets are distributed, it’s time to play! Games include three Q&A sections that are separated by scripted scenes, a prompt for players to make their accusations, and conclude with a final scripted scene.

This introduction game is designed for 3-4 players OR for a solo player using the single player script. The pre-recorded narrator track can be used to help cover all the roles if needed.

What You Get

  • Gameplay Instructions 
  • Synopsis & Character List 
  • 3 Character Booklets 
  • 1 Narrator Booklet 
  • 1 Single Player Booklet 
  • 1 Narrator Audio Track 
  • Themed Vegan Drink Recipe 
  • Art Downloads

French Translation includes:

  • Gameplay Instructions
  • Synopsis & Character List
  • 3 Character Booklets
  • 1 Narrator Booklet
  • Themed Vegan Drink Recipe
  • Art Downloads

Before You Play

Difficulty rating (out of 5): 1 

Content Warnings: death, description of childhood trauma, gaslighting, drowning

FAQs

  • Can I play by myself? YES! Each game comes with a single player script.
  • How long does a typical game last? This shortened version takes around 30 minutes, the full versions take approximately 2 hours.
  • Do I have to play the games in the Northwood Fables in order? No! Each game is a stand alone game. However, there may be spoilers if you play out of order. Any relevant secrets revealed in an earlier game will be reviewed in subsequent games if required for plot purposes.
  • How much prep does the game require? Not much! You can sign up for characters ahead of time or at the beginning of your session, but everything from there is provided!  It is recommended for at least one party member to look over the How to Play document before beginning.

Other Games in the Northwood Fables

1 The Ghost of Northwood House

2 Boardroom Siege

3 A Haunting in the Orchard

4 Much Ado About Fairies

5 The Bewildered Book Club

6 After the Fire

StatusReleased
CategoryPhysical game
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(2 total ratings)
AuthorMythical Mystery Games
Tagsdigital, Fantasy, Mystery, party-game
Average sessionAbout a half-hour

Download

Download
How To Play A Northwood House Overture 4 MB
Download
A Northwood House Overture Synopsis & Character List 871 kB
Download
NF0CharacterBooklets.zip 90 MB
Download
NF0AudioFiles.zip 18 MB
Download
NF0BonusContent.zip 36 MB
Download
NF0FRTraductionFrançaise.zip 207 MB

Development log

Comments

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I just ran this for a small group of friends to see how it went and if we'd be interested in going through the Fables collection, and it was great! Really easy to get started, and everyone was excited about aspects of their character and immediately got into them. Towards the end people started adding more to what their characters were saying, which was fun to see.

There was a lot of chatter and excitement when it came time to talk about who we thought did it out of character, and that lead to a lot of laughter. That we were able to quickly pick this up and jump RIGHT in with all of 10-15 minutes of prep to read over the information at the start definitely helped. 

Short, sweet and fun I'd recommend this to anyone looking to try out this kind of game! It took us about 30-35 minutes once we got started. Great to pick up and play with friends - we were online, but it'd be really easy to do in person, and the short length makes it easy to find a time to slot it in! 

Looking forward to playing the others!

Thank you so much for this wonderful review, this absolutely made our day!!